a. Speed
b. Volatility
c. Access methods
d. Portability
e. Cost
f. Capacity
A magnetic tape is a data storage device which typically stores digital information. The magnetic tape uses digital recording methods and is shaped as a cassette or a cartridge. The tape driver is a device that records the data on to the magnetic tape. Typically, the speed of the magnetic depends on the capacity of the drive which also happens to depend on the cost. “Legacy open reel tapes used nine linear tracks (8 bits plus parity), while modern cartridges use 128 or more tracks”(PC Mag). Magnetic tape has sequential access where data bits are recorded one after the other. To find these bits, the tape drive has to be fast forwarded or rewind so that the data can be found.
Magnetic disk is more commonly known as a hard disk or a hard drive provides most of the secondary storage on modern computers. Rotating drives which make up the magnetic disk are found in hard disk drives, floppy disks and optical disks such as DVDs and CDs. The speed of the magnetic disk depends on its rotating drives which are commonly found starting at 4200 rpm going all the way up to 15,000 rpm. The data transfer time that controls the data that is moving between the disk surface and the reader on the device is factored in the price and capacity of a magnetic disk.
Magnetic disks are NVM or non-volatile storage devices. This means that the memory does not require power to retain itself. Magnetic disks aren’t exactly portable as they are installed in computers but they there is a perk as not much space is taken by most.
The access method that optical disks use is being inserted into a reader that displays the data on the disks. DVDs and CDs require a reader that plays the music or displays picture data on to the television and the speakers. Recently, blu ray optical