The Need for Primary Storage (OCR GCSE Computer Science)
Revision Note
Written by: Robert Hampton
Reviewed by: James Woodhouse
The Need for Primary Storage
Computer systems need both primary and secondary storage to operate
Both types of storage play a crucial role in the operation of a computer system
A quick comparison of primary and secondary storage shows:
Primary | Secondary |
Volatile (with the exception of ROM) | Non-volatile |
Small capacity | Large capacity |
Why do you need primary storage?
A computer needs primary storage because access times are considerably faster than secondary
This means the time taken to complete operations such as the Fetch-Execute Cycle is dramatically reduced
Primary storage holds the data and instructions that the CPU needs to access whilst the computer is turned on
Due to the fast access times, primary storage is used as short term, working memory, in hardware that is directly connected to the CPU such as RAM, and components that reside inside the CPU such as Cache and Registers
Performance of primary storage means a much higher cost which limits the amount that is used
For example, RAM is commonly purchased in 16 or 32 gigabytes whereas secondary storage such as a hard drive is in terabytes
Last updated:
You've read 0 of your 5 free revision notes this week
Sign up now. It’s free!
Did this page help you?
