An electronic device has several components. Those several components have their independent roles, uses and properties. For effective working of a device, all these functions must work harmoniously.
A user must be able to keep all those segments updated and in good condition. To store a user’s data, there are segments in an electronic device. Two such elements are 1. Memory and 2. Storage.
Memory vs Storage
The difference between memory and storage is their functions and roles in an electronic device. The storage of a user’s data and information in an electronic device impermanently is known as memory. On the other hand, the store keeps a user’s data and information both temporarily and permanently and is often considered a long time option for storing data.
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The storage of a user’s data and information in an electronic device impermanently is known as memory. The concept of memory was started to be known by people in the early 1940s.
The semiconductor memory that is used even now in computers was introduced in the 1960s. This technology uses transistors. There are two major types of semiconductor memories, namely, volatile semiconductor memory and nonvolatile semiconductor memory.
The segment of an electronic device that keeps a user’s data and information both permanently and impermanently is known as storage. It is a fundamental segment in computers as well.
The entire manipulation of the data by several computations that are performed is done by the Central Processing Unit (CPU).
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Memory | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The storage of a user’s data and information in an electronic device impermanently is known as memory. | The segment of an electronic device that keeps a user’s data and information both permanently and impermanently is known as storage. |
| Data | Stored temporarily | Stored permanently and impermanently |
| Maximum Size | GB (Gigabytes) | TB (Terabytes) |
| Usage | For storing data for a short interval of time. | For storing data for a long interval of time. |
| Subtypes | Cache Memory, Primary Memory, Secondary Memory. | Primary storage, Secondary storage, Tertiary storage, Offline storage. |
What is 1?
The storage of a user’s data and information in an electronic device impermanently is known as memory. It is used for storing data permanently and for short intervals of time.
Data stored in memory gets deleted when a computer loses power. The foundation of the concept dates back to the early 1940s. Later on, many changes and development were made.
The maximum size of the data that is stored in the memory is in GB (Gigabytes). The semiconductor memory concept was introduced in the 1960s.
There exist two main types of semiconductor memory, namely, semiconductor volatile memory and semiconductor nonvolatile memory. These two types are used even now. The organisation of the semiconductor memory is done in the form of memory cells or bistable flip-flops.
The volatile memory can store data only in the presence of power, and nonvolatile memory can store data even in the absence of power.
The two main forms of semiconductor volatile are SRAM or the static random-access memory and DRAM or the dynamic random-access memory. The examples of semiconductor nonvolatile memory are ROM or read-only memory, floppy disk etc.
The type of memory where there is a trivial nonvolatile period even after the lower is lost and then the data is erased is known as semi-volatile memory.
The sufficient oversight of memory must be done at regular intervals of time to have a better experience while using the respective electronic device. Some management aids include fixing bugs.
Several bugs might affect the memory. They include memory leak, arithmetic overflow, segmentation-fault, buffer overflow etc.
What is Storage?
The segment of an electronic device that keeps a user’s data and information both permanently and impermanently is known as storage. In storage, data is stored permanently and impermanently.
The maximum size of the data stored is in TB (Terabytes). It is an efficient way to store data without losing it.
The entire manipulation of the data by several computations that are performed is done by the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Traditionally the storage is divided into 4 types, namely, primary, secondary, tertiary and offline.
The memory that is directly accessible to the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the primary memory.
The secondary storage is also known as external or auxiliary storage. It is not directly susceptible to the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Hard disk drives (HDDs) and Solid states drives (SSDs) are used as secondary storage most of the times in modern computers.
In tertiary storage, the infrequently accessed data in the device is archived. Tape libraries and optical jukeboxes are examples of tertiary storage. Another name for tertiary storage is nearline storage.
The storage that is completely uncontrolled by the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is called offline storage.
It is a less expensive alternative and is immune from computer-based viruses and attacks. Floppy disks, zip disks, punch cards, magnetic tape are some of the examples of offline storage.
Main Differences Between Memory and Storage
- The data can be stored impermanently in the memory. On the other hand, the data can be stored both permanently and impermanently in the storage.
- The subtypes of memory include primary memory, secondary memory, tertiary memory. On the other hand, subtypes of storage include primary storage, secondary storage, tertiary storage and offline storage.
- The data stored in the memory is deleted when the power is lost. On the other hand, the data stored in the storage is not deleted even when the power is lost.
- The maximum size of the data present in the memory is in GB (Gigabytes). On the other hand, the maximum size of the data present in the storage is in TB (Terabytes).
- The memory is faster in accessing the data. On the other hand, the storage is comparatively slower in accessing the data.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4051207/
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2043556.2043563
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
