Primary storage, such as RAM, is directly accessible by the CPU and volatile, while secondary storage, like a hard disk drive, is non-volatile and accessed indirectly. Primary storage is faster but has less capacity than secondary storage.
The main differences between primary and secondary storage are how the central processing unit (CPU) on a computer can access the storage and how the storage is used. Primary storage typically refers to storage or memory that is directly attached to and accessible by a computer’s CPU, and is typically volatile memory called random access memory (RAM). Secondary storage, on the other hand, does not connect directly to a CPU and is non-volatile memory. Other differences between the two include the amount of data typically stored on that memory and the speed at which the data is processed.
While primary and secondary storage both refer to the types of memory used with a computer, there are a number of differences between each type of storage. Storage, in general, is used synonymously with the term “memory” and refers to the hardware used to store data that is processed by the computer while it is in use. Both types of storage are typically found inside a computer tower or case, but primary storage usually takes the form of RAM that is installed directly onto a motherboard while secondary storage is often a hard disk drive connected to the motherboard via a cable.
One of the biggest differences between the two types of storage is how the CPU on a computer accesses it. Since RAM is installed on a computer’s motherboard, the CPU is able to directly access data in primary memory. Secondary storage, on the other hand, is accessed indirectly as a disk drive is usually connected to the motherboard via a cable. This also affects how quickly the data on primary and secondary storage can be accessed. Accessing data on primary storage is approximately a million times faster than data on secondary storage, although both processes usually take only fractions of a second.
The two also provide different types of memory. RAM and other primary storage is usually volatile storage that can only hold data as long as power is supplied to the storage device. Secondary storage, on the other hand, uses non-volatile memory which is retained even when a computer is shut down which is why secondary storage is used to store data and primary storage is used for processing data.
The exception to this, however, is that there is typically a form of non-volatile memory used as primary storage to store the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) for a computer, although this is only used when a computer starts up. Primary and secondary storage also typically provide different amounts of storage space for your data. Secondary storage is typically much larger than primary storage, which is important since it’s designed to store more data than is being processed at any given time.
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