Are you trying to find the difference between primary memory and secondary memory? You are in right place. Let’s know the most important and common differences.
The memory hierarchy is an incredibly important operation within the PC and might be classified into primary and secondary memory. Each of these reminiscences varies in speed, price, and capability.
Primary memory is taken into account as the main memory that’s accessed directly by the PC, therefore to the store and retrieves info.
Primary vs secondary memory
1. The processor reaches the primary memory in a casual fashion. Unlike primary memory, secondary memory is not immediately accessed through the CPU. The accessing of the primary memory into the CPU is done by making use of address and data limos, whereas input/ output channels are used to enter the secondary memory.
2. The primary memory is implanted with two types of memory technologies; they are RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). The secondary memory is available in the form of Mass storage accessories such as hard disks, recall chips, Pen drives, Floppy disk room media, CDs, and DVDs.
3. Primary memory is volatile in nature, while secondary memory is nonvolatile. The information that is saved in the primary memory cannot be maintained when the power is turned off. In a matter of secondary memory, the information can be recovered even if the power is turned off because the data will not be destructed until and after the user erases it.
4. When the data processing speed is connected between the primary and secondary memory, the chief memory is much faster than the developed memory.
5. In the cost aspect, the primary memory is costlier than the secondary memory. Because of this reason, most network users install smaller primary memory and spacious secondary memory.
6. As the secondary memory is strong all the files and programs are stored in the secondary memory. And as the primary memory combines very fast with the microprocessor, when the computer needs to access the files that are saved in the secondary memory, then such data are first loaded into the chief memory and then accessed by the processor.
Both primary and secondary memory is the most important for a computer but there is a certain difference between primary memory and secondary memory which are described in the following table:
Difference between primary memory and secondary memory
| Characteristics | Primary Memory | Secondary Memory |
|---|---|---|
| Location with respect to the CPU | Inside/Outside directly accessible by CPU | Outside and indirectly accessible by CPU |
| Cost | Most expensive | Less expensive than primary storage |
| Capacity | Lower as compared to secondary memory | Several thousand times higher as compared to primary memory |
| Average access time | In billionths of a second | In millionths of a second |
| Data processing directly from storage. | Yes | No. data must first be moved into primary memory |
| Means of storing information | Semiconductor chips | Magnetic disk, tape, and optical disk |
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