To differentiate primary storage from secondary storage in a computer system,…
2020
To differentiate primary storage from secondary storage in a computer system, which of the following statements is correct?
- A.
Primary storage is slower, more expensive and persistent.
- B.
Primary storage is faster, more expensive and persistent.
- C.
Primary storage is faster, less expensive and not persistent.
- D.
Primary storage is faster, more expensive and not persistent.
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Primary storage/main memory is directly accessible to the CPU and is used for currently active data and instructions. Compared with secondary storage such as hard disks or SSDs, it has faster access speed and a higher cost per unit of capacity. In the standard RAM/main-memory comparison, it is also volatile, meaning data is not retained permanently when power is lost. Therefore, the correct statement is that primary storage is faster, more expensive and not persistent.