computer storage device
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus.
Related to computer storage device: secondary storage
computer storage device
[kəm′pyüd·ər ′stȯr·ij di′vīs] (computer science)
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
storage device
A peripheral unit that holds data without power until purposely erased. Computer storage comprises hard drives and solid state drives (SSDs); however, optical discs and USB drives are also used. Internal flash memory and external flash memory cards are the storage devices in smartphones and tablets. Datacenter storage devices are typically units with arrays of hard drives or SSDs. In the past, magnetic tape was widely used. See magnetic disk, SSD, magnetic tape, optical disc, USB drive and memory card.Copyright © 1981-2019 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.