Difference between CD-ROM and Magnetic Disks
Last Updated :
13 Sep, 2024
CD-ROM is the short form of Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, on the other hand, magnetic disks refer to a type of storage media. CD-ROMs are a kind of Optical storage device used for the distribution of software, music, and other multimedia whereas Magnetic disks include hard disks and floppy disks that utilize magnetic storage technology for storage of data. The information presented in the chapters concerning the characteristics of CD-ROM and Magnetic Disks allows one to make a proper choice of the kind of storage facilities for definite organizational requirements, for instance, the capacity, durability, speed, and cost.
What is CD-ROM?
CD-ROM is a metal disc embedded into a plastic protective housing. Each disc has to be mastered, this is the process of creating the CD and placing the data on it. CDs are WORM (Write Once, Read Many) media, this refers to the fact once they have been mastered, there is no way to change the data on them.
Advantages of CD-ROM
- Portability: Another advantage of using the CD-ROM is that they are light in weight and portable when having to transport data from one system to the other.
- Durability: CD-ROMs, for instance, are immune to magnetic influence and comparatively less susceptible to data degeneration as are magnetic disks.
- Long-term storage: Another advantage of having data stored in a CD-ROM is that since it is a read-only medium once data is stored in it it will not be possible for the data to be overwritten.
- Cost-effective for distribution: CD-ROMs have been a cheaper means of distributing software and media especially where large numbers are being produced.
Disadvantages of CD-ROM
- Limited storage capacity: A standard CD-ROMs can only allow one to store 700 MB of data at best which is not pretty impressive to the modern options.
- Slower access times: The problem of data retrieval from a CD- ROM is relatively slower to that in magnetic disks or today’s SSD technology.
- Read-only format: However, users cannot write on the CD-ROM which makes it rigid to suit the dynamic storage requirement.
What is Magnetic Disks?
Magnetic Disks contain circular disk made of metal or plastic. Both side of disk is usually used for storing data. The disk is coated by magnetic oxide. The disk is divided into multiple concentric circles known as track and tracks are divided into sectors in which data are stored.
Advantages of Magnetic Disk
- Large storage capacity: Magnetic disks particularly the HDD can store terabytes (TB) of data and as such are suitable for file storage and data back up.
- Rewritable: The major difference between magnetic disks and CD-ROMs is one of the data can be written, erased and rewritten severally.
- Fast access times: The modern hard drives are fast to read and write speed thus can be used in both personal computer and enterprise computers.
Disadvantages of Magnetic Disk
- Prone to mechanical failure: With reference to the type of storage, magnetic disks contain moving parts including spinning platters and read/write head which are susceptible to breakages in the future.
- Susceptible to magnetic fields: Any strong magnetic field can somewhat corrupt or erase data stored on magnetic disks.
- Physical wear and tear: As time passes huge mechanical parts in magnetic disks may deteriorate to the extent that they can cause loss of data.
Differences Between CD-ROM and Magnetic Disks
| CD-ROM | Magnetic Disks |
|---|
| It is metal disc embedded into plastic. | It contains metal or plastic. |
| Sectors in CD-ROM are organized along a spiral. | Sectors in Magnetic disks are organized in concentric track. |
| It has CLV (Constant Linear Velocity). | It has CAV (Constant Angular Velocity). |
| Sectors in CD-ROM have same linear length. | Sectors in Magnetic disks have same angular length. |
| In CD-ROM, data is packed at its maximum density permitted. | In Magnetic disks, data is written less densely in the outer tracks. |
| It takes advantage of all storage space. | It doesn't use up all storage available. |
| It has to change rotational speed when seeking. | It operates on constant speed, timing marks to delimit tracks. |
Conclusion
Both CD ROMS and Magnetic Disks again have their own advantages and disadvantages according to their usage. CD-ROMs are perfect for distributing read-only information or multimedia and are cheap and sturdy but can download only a small amount of information and are slow. Magnetic Disks, on the other hand, offer more storage capabilities per disk and faster access time, thus more appropriate for the day to day computing, though are more susceptible to physical shock. As we have seen above, the use of these two storage media depends on several factors such as storage capacity, data stability and the working environment of the data.
Difference Between CD-ROM and Magnetic Disks - FQAs
Can CD-ROMs be written to like Magnetic Disks?
CD-ROMs are non-volatile drives, they cannot be erased or written over once the data has been put in it. Magnetic disks are disk that can be both read and written.
What is the storage capacity of a CD-ROM compared to a Magnetic Disk?
The CD-ROM can still store at most 700 Mb of information while magnetic disks including the hard ones can store several terabytes of information.
Are CD-ROMs still commonly used?
There is less use made of CD-ROMs as they are less versatile and have limited storage space compared with products such as USB flash drives and cloud storage. They are however used in the distribution of media and software.
Which is more durable, a CD-ROM or a Magnetic Disk?
In the case of CD-ROMs, flexibility compared to the rigid magnetic disks, CD-ROMs are less affected by shocks or magnetism whereas the magnetic disks are more affected by mechanical shocks or strong magnetic field. However, there are some disadvantages with CD-ROMs, these include; CD-ROMs can be scratched.
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