I'm beginning to see flash drives that have as much as some older HDD and was wondering is there a max size (GB) for flash drives?
How do they differ from a HDD? In what way do they differ? I know flash drives don't have mechanical parts like HDD's but I don't understand the difference otherwise.
2007-01-24 08:09:39 · 5 answers · asked by Im2hard2please 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Flash drives are purely electronic whereas HDDs are mechanical. Flash memory access is MUCH slower than HDD.
2007-01-24 08:12:07 · answer #1 · answered by mdigitale 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A flash drive is an external medium that allows people to store data on them. where as a HDD is an internal medium that stores all of the software that is on the computer.
A flash drive has a minimum capacity 16MB(Mega Bites) and a maximum capacity of 16GB(Giga-bites). A hard drive has the minium of 40GB and the maximum can go as far as 500GB if not more.
the main differences are:
- A flash drive has less storage capacity compared with a HDD.
- A flash drive is cheaper compared with a HDD.
- A flash drive is an external storage medium and an HDD is an internal as well as an external storage capacity.
A similarity is that they both store data.
2007-01-24 08:24:39 · answer #2 · answered by Don V 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Flash drives today CAN hold as much info as old hard drives, but they still do NOT replace a hard drive. A flash drive is meant to carry very small amounts of data from place to place, and with easy transferability. Most flash drives range from 2GB all the way down to 64MB. Now you can buy mini hard drives that resemble flash drives that can old up to 6 or 7GB, if not more. If you're looking for a distinctive difference between HDD's and flash drives, the main difference between them is their intended use.
Hope that helped,
-Josh
2007-01-24 08:21:37 · answer #3 · answered by Josh K 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's a pricing difference, just look at the price of maxed out Flash and HDD.
The granddaddy of Flash technology is EEPROM by a disgruntled Intel engineer while HDD granddad is something by IBM.
Flash uses small electricity to write.
2007-01-24 10:06:57 · answer #4 · answered by Andy T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A flash drive is MUCH easier to put in your pocket... :)
The concept of both is the same: data storage.
Kinda like an SUV and a car... they both get you there but...
2007-01-24 08:18:35 · answer #5 · answered by 6kidsANDalwaysFIXINGsomething 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋