Magnetic tape and flash drives are two common ways to store digital data. Both have their advantages and disadvantages in areas like capacity, speed, durability and cost. So which one is better for data storage? There are several key factors that determine whether magnetic tape or flash drives are preferable in different use cases. Read on as we compare magnetic tape vs flash drive storage across these factors.
Capacity
When it comes to storage capacity, magnetic tape is the clear winner over flash drives. Modern magnetic tapes can store up to 60 TB of compressed data per cartridge. In comparison, consumer flash drives typically offer between 4 GB to 2 TB of storage space. High capacity enterprise SSDs can reach around 100 TB.
This massive difference in storage capacity makes magnetic tapes much more suitable for large scale, long term data archiving. A standard LTO-9 tape cartridge can hold over 750 Blu-ray Discs or over 60 million photos. You would need a racks full of flash drives to match the same capacity.
Here is a table comparing the maximum capacities of magnetic tape and flash drives:
| Storage Medium | Maximum Capacity |
|---|---|
| Magnetic Tape (LTO-9) | 60 TB |
| Consumer Flash Drives | 2 TB |
| Enterprise Flash Drives | 100 TB |
Speed
When it comes to access speed, flash drives are much faster than magnetic tapes. Flash drive can achieve read/write speeds of 200-500 MB/s depending on the interface and type of drive. In comparison, LTO-9 tapes have native transfer speeds of up to 400 MB/s.
The seek time for flash drives is also negligible compared to magnetic tapes. Flash drives take milliseconds to access any data location. Tape drives need to physically wind and unwind to get to the required data, which can take 30 seconds or more.
This makes flash more suitable for applications requiring random access to data like running programs and files. Magnetic tapes are sequential access and take longer to find and load requested data from huge archives.
Here is a comparison of magnetic tape vs flash drive speeds:
| Storage Medium | Maximum Transfer Speed | Seek Time |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Tape (LTO-9) | 400 MB/s (native) | 30s+ (sequential) |
| Consumer Flash Drives | 200-500 MB/s | Milliseconds (random) |
Durability and Lifespan
Flash drives have limited erase/write cycles before failure, while magnetic tapes are designed for long-term archives.
Consumer flash drives typically last for around 5 years with daily use. Higher-end enterprise SSDs can reach 10 years with careful usage. The cells wearing out due to extensive rewrites ultimately leads to failure.
In contrast, magnetic tapes can have a shelf life of 30 years or more if stored properly. The magnetic coating retains data integrity for decades. Tapes are more resilient to wear and tear over repeated reads and rewrites as well. LTO-9 tapes are rated for 5000 full file passes over its lifespan.
For large archives that need to be preserved unchanged for years, magnetic tape provides much more durable long-term storage than flash media.
| Storage Medium | Lifespan | Durability |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Tape (LTO-9) | 30+ years | 5000 full file passes |
| Consumer Flash Drives | 5 years | 1000+ write cycles |
| Enterprise Flash Drives | 10 years | 5000+ write cycles |
Cost
Magnetic tapes work out much cheaper than SSDs for massive data storage needs. The media cost per TB is lower for LTO tapes compared to enterprise SSDs. And tape drives are also less expensive than enterprise SAN/NAS storage infrastructure for huge capacity requirements.
For instance, a single 60 TB LTO-9 tape costs around $150. The tape drive to read/write this tape costs roughly $4000. So the total storage cost is around $4150.
In comparison, a commercial 60 TB SSD costs over $6000. And you need supporting hardware and servers as well. The overall storage infrastructure would cost tens of thousands – much pricier than tapes for the same capacity.
Consumer SSDs are cheaper but max out at 2 TB. To store 60 TB on these, you would need around 30 drives plus supporting hardware. That would still cost more than a single tape cartridge and drive.
Here is a cost comparison of magnetic tape vs SSD storage:
| Storage Medium | Media Cost Per TB | Hardware Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Tape (LTO-9) | $2.5 | $4000 drive |
| Enterprise SSD | $100+ | $5000+ SAN/NAS |
| Consumer SSD | $200+ | $100+ per drive |
Use Cases
Given the pros and cons discussed so far, magnetic tapes and flash drives are preferred for these typical use cases:
– **Archival storage** – Magnetic tapes are ideal for large archival data that doesn’t need frequent access. Their higher capacity, longer lifespan, and lower costs make tape more suitable than flash for such uses.
– **Backup storage** – Tapes work well for daily data backups from servers and PCs. The backups can be taken periodically without erasing the tape like flash media. Storing weekly/monthly backups on tapes provides a resilient copy safe from day-to-day storage failures.
– **Big data analytics** – The huge capacities make tapes suitable for aggregating massive data sets used in analytics, machine learning and research. The data can be stored cost-effectively and loaded sequentially as needed.
– **Active working data** – For live databases, web/app servers and active files, the fast access speeds of flash drives are preferable despite the higher costs.
– **Transferring data** – Flash drives are better suited for transporting data physically between computers due to their compact size, random access and robust design.
– **Consumer storage** – For home users, flash drives are cheaper and faster than tapes for storing personal files, photos, music etc.
Advantages of Magnetic Tape Storage
– **Massive capacity** – Single LTO cartridge can store up to 60 TB compressed data, much higher than flash drives.
– **Low cost per TB** – At around $2.5 per TB (LTO-9), tape provides extremely economical storage density compared to flash.
– **Long lifespan** – Properly stored tapes retain data for 30+ years with minimal deterioration.
– **Random access** – Flash drives allow fast, random access to data in milliseconds rather than sequential access in tapes.
– **Durability** – Magnetic tape is resistant to wear and tear from repeated reads/writes over decades.
– **Portability** – The compact form factor of flash drives allows easy physical transfer of data between systems.
Disadvantages of Magnetic Tape Storage
– **Slow sequential access** – Tapes need to spool to different locations to access data, taking time. Flash drives have negligible seek times.
– **Bulkier hardware** – Tape cartridges and drives are physically larger than tiny flash drives and readers.
– **Environmental control required** – Tapes need specific temperature and humidity controlled environment for long term storage. Flash drives have higher environmental tolerance.
– **Susceptibility to magnetism** – Being magnetic media, tapes can get erased by external magnetic fields. Flash drives are immune to magnetism.
– **Limited number of rewrites** – Flash cells wear out after thousands of erase/write cycles. Magnetic media is very rewrite tolerant.
Advantages of Flash Drives
– **Fast data access** – Flash drives allow random access to data in negligible seek time unlike sequential access tapes.
– **Compact and portable** – Flash drives are tiny, lightweight and easily transportable between PCs.
– **Rugged design** – Absence of moving parts makes flash drives more shockproof compared to tape drives.
– **No need for Drives** – Flash media connects directly via USB unlike tapes which need specialized tape drives.
– **Rewritable storage** – Flash drives can be erased and rewritten on the fly unlike clunky rewinding and repositioning of tapes.
Disadvantages of Flash Drives
– **Limited capacities** – Consumer flash drives max out at around 2 TB, while enterprise drives reach 100 TB. Tapes go up to 60 TB in one cartridge.
– **Shorter lifespan** – Flash cells wear out after thousands of writes. Magnetic media retains data for decades with minimal deterioration.
– **Higher cost per TB** – Flash storage costs around $100 per TB compared to $2.5 per TB for LTO-9 tape.
– **Vulnerable toWrites** – Extensive rewrites wear out flash cells. Tape media has higher tolerance to extensive rewrites.
– **Easy to lose or damage** – The small form factor of flash drives means they can get misplaced or broken easily compared to more robust tape cartridges.
Verdict
While flash drives win when it comes to speed and random access, magnetic tapes reign supreme on storage capacity, lifespan, durability and costs.
For personal storage and active work files, flash drives are the better choice. But businesses, organizations and individuals with massive archival and backup needs are better served by magnetic tape storage.
Tapes continue to thrive as the ideal solution for affordable long term storage at massive scales. Improvements in capacity and transfer speeds also help magnetic tape remain relevant decades after their invention. Flash drives are faster for everyday file storage and transfer yet lack the economies, density and longevity benefits of magnetic tapes.
Combining tape archives with some flash drives provides a balance of speed for active data along with residency for dormant data. This hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds at an optimized infrastructure cost.