What is the comparative speed of secondary storage versus primary storage?

Secondary storage is indeed slower than primary storage. Primary storage, often referred to as RAM (Random Access Memory), is designed for fast data access and temporary storage while a computer is running. It allows for quick read and write operations, which are essential for executing programs and processing data in real time.

In contrast, secondary storage includes devices such as hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and other storage media that retain data long-term but operate at a slower speed compared to primary storage. These devices are more suited for the long-term storage of data, software, and files, but they involve longer access times and higher latency for data retrieval.

Understanding the difference in speeds between these two types of storage is crucial for system performance analysis, as it impacts how quickly data can be accessed and processed by a computer's CPU. Thus, secondary storage is characterized by its slower performance relative to primary storage, which aligns with the correct choice.