What internal hardware component is used for secondary storage?

The hard drive is considered an essential internal hardware component used for secondary storage. Secondary storage refers to media that is not directly accessible by the CPU and is used to store data long-term, as opposed to primary storage like RAM, which is temporary and volatile. Hard drives hold operating systems, applications, and personal data, retaining information even when the computer is powered off.

In contrast, while a DVD drive can serve as secondary storage as well, it is typically not considered an internal component in modern systems. The motherboard is the main circuit board that connects all components but does not provide storage by itself. RAM is classified as primary storage due to its function in temporarily holding data that the CPU is currently using and is cleared when power is lost.