Which of the following acts as an interface between the CPU and the main memory?

The correct answer is Cache memory.

Key Points

• Cache memory
  • Cache memory, also called CPU memory, is a random access memory that a computer microprocessor can access more quickly than it can access regular RAM.
  • This volatile memory is typically integrated directly with the CPU chip or placed on a separate chip that has a separate bus interconnect with the CPU.
  • The basic purpose of cache memory is to store program instructions that are frequently re-referenced by software during operation.

Additional Information

•  Magnetic tape
  • Magnetic tape is a secondary storage device used for storing files of data.
  • Example: a company’s payroll record
  • Access is sequential and consists of records that can be accessed one after another as the tape moves along a stationary read-write mechanism.
  • Sequential access is a term describing a group of elements (such as data in a memory array or a disk file or on magnetic tape data storage) being accessed in a predetermined, ordered sequence.
• ​Hard disk: 
  • A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as a hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device.
  • Hard disk, Magnetic storage medium for a microcomputer. 
  • Hard disks are flat, circular plates made of aluminum or glass and coated with magnetic material. 
  • Hard disks for personal computers can store up to several gigabytes (billions of bytes) of information.

• Compact disc 
  • A compact disc (CD), is a molded plastic disc containing digital data that is scanned by a laser beam for the reproduction of recorded sound and other information.
  • Since its commercial introduction in 1982, the audio CD has almost completely replaced the phonograph disc (or record) for high-fidelity recorded music.
  • The CD's storage capacity is only about 700 MB, which is just about 74 minutes of audio.