If you are shopping around for a laptop, you might be wondering how much storage do I need on my laptop. Do you come with a solid state drive or a hard disk drive? Can 512GB of SSD storage be enough for your entire music collection?
Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the lingo. However, it is not as complicated a process as all the numbers and jargon make it sound. Whether it’s large media files or Word documents, we are here to help you choose the right storage capacity.
How much storage do I need on my laptop
SSD or HDD?
In the days of recent, most laptops came equipped with hard disk drives. However, nowadays solid state drives are the norm, especially in ultrathin laptops. If you are not sure where to start, don’t worry, we are here to help.
So, what is the difference between them? With HDD’s, information is stored on a spinning metal disk. They also use a mechanical arm with a read or write head that moves around. With SSD’s, data is stored in microchips.
HDD’s store data on a spinning disc. SSD’s store data on microchips.
If you are on a tight budget, for example, you will want to opt for an HDD, as SSD’s are expensive. Whereas HDD’s are better for large files, they are noisy because they need moving parts. At the tip of the day, it really depends on your desires and budget.
If you have a desire for speed, SSD-powered machines often boot up in seconds. Personally? I would suggest getting an SSD, as flash chips are more reliable (sayonara, fragmentation) and use less power. Plus, they deliver fast performance still.
If you are going with SSD storage, you can get as very little as 32GB for $12 – $15 or as much as 1TB for $300. If you are going with HDD storage, you can rise up to 3TB of space for $100. That is a ton of space for a good price, however HDD’s run at turtle speed.
I think 32GB of SSD storage is enough for one or two programs. However, I would not recommend it, especially for long-run use, as files accumulate over time. Unless you are fine using online storage or an external hard drive, we’d recommend a bigger capability storage option.
For lightweight computing
For checking e-mail or browsing the web, you can in all probability get by with 256GB of storage. That is plenty of area for a couple of apps, games, and so on. Besides, programs like Word and Excel do not take up a ton of space anyway.
That said, if you are the kind of person that stores plenty of photos, you may go into the red. Believe me, there is nothing a lot of frustrating than running out of space.
For large files and picture storage
Whether you have plenty of photos or a colossal music collection. You will need to invest in more house so your laptop can keep up. For the sake of context, a high-resolution picture takes up concerning one to 2MB whereas a visually-demanding game takes up to 5GB.
So, if you are working with a flexible budget, 512GB of SSD storage ($150 – $250) should be sufficient.
For gaming or media professionals
If you live in Photoshop or InDesign, you will need the maximum amount of space as you can get because media files are ginormous. The same goes for laptop games as well, especially if you want to raise the graphics.
If you are working with a flexible budget, 1TB of storage can last you a while. The only drawback is that they cost somewhere between $300 – $500.
Our takeaway
When it comes to selecting the right storage capability, it really boils down to your personal desires and budget. For example, an avid photographer can need more space than the person who only browses the web.
Media files are enormous, so you will need the space if you want your laptop to keep up. Although SSD’s are more expensive than HDD’s, they are a lot of reliable and use less power. Plus, if it’s a speedy performance you are once, SSD’s are the way to go.
