Any PC or laptop has a specific and limited storage capacity that obviously depends on the data or software that you have installed. There is no doubt that it plays a very important role since it will determine the number of applications, files, data, and other things that you can install on your computer.
Having enough storage space to install everything you need is key to enjoying a good user experience. Imagine, for a moment, how problematic it would be to have to work with a computer or a laptop that constantly runs out of space. And that forces you to delete things to free up some space to continue working. Annoying and chaotic, no doubt.
When buying a new computer to work, you must consider the type of unit it integrates. But also the storage capacity it offers. Today, the ideal is, in most cases, to opt for an SSD drive. The difference in performance compared to an HDD is so great that you can say that both play in different leagues, although it is true that hard drives still have the price per gigabyte ratio in their favor, which is cheaper.
The storage capacity that you are going to consider will depend on the work that you are going to do and the files, applications, and documents that you are going to use. You can also expand the storage unit or add a complementary one, but this entails an expense that you will want to postpone as long as possible after buying a new PC or laptop, and for this, you must choose your new equipment well.
How Much Data Do You Want to Save?
To determine how much storage a PC needs, consider how many files you want to back up and how big they are. Movies, Photos, and games use more storage than text files or music. I recommend opting for at least one terabyte of hard disk if you need to save a lot of movies, games, and other heavy files. Do you want to store text documents and occasionally photos? In this case, you need 512 gigabytes of storage. Lower storage capacity is only recommended if you back up a few files or work a lot in the cloud.
SSD or HDD
There are Hard Disk Drives and Solid State Drives for computers when it comes to storage devices. The plus point of Solid State Drives is that SSDs are ten times faster than HDDs, are quieter, and last longer. However, SSDs with large storage capacities are more costly than HDDs. Most laptops have an SSD drive or a combination of SSDs and HDDs.
Storage capacity: how much do I need?
If you are going to work making basic use of the equipment (office automation, documents, and light files), the minimum you should look for is a model that integrates a 128 GB SSD, although the ideal would be not to go below 256 GB.
128 GB is now the low standard for hard drives. Laptops intended for office automation will be perfectly satisfied with it, especially for those who also have an external hard drive. For a smartphone, however, 128 GB is a lot of storage. The phone can simultaneously accommodate around 3000 photos, five big games, and around thirty applications. On 128 GB, it is possible to store, for example, 30,000 songs in mp3!
256 GB is a good storage size for a computer that is used daily. On 256 GB, it is possible to store around 50,000 smartphone photos, 60,000 songs, 30 HD movies, or 15 Blu-ray movies.
If you use several applications, if you work with high-quality photos, and if you move medium-sized files, the ideal would be not to go below 512 GB, also in SSD format. For video editing and working with large files, you must start with at least 1 TB, although, in some specific cases, it is likely that you will have to exceed that figure. Investing in a laptop that has a 500 GB hard drive allows you to keep a lot of software and files. External SSD hard drives are often offered with this capacity. 25,000 HD photos (taken with a Reflex camera) can, for example, be stored on 500 GB.
High-capacity HDD units are an exciting option when you have very high storage needs and can also serve as a secondary unit (working together with an SSD).
1 TB corresponds to 1,000 GB: a great capacity, therefore! This large storage space is suitable for desktop computers and external hard drives that are used to store all of your data, often for several years. It will suit photo and video enthusiasts or those who have a large video library and need space. 1 TB can accommodate nearly 1,000 movies in 720p and 100,000 HD photos.
The storage space you need for gaming depends on how many games you play. Only play a handful of different games? In this case, 1 TB of storage is enough. If you often play a multitude of games, a minimum storage capacity of 2 TB is recommended. Also, keep in mind that many games are taking up more and more space these days. That’s why I recommend going large when it comes to storage space.
Storage for the whole family. With 5 TB, you’ll be comfortable for many years… No need to keep organizing and deleting files. The choice of this large storage capacity can be wise in the case of a shared computer (by the whole family, for example) or for an external 3.5” desktop hard drive, to be quiet. The most generous hard drives can reach up to 8 TB! However, in this type of situation, it is more prudent to create partitions to secure the data.
Conclusion
If you just want to back up images and text documents, 512 gigabytes of the storage device is enough. Want to save several videos, games, and other huge applications on your computer? So choose at least one terabyte of storage device. This way, you can save for now without risking filling up your PC. And if what matters most to you is loading files very quickly from your PC, opt for an SSD instead of an HDD.
