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When you’re buying a new laptop, or upgrading the storage, choosing the right amount of storage space is very important. 1TB storage might sound excellent, but how much storage do you really need on your laptop? And does it make sense to spend the extra money?
So how do you decide how much SSD storage is enough for you? Well, this guide will help you find the ideal storage space you need. We will also discuss different storage options available in the market and the main differences between them.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Figuring Out How Much Storage You Need
How much storage you need in your laptop directly connects to the question — what do you want to use it for? Let’s have a look below to give you more clarity.
Low Usage
If you’re using your laptop only as a light work terminal for MS Office tools, sending and receiving emails, and surfing the web, you probably fall under this category.
Documents like Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, or text files are generally small in size. And you can store tens, or even hundreds of thousands of these docs and not run out of storage.
A decent laptop with 256GB SSD storage will do the job for you perfectly in this case.
Moderate Usage
If you store thousands of photos, videos or even if you’re into light video or photo editing, then you simply can’t compromise with the storage space of your laptop. A standard quality image takes up to 5-8MBs, and more as we go up the resolution ladder.
So, if you relate to this category, look for a laptop with 512GB of storage space. We recommend going with an SSD-type that’ll boost up your data transfer speeds as well.
High Usage
If you are a hard-core gamer, professional video editor, or graphic designer, it probably won’t take long to fill up a 500GB storage drive. Even mid-range games can quickly expand up to 100GB, and so can high-resolution videos.
In this case, it’s best to go for a laptop with at least 1TB of storage. You can also opt for a dual storage setup that offers you an SSD and HDD combo or get external hard drives.
Some of the best laptops with SSD are more than suited for all of these uses, whether they include high-end gaming or productivity.
How Much Does a File Take
There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to storage. You have to calculate how much your usage demands accordingly:
- Average size of a Word document: 200KB
- Size of a photo: On average it’s around 2MP to 5MB, depending on the image quality. Photos taken by professional cameras can go a lot higher.
- Average size of a movie: ~320MB for a 720p, 3-hour long movie
- Average size of a music file: 3MB – 5MB
- Average size of older games (Mario, Road Rash, etc.): 50MB
- Size of modern games: Can range anywhere from 6GB to 300GB
1GB is 1000MB. You can use Google to help you with the conversion and calculation.
So as an example, on 256GB storage, you could store about 800 movies or 51,200 photos, or 85,333 songs.
How Much Storage Do You Need for a MacBook?
Let’s dig deep into how much storage is sufficient for your MacBook for all our Apple lovers.
Is 256GB Storage Enough?
A 256GB MacBook like the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro is suitable for usual day-to-day tasks and delivers a smooth experience.
But if you save all your photos from your iPhone on your Mac and if you have plans to build up a movie library, then 256GB storage might feel a little short. In this case, you can go for the 512GB MacBook Air M2. In a few years or even less, this can fill up as well.
256GB vs 512GB vs 1TB MacBook Pro
The 256GB MacBook Pro will cost you around $1,627 and is suitable for light workplaces or attending online classes. You can pair it up with external storage if you need more in the future.
MacBooks last for a long time, and therefore it is wise to opt for ample storage in the first place. Otherwise, you might end up having to upgrade your perfectly working laptop just for some extra storage.
The 512GB MacBook Pro costs around $1,910, and it saves the hassle of constantly deleting your old files to free up storage space.
If you’re someone who never bothers to delete pictures, old files, screenshots or simply deal with large intensive software and games, it’s best to choose the 1TB MacBook Pro.
Now you know how much storage you need. Let’s see what kind of storage you may want to get.
Types of Storage for Laptops
- HDD (Hard Disk Drive): Hard Disk Drives are the traditional and cheapest form of storage. In modern laptops, the most common HDD capacity is 500GB, while some expensive laptops also feature up to 2TB storage.
In the hard drive, there are actual physical disks spinning, and there is a head that’s reading/writing data. These tend to be loud. They are the cheapest form of storage but also the slowest and oldest technology.
- SSD (Solid State Drive): SSD storage is an improved concept over the decades-old HDDs. Here the data is stored on Flash memory-based modules that have no moving parts. SSDs are drastically faster than traditional hard drives and deliver an entirely silent operation.
- eMMC (embedded Multi-Media Controller): Some brands offering smaller laptops and notebooks feature eMMC flash storage. Since it is directly soldered to the laptop motherboard, you cannot upgrade it afterward. If you’re sure of not requiring a ton of storage even in the long run, this could be a good option.
- Hybrids: A Hybrid storage type is one that uses both HDD and SSD. This combination provides you with large storage capacity and blazingly fast boot-up and application loading times in a cost-effective way.
- Alternatives: Although not very convenient, alternative storage like a USB drive or an external HDD can quench your extra need for storing all those movies and large gaming files.
- Cloud Storage: Still not getting your laptop to cope with your storage needs? Well, cloud storage like iCloud and Google Drive can help you store your music, pictures, and other files on their server.
If you are looking for physical storage for your laptop or desktop computer, we highly recommend going with SSD. Even if you choose the hybrid solution, a small SSD storage will make a huge difference when compared to HDD.
What’s the Difference Between Laptop Storage & Memory?
It is common to confuse memory (RAM) and storage (SSD or HDD) because sometimes the word ‘memory’ is used (incorrectly) for storage.
RAM or Random Access Memory is used to preload data needed by the CPU for a short-term period. On the other hand, storage (SSD: Solid State Drive, or HDD Hard Disc Drive) acts as long-term storage for data and software files on a computer.
Some critical differences between RAM and HDD are:
| RAM | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | RAM is a primary memory for fast access | Storage drive is a secondary, slower memory that stores all data (software, OS, pictures, files, etc.) |
| Cost | RAM is expensive per-unit storage | Storage drive is comparatively cheaper per unit storage |
| Read-Write Time (Speed) | RAMs are even faster than an SSD and have a low read/write time | Storage drives are slower and have higher read/write time (takes longer to record or retrieve data) |
| Capacity | Memory capacity is small, generally ranging from 256MB to 128GB. A typical computer has about 8GB-16GB of RAM. | Capacity of storage drives ranges from 128GB to 16TB. A typical computer has about 256GB – 2TB of storage. |
| Impact on Speed | Generally, higher RAM equals faster computers. (it’s not always the case, but higher RAM is better) | Storage size does not directly affect a computer’s speed |
| Data presence | Data is volatile and is wiped when your system is powered off. This is not the case when the device is in sleep mode. | Data is stored for a long-term period and exists in the computer even when your device is turned off. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Laptop Storage
Here are some of the most common questions about laptop storage.
How to Add More Storage to a Laptop?
The first option for people looking to upgrade their laptop storage is to upgrade their HDD/SSD to a higher capacity. If your laptop does not support upgrades, you can rely on an external HDD or SSD.
You Can Also Free up Space on Your Laptop Yourself By:
– Uninstalling unnecessary applications
– Use the disk clean-up tool
– Discard temporary files
– Get rid of obsolete files through file-explorer
How to Check Laptop Storage Capacity?
To check how much storage your Windows laptop has:
1. Go to the start menu
2. Go to Settings
3. Follow on to System and then to the Storage tab to get a complete overview.
If you have a MacBook:
1. Go to Apple Menu
2. Select About this Mac
3. Click on Storage to check your storage availability.
Is an SSD better than an HDD?
An SSD is undoubtedly better than an HDD as it delivers significantly faster performance speeds. A large software or game that loads at 3-4 minutes on an HDD will take only up to a minute to load with an SSD, making it optimal for this purpose.
The speed of an HDD can slow down over time, while an SSD will give your laptop the same speed for years. SSDs are also much more durable and reliable for laptops as they have no moving parts.
HDDs are cheaper per-unit storage, but with SSD prices falling, that factor also is bound to be wiped out soon.
Conclusion
Selecting the right amount of storage for your laptop boils down to your requirements and budget. In my opinion, it’s best not to go for anything less than 256GB of internal storage. Yes, it is possible to upgrade it later, but it will cost you extra effort and money.
If you’re into AAA titles, other specs will matter too. Best gaming laptops combine high storage with high-end specs.
Some people prefer an HDD and SSD combo so they get the capacity, speed, and a reasonable price. But, if we had to choose, it’s always SSD.
Does this make choosing the storage easier? Let us know in the comments below.
