While picking a laptop for business, studying, gaming, or just web surfing, it is important to pay attention to storage capacity. The rightly picked capacity will prevent further upgrading (if took too low) or overpaying because of too much empty space you donโt use (if take too high).
Another contradicting question is which type of data storage device is better: SSD or HDD? In our article, you will find the answer to every question and help to pick the right storage capacity.
Which is better SSD or HDD storage data?
There are 2 types of data storage devices: Solid State Drive (SSD) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD). The key difference is that SSD is faster than HDD.
- Laptops with SSD boots faster (just in a few seconds) than those with HDD (can take up to several minutes);
- SSD laptops have lower energy consumption because of the absence of moving parts (unlike HDD);
- SSDs are more reliable. As SSD laptops have no moving parts, it decreases the possibility that parts of data storage device will break;
- Laptops with SSD are quieter than HDD laptops. The reason the same โ absence of moving parts;
- HDDs are 2 times cheaper than SSDs.
How much storage for my laptop do I need?
Everything depends on the purpose you are going to use a laptop for most of the time and your budget. Below we describe how much storage you will need for work, studying, gaming, and web surfing.
Laptop Storage For work
256-512 GB. With such a storage capacity you will be able to save a lot of files on the desktop without losing performance. If you pick 512 GB you wonโt need to use a secondary drive (a storage upgrade or external hard drive).
Laptop Storage For studying
256 GB. For most of the students, it will be enough. With 256 GB you will be able to download a lot of files, docs, and basic software required for passing assignments.
512 GB. Students who plan to study in faculties connected with computers and tech (e.g. for computer science students). As you will need to download more software to pass assignments than students from other faculties.
Laptop Storage For gaming
Min 512 GB. If you are going to play mostly high-end games, you will need more storage. Most games are pretty large and only one can take 60-100 GB of your storage.
Laptop Storage For web surfing
128 GB. It will be enough if you need a laptop just for watching films on Netflix, listening to music, or googling. If you are going to save most of the files on Cloud Storage service (like Google Drive, Dropbox).
Summary
We recommend picking SSD over HDD as it works faster, consumes less energy, and is more reliable. Regarding the storage capacity you need, everything will depend on the purpose and the budget.
FAQs
๐ค How much GB do I need on my laptop?
The amount of GB you need for a laptop will depend on the purpose. For instance, for general use, it will be enough 256 GB. However, if you are about to buy a gaming laptop, it is better to pick one at least with 512 GB. Check our quick guide to find recommended storage for studying, work, gaming, and web surfing.
โ Is 256GB SSD enough for a laptop?
256 GB SSD is enough for studying or work purposes. But if you need a gaming laptop, it is better to pick with a higher storage capacity.
๐ฎ What is a good amount of storage for a gaming laptop?
We recommend starting with min 512 GB of storage for a gaming laptop. If you plan to download a ton of high-end games, you will need more storage for better performance.
