Want to purchase a new laptop for yourself? If yes, then one thing which may definitely come into your mind, is how much storage space do I need on a new laptop? So, this is one of the main reasons why I have created this guide because this is the common question which comes into many of us minds.
When you are going to buy a new laptop then there are a few important things that you need to look into it and storage is one of them. Many of us buy a laptop and after using it for a few days or months then we know how much storage actually we need.
So, if you don’t want to face this kind of issue, first you need to know what is the main purpose of using the laptop like what kind of apps you want to install and store the data. After that roughly calculate how much space it will take also, I recommend you buy a laptop with more storage space than what actually you need.
Here in this guide, you’ll get appropriate info about how much storage space you actually need for your laptops such as 256GB, 512GB, or more. So, for having these kinds of questions which are running into your mind, you will get all the answers in this article.
Before we dive into the main topic, first you should know about that these days you will get two types of storage such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive).
Which One Is Better HDD or SSD?
Here we will discuss only some important aspects of HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive). But if you want to know more about it in detail then you can check our dedicated article on SSD vs HDD.
Let’s talk about the speed of these drives first, HDD drives have slow read/write speeds than SSD drives. The reason behind is that HDD works on moving parts to store the data on a spinning disk while SSD has no moving parts because it works on microchips.
Thus, the SSD works on microchips and this is why it is able to access files quickly and also boot the system very fast which means it improves the overall performance of the system. This is one of the main reasons why SSD is expensive as compared to HDD.
If you are doing heavy work like video editing, 3D rendering or modeling, or gaming then SSD is the best option for you as it’ll give you an amazing working experience that you have not to get ever before.
However, if you are confused between these two storage such as HDD or SSD, then I explain to you very simply. If you want more storage space at an affordable price range then go with an HDD drive. But if you want faster performance and are able to spend more money then nothing better than the SSD.
I hope that now you have got some idea about both the storage, so now we are moving towards our main topic. So, let’s have a look.
How Much Storage Do I Need On A New Laptop?
Here we will see how much storage space is required for some specific categories so that you can get a better idea about that. Let’s get straight dive into it.
1. Kids/Children’s Laptop:
After Covid, online schooling and online activities for kids or children are increasing day by day and this is why a laptop is becoming an important part of education these days.
But when it comes to storage then children’s doesn’t require a huge amount of storage space. Because they don’t need to use any heavy apps or store any kind of heavy document files.
However, you’ll need to find a laptop with at least 128GB to 256GB of storage space because it is good enough to install some learning apps which doesn’t take up too much space. Apart from this, all little tykes will spend most of their time watching cartoon videos and this is why they don’t require a big storage space for them.
2. Family Laptop:
Want to buy a laptop that you can share with your family also then definitely you’ll need a good amount of storage space.
As a common laptop, all the family photos, videos, and other files also will be stored on this laptop only and for that, it is good to have plenty of storage space. So, that you’ll not face any storage issues.
Well, the storage requirement basically depends on how much data you have to store but still 512GB to 1TB of space is quite enough for all.
3. School/College Students Laptop:
The basic thing about storage space is that it varies from person to person because we all use laptops for different purposes.
Likewise, the requirement of storage for students also differs from their courses to courses.
For instance, if we talk about high school students then they don’t need a large amount of storage space for school work because they work only on MS Office or any other normal app which doesn’t requires much space. So, based on this 256GB to 512GB of storage space would be decent for high school students.
Talking about storage for college students, generally, it depends on the course which they have enrolled in. Some courses require to work on MS Office only and for that 256GB to 512GB of space would be good enough.
But those who are into engineering, interior designing, video editing, computer science, etc., then they may need 512GB to 1TB of storage space just because of their heavy file sizes and demanding apps.
4. Business Laptop:
Business laptops also require more or less space depending on their work.
So, if you are in a business that mostly requires working on MS PowerPoint, massive spreadsheets, and also has usage of several other business related essential programs then surely it’ll be good to have a big storage capacity of around 512GB to 1TB.
5. Gaming Laptop:
For gaming laptops, it is really good to have a big storage space even if you like to play some low to medium graphics games.
But if you are a pro gamer who only plays AAA gaming titles then surely you’ll need at least 1TB of space to store and install all your games.
If you are still confused about how much storage space you need for your gaming laptop then simply note down the games which you want to play and calculate how much space it will take. Also, try to get more storage space than what actually you want.
As we all know the craze of gaming is increasing day by day and if you are new into gaming then you may shock by knowing that there are some AAA games that required 25GB to 100GB of storage space.
6. Programming Laptop:
Being a normal programmer or coder, if you are thinking about how much space is enough for you then 256GB is enough for you.
But if you are a game developer then I recommend you to have at least 512GB of storage space but 1TB is better.
As a game developer or designer, you’ll install programs that are heavy in size, and also the files you’ll create will also take up a good amount of space. So, that’s why having a good amount of space is quite good.
7. Video/Photo Editing Laptop:
There are a few tasks that take up too much space and video editing is one of them. Actually, on a laptop videos, photos, and games are the things that eat up most of the storage space.
For instance, when storage is going to be full, the first thing we try to do is to delete the videos and photos to make some free space.
However, you’ll not only need space to store all your videos and photos but you also require space to install the apps which you’ll use to edit those videos and photos. Let’s take an example, the installation of Adobe Photoshop alone takes around 3.1GB of storage space.
So, think if you want to use some more apps for editing videos and photos then you’ll require a lot more space only for app installation.
However, if you are editing videos which have file size of a few GB then you’ll definitely need huge storage space that can keep you going without any space issues. Most professional photographers or video editors suggest at least 2TB of storage space and if it’s more than that then it’s quite good.
8. Graphic Designing Laptop:
As a graphic designer, you’ll need to install some designing apps like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe In Design, CorelDRAW Graphics, etc., to do your work.
For that, you’ll require lots of space as we discussed how much space only Photoshop takes. So, it is highly recommended for you to get at least 512GB of storage capacity.
But still, if you are able or you can get 1TB of space then surely you need to go for that as you can store all your files without any worry.
Final Word
On a final note, after going through this article you’ll get a rough idea of how to consider how much storage space you need on your new laptop. Basically, it is highly dependent on your need and budget.
Let’s take a few examples, if you want to buy a laptop for your personal use then 256GB might be enough. When it comes to business use or professional work, then it may vary from work to work but still, 512GB to 1TB is suitable.
Besides the storage space, if you ask any professional about storage then they will suggest you go for SSD over HDD because of its performance and reliability. But one important thing is that SSD is expensive than HDD, so you may need to choose which one is suitable as per your budget and then choose that one.
I hope that this article would helped you to consider how much storage space you need on your laptop. But still, if you have any kind of confusion then feel free to ask me via email, contact form or below comment box.
