Is 256 GB of HD space enough?

I am leaning towards a 256 GB SSD as opposed to getting a larger 7200 rpm HD. But now I am wondering if it is enough space for my needs. I will be mainly gaming on this laptop. Games would include: SC2, D3, BF3, ME3, Witcher 2, Skyrim, Shogun 2. It's been awhile since I have owned a PC and not sure how much these games take up now.

Thanks!

 

It is for me but I also have an external HDD to store everything else on too.

 

ME3 = 10.7gb
Witcher 2 = 30.2gb (with enhanced edition patch)
Skyrim = 13.6gb (8+ mods + textures)

I don't have SC2 installed anymore so I can't comment on its size but you should be able to google the specs of the other games.

 

it is if your conservation on what you install. If I were you I would get a 256 and an external for extra stuff.

 

Thanks for the info guys. So here are my thoughts, please let me know what you think:

I am looking to buy a Clevo P170EM from one of the resellers I found here on NBR forums (Mythlogic). I am thinking of building it with one SSD and one HD. The SSD to boot from and the regular HD for my games. Is this a good idea? mSata seems like an option as well instead of the ssd, but i heard performance isnt as good? Thx again.

 

Perfect .

 

In a word...no! There just to much technology nowadays and that small a drive will be used up before you can say an HD video.

If its your sole drive, you need at least the 512GB SSD. Choose otherwise only if you don't mind carrying an additional external drive for all your peripherals.

 

128GB SSD as boot/apps + traditional HDD is the way to go if you can. I manage with 256GB SSD. Forces me to keep my drive cleaned up and remove programs I don't need any more. It's been easier than I thought. Plus having my own Windows Home Server helps for storing massive amounts of stuff.

 

SC2, D3, BF3, ME3, Witcher 2, Skyrim, Shogun 2.
SC2 = 12 Gb
D3 = 12gb
BF3 = 20gb
ME3 = 10.7gb
Witcher 2 = 30.2gb (with enhanced edition patch)
Skyrim = 13.6gb (8+ mods + textures)
shogun = 20gb
win7 = 20gb

= 147Gb.

so yes. it's enough for you.

 

256GB

Steam = never enough
No steam = plenty

 

Really people? A 256 GB drive wasn't enough space 5 years ago. now you're suggesting he set up a system with that puny amount of space? The only reason they're sold is for ancillary supports.

 

ancillary supports? WTH does that even mean?

Yes 256GB is small, but not horribly small. I've been making due with 256GB for over a year now and it's not that bad. Have external storage to backup all your crap and for extra storage, but I realize I don't need to take everything I own with me everywhere I go.

I liken it to carrying around your entire file cabinet vs the few folders you need.

 

Not everyone stores HD video. I have 7 years of my business files, plus my entire life of personal files, 10+ years of digital camera pictures and 4 games installed. I'm at 147GB. 256GB will be just fine for me when I upgrade to SSD later this year.

 

I am on a 160GB Intel G2. I have Windows 7 and 8, plus I record HD tv shows with Media Center and store my huge Sony NEX-C3 raw's on it. 256GB would be great for me.

 

Haha so true!

 

I'd go with an mSATA-HDD combo. It's a great compromise. You won't have super fast loading times for your games, but that usually isn't much of a problem anyway. Plus, with the bigger mSATAs, you could put your most frequently played game on it while keeping the games you rarely play on the HDD. Right now, this is exactly what I'm doing. However, I don't play more than 1-2 games at a time so both of them easily fit on my mSATA and I only have an 80 GB mSATA (my HDD is 500 GB).

 

If you don't need the optical drive, then get a regular SATA plus a hard drive in the optical drive slot. 2.5" SATA drives are faster and cheaper. I'd only go with mSATA if you wanted/needed an internal optical drive.

 

you can use the command line to link the steam games "common" in the HDD..

 

You should look into a 750GB Hybrid drive too. In my opinion, 256Gb is not enough and when you become low on space, it could potentially slow down a lot too.

 

Right. The way I see it, order of preference:

(1) SSD : Get as large as you can afford if not enough storage then:

(2) SSD + HDD : Either a two HDD bay laptop or swap out your optical drive for an HDD adapter. If you can't / don't want to do that then:

(3) Hybrid : The 750GB has 8GB NAND which should be more than adequate for Windows and a handful of apps to be 'learned' by the system and accelerate significantly

 

Thanks for all the info guys. I went with the 256 SSD and I will just get another 256 down the line when prices drop signficantly.

Just a few follow up questions:

How much space does Windows 7 take up?
Also, does installing/uninstalling games on the same drive slow things down? Any tips, to keeping my SSD drive in tip top shape?

Thx again!

 

we could say w7 takes about 20gb.

To keep your ssd in a good shape, leave 10% of space free if possible and you'll never have any problem. With todays ssds you don't need to tweak anything really, unless you really need/want to pull every bit of performance out of it.