Memory how much is actually needed?

Hey guys im not so sure how much memory i actually need i see all these numbers like 750GB saying oh wow that's a lot and im not sure if ill need that or i could just get the 256GB SSD... im really not sure and i need ya'll help so any input whatsoever will be greatly appreciated.

 

You're not talking about memory (RAM) - you're talking about storage (HDD/SSD's).

That really depends on your use and needs.

If you play games and keep a few of them around you will need around 100GB just for those.

If you listen/rip music depending on how broad your musical taste is you may need about half (50GB) for those (or more, of course).

If you are into movies then depending on the format you store them in you may well need in the terabyte range.

If you do all these things and more (pictures, pdf files, etc.) then you can see that a 256GB SSD will barely be enough (don't forget that your programs and your O/S will need upto/around 100GB to function properly).

In my case, I currently only need ~500GB of HDD space. However, I always buy the latest/biggest/fastest HDD I can get my hands on and currently that is the Scorpio Black 750GB 7200 RPM WD drive. Why? Because the latest/most current drives almost always have the lowest power consumption and the highest performance too.

When you can answer just exactly what type of use you will be putting your system to and, what type of data you will need with you 'always', then you'll be in a better position to say if an puny SSD (puny in capacity...) or a HDD 3x bigger is the better option for you.

In the meantime - look to get a notebook that can take both the 256GB SSD and the 750GB HDD (dual bays) and have the best of both worlds.

Hope this helped.

 

You need as much as you use....

 

That's about the extent of it.

But because of large hard drives, many people have become "lazy" or "hoarders" of stuff they don't need. Any given time I can probably clear 50-100GB of junk off my hard drive. When on my M11x I don't have that problem because it only has a 120GB SSD. Granted I've got home server network storage which helps mitigate the need for keeping stuff locally, but I still like having it.

Of course games require a large chunk of space that you can't avoid, unless you only install a select few games.

 

Well thank you guys because i wasn't sure on what all it meant.

 

When I'm docked I always have a 1.5TB drive connected. Its in a hot swap bay so I can change out to 3-4 older ones I have laying around.

 

Just remember 7200RPM is faster 5400RPM and an SSD is the fastest regardless of the RPM rate. The size, I would recommend just getting something manageable like 320GB to 500GB (RPM) or the 256GB SSD.

 

The real question is can you afford a 256GB SSD.

A base Windows 7 install probably needs around 10GB, but that may not include extra space it uses such as a page file, hibernate file, etc. so probably 15GB is a safer amount. You also don't want to completely fill an SSD if you want to retain optimal performance, so set aside probably 20% of the overall capacity, give or take. Then of course there is space needed to install whatever programs you need to use.

 

I find 64GB is a good size to use as a Windows and apps drive. About 15GB for Windows and page file, add a few more GB if you use hibernate instead of sleep (depending on how much RAM you have). Then whatever apps you have to install. Obviously you will want to store any extra data on a separate drive, unless you can live with only using 15-20GB max for storage before you start to reach your limit. I wouldn't fill the drive past 90% capacity either, 80% is even better rule of thumb.

Thankfully 128GB drives are becoming more affordable and offer a good amount of space for everything if you don't need to store your entire MP3 and movie collection or install a couple dozen games at a time!

 

A 60GB SSD would be enough (for the most part) for Windows and programs (possibly even game installs, provided you don't overdo it).
Though I'd feel more comfortable with 80GB to be honest.

Aside from that, having a secondary 7200rpm hdd such as Scorpio Black or Hitachi Travelstar of high capacity (500 to 750GB) would be excellent for internal storage and safe-keeping of files in case something happens to the OS and you need to do a clean-install (in this case, all files are preserved).

 

For me personally a 64GB SSD is enough for Windows 7 + apps + some data.

 

I use a 64Gb SSD,I have 36.8Gb free space after Win 7 SP1,virus scanner, printer software,ect.

Cheers
3Fees

 

I used up about 40-60 gb across 2 days. And that was after having to delete all my games to make room for the movies......

Really, it matters on what you will be using your computer for. If you are going to watch movies, play games, and then keep them stored on your computer, you're going to need a 1 tb+ hard drive. If you are just going to use it for normal things, and the occasional game or movie, I would say 256 gb would be enough.