The amount of hard drive space you will need in your computer is probably the most difficult topic to address when assisting with purchasing a new computer. The hard drive is where everything in your computer is stored. When you shut off your computer, the data in the rest of your devices is cleared and transferred to your hard drive. In our office analogy, we said the hard drive was like the desk drawer or file cabinet. It is where the papers are put away for safe keeping until the next time the employee is at the desk.
The amount of space you need is dependent on what you plan to do with your computer more than the computer itself. Drives today can range from 80 Gigabytes all the way to 2 or 3 Terabytes (1 Terabyte is approximately 1000 Gigabytes).
The best way to address this issue is to look at the amount of space your data currently uses. To do this, go to the "My Computer" window in Windows XP or Vista, the "Computer" window in Windows 7, or the "This PC" window in Windows 8. (In XP, Vista, and 7, you can access these options from the start menu. In Windows 8, you will need to open File Explorer from the start screen or the taskbar.
From there, right click on the drive that contains your data. (It is usually the C: drive.) In the menu that comes up, select properties. You should see a pie graph in the center of the Properties window that will show you how much free space you have remaining on your drive. Just above the pie graph, you should see the data for free space and used space on your hard drive. This will show you approximately how much space you need for your <u>current</u> data.
However, you will obviously want to make sure that you leave ample room for new files and data. For this reason, I recommend that you double the amount of space you are currently using to determine the minimum size you should consider. Looking at my primary computer, I am currently using 108 GB of space on my drive. Therefore, using my rule of thumb, I would not consider anything less than 216 GB if I were looking for a new computer. Most computers today will come with much more, and having extra space will do little harm.
If you are planning to use your computer differently (for example, you are considering a career in photography or video production), your storage needs may change. In this case, it would be best to speak with someone already in that field who can advise you on how much space you will need to start. The hard drive is the easiest part of the computer to upgrade on desktops and laptops (tablets and smartphones are much more difficult), and you can also add more space through external hard drives and flash drives.
One final note about hard drives: there is a new type of drive on the market called a solid state drive. Traditional hard drives are prone to failure because they have many moving parts. Solid state drives do not have moving parts, so they are less prone to failure and they also work quicker. However, solid state drives cost a lot more than a traditional hard drive of the same capacity. (A 250 GB traditional drive will cost in the range of $30-$40, while a 250 GB solid state drive may cost $150-$200.) At this time, I would only recommend a solid state drive in a few special circumstances.
My Recommendations:
I do not have a specific recommendation for hard drive size because it is more dependent on your computer usage. For phones and tablets, you are usually stuck with the size chip that they install at the factory, but most Android devices can usually be expanded with a MicroSD card.
For laptops and desktops, I would recommend a hard drive size a least 2-3 times the current space of your data. Since traditional hard drives are relatively inexpensive, extra unused space will not be hard on your wallet.
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