What Size Hard Drive Do I Need?

Frequently Asked Question:

What Size Hard Drive Do I Need?

Hard drives come in many different sizes and choosing an appropriate size can seem like a daunting task. It's always better to plan ahead when purchasing an internal hard drive for your computer. The hard drive is by no means set in stone but since your operating system, software and data is installed on the hard drive, it's simpler to plan ahead than it is to reinstall everything.

The size of hard drive required depends entirely on how you're using your PC. Most offices use computers with small hard drives because all of their employees data is saved on the server. Home use is a little different.

Your operating system uses a small percentage of your hard drive space (20GB Windows 7 & 8 64-bit, 16GB Windows 7 & 8 32-bit) as do software programs. The chart below can help you determine exactly what your needs are.

500GB Hard Drive

• 8,330 hours - Music
• 160,000       - Photos
• 500 hours    - Video
• 125              - DVD Quality Videos

 1TB Hard Drive

• 16,660 hours - Music
• 320,000         - Photos
• 1,000 hours   - Video
• 250                - DVD Quality Videos

1.5TB Hard Drive

• 24,990 hours - Music
• 480,000         - Photos
• 1,500 hours   - Video
• 375                - DVD Quality Videos

2TB Hard Drive

• 33,320 hours - Music
• 640,000         - Photos
• 2,000 hours   - Video
• 500                - DVD Quality Videos