How to Choose the Right Hard Drive Storage Capacity: A Comprehensive Guide

When choosing your new hard drive, there are a lot of factors to consider. For instance, to choose the right hard drive storage capacity you’ll need to consider several factors, such as your goal or if it’s an external or internal HDD. 

Other questions to ask to choose the right hard drive size will be:

• How much data do you have right now and how much are you likely to add in the future? 
• What operating system do you need to install? 
• Do you need room for other programs and files? 
• Do you need a fast read/write speed?
• What’s the budget?

It seems a lot, but no worries, we will help you figure out exactly what size HDD storage space you need. 

Factors that affect when choosing the right HDD

There are three things to consider in your hard drive choice: the physical size of the drive, the capacity, and if it’s an internal or external HDD.

The physical size is measured in inches. Internal hard drives are those that fit inside your computer case, while external ones connect to your computer via USB or another type of port. The capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB) and refers to the amount of data that the drive can store. 

Learn more: There are three main types of hard drives: solid state drives (SSD), hybrid drives (SSHD), and traditional hard disk drives (HDD). SSDs are the newest and fastest type of hard drive, but they are also the most expensive. HDDs are less expensive, but they are not as fast or as durable as SSDs. 

Why do you need a hard drive on your computer?

HDD, or hard disk drive, is a type of computer storage that holds all your files, pictures, music, and other data. An internal HDD is important because it’s where everything on your computer is stored, including its operating system. 

Internal hard drive vs external hard drive

Internal HDDs are those that fit inside your computer case, while external ones connect to your computer via USB or another type of port. For each device, the hard drive will have a physical size. The price also affects the storage capacity and the type of drive, such as the configuration, type (SSD or HDD), and technology (CMR or SMR) of it.

Why does the hard drive storage capacity matter?

Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s talk about how to choose the right HDD storage space for you. Your purpose for the drive is what will tell which hard drive is the best choice for you.

If you’re a casual user with a small amount of data, then you probably don’t need more than 500 GB of storage space. However, if you have a lot of data or if you plan on storing high-resolution photos and videos, then you’ll need at least one TB of storage space. 

If you’re not sure how much HDD storage space you need, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and get a drive with more space than you think you need. This way, you won’t have to worry about running out of storage space in the future. 

It’s important to remember that if you’re planning to have a computer’s operating system on your new hard drive, you must add the storage space it’ll take. For example, Windows needs between 10% to 15% of the HDD storage to run a PC.

Why does HDD speed matter? 

The speed of an HDD is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). The higher the RPM, the faster the HDD can access data. For example, an HDD with a speed of 7000 RPM can access data about 25% faster than an HDD with a speed of 54000 RPM. 

The physical size and the capacity of the hard disk don’t directly impact its speed. SSDs don’t have moving parts, for that they are faster than HDDs, yet they’re more expensive, meaning that you’ll find HDDs with more storage space on a budget.

HDD Desktops usually are faster, reaching 15,000 RPM, while laptop HDDs are slower, at around 7,200 to 5,400 RPM. 

Your goal is what will determine how fast you need your hard disk to be. For example, for games, you’ll need a faster HDD than if you’re using the computer only to read and write simple documents.

TL; DR: There are three things to consider in your hard drive choice: the physical size of the drive, the capacity, and if it’s an internal or external HDD. When it comes to the storage capacity, you must set the hard disk purpose and add the space dedicated to the operating system.