How do I determine what SSD capacity I need?

[g-unit1111]

I'm trying to figure out the best SSD for my somewhat limited budget (no more than $250). Storage isn't a problem - I've got two 1TB hard drives hooked up - a Samsung Spinpoint F1 and a Western Digital Caviar Green, and my primary 320GB is getting to be a bit full and overcrowded. I plan to use the primary for just the OS and a few main programs, while running everything else (games, etc) off the Samsung drive and continue to use the WD drive as my primary storage. Should I get a 64GB or a 128GB? I don't think I could go 250 or more due to the extreme costs of running such drives.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

A 64GB ssd is adequate for an operating system and your most used software applications. It would probably be adequate for an operating system and one favorite game.

A 128GB ssd is preferred. It is more than adequate for an operating system, software applications and a game or two, or three.

You can expect Windows 7 to use up somewhere around 20GB. I also have Adobe Photoshop products, several additional photo applications, MS Office, System Mechnic Pro, web publishing software, and some small utilities. The grand total on my ssd is just a little over 30GB. Games will use up a lot more space.

Due to the high cost of ssd's, individuals usually settle for lower capacity drives. They store their data files and least used software on hard disk drives.

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

I just recently switched over from a platter main drive to an SSD boot drive with platter data drive setup. Just having Win7 Home Premium 64-bit, MS Office 2010, and a couple of games adds up to 33GB of used space for me. Thankfully the SSD I bought is a Kingston SSDNow V+100 96GB, so I have quite a bit of room left.

In my opinion, 64GB is too small. Aim for 96GB or 128GB. I recommend the Crucial M4 128GB, Plextor PX-M2 128GB, or Samsung 470 128GB drives.

 

[cadder]

If your budget is $250 then I would encourage you to go for a 120GB or 128GB drive.

I have 2 desktops and 2 laptops that I use regularly, and all of them use about 70GB or more. My travel laptop has some photos that I could delete and maybe get it down to a 90GB drive.

Remember that you will not get the use of the full space on your drive. My current 300GB Velociraptor only has 279GB of total space, plus an SSD should be kept at 80% or less full so it can work properly.

 

[groberts101]

capacity= more free space.

more free space = stamina.

stamina = more time until degradation and required recovery time.

TRIM is not the end all for slowdowns and capcity is the best thing you could spend the extra money on since it's all about the average speeds in longer term usage. Smaller drives just need to be idled more consistently for garbage collection to keep the clean reserves up near the max levels.