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Help Me Choose: Storage

The storage drive is where your computer permanently saves documents, photos, music, videos, and other files. More storage means your computer can hold more information.

Solid State Drive (SSD)

An SSD, or Solid State Drive, is a type of storage device that doesn’t have moving parts that provide user with longer battery life, improved shock resistance and faster data transfer than HDDs.

Benefits of a solid-state drive:
  • Lightweight and cooler than standard hard drives
  • Greatly outperforms HDDs in read/write speeds
  • Improved performance
  • Durability
  • Better for mobile users

SATA Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

Hard Disk Drive is a data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve information on one or multiple platters. HDDs are more sensitive to shock and vibration because they use mechanical parts to transfer data onto disks.

Benefits of using this type of drive:

• Cost per GB is lower compared to SSD
• Much higher number of write and rewrites compared to SSD

Dual-Drives

Some systems have a dual-drive configuration, they are equipped with both HDD and SSD storage devices, allowing the best of both worlds.

Benefits include:

Primary drive: SSD for quick load times on key applications and tasks, such as Operating System, Photoshop and Video Games.
Secondary drive: HDD for cost effective storage for photos and video. SSD for system performance priority over cost.

How Much Storage Do I Need?

To decide how much storage you need, consider how you are going to use your computer.
Storage Drive Size
Best For
1 TB or more
Storing large digital libraries and professional-level content created in applications like Adobe Creative Suite, visualizing or analyzing huge datasets, and saving many large games.
512 GB to 1 TB
Storing high-resolution images or PowerPoint presentations, managing a large music library, and saving a couple of large games.
256 GB
Managing word processing and spreadsheet files, storing music or images, and saving a limited number of smaller games.
Less than 256 GB
Saving standard documents, images, and learning applications.

FAQ

Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors
Learn More about Intel