A solid-state drive, or SSD, has become a popular choice for many gamers these days. With greater energy efficiency, faster performance and robust design features, it's no surprise whymany people prefer SSDs over HDDs(hard drives) for their gaming laptops and desktops.
The most common data storage capacity for SSDs is 256 GB. Why? Because entry-level gaming laptops come standard with 256GB SDD and are the most purchased laptops across Australia. And while 256 GB of storage space is limited for most people, SSDs with 256 GB of data storage are sufficient for general purposes.
In this short article, we'll explain everything you need to know about 256GB SSD drives and whether they'll be enough to run your favorite games, along with all the other programs you're likely to use during the week.
Will a 256GB SSD be enough for gaming?
In short, 256 GB SSDs are enough for gaming. But only for a few matches.
When a gamer is considering purchasing a new computer or laptop, a common question is whether a 256GB SSD will be sufficient for gaming purposes. For gaming, a 256GB SSD will be sufficient for the most part. However, there is no clear answer to whether buying a computer with 256 GB of SSD storage will be enough for you.
How you choose to use your laptop or computer will ultimately determine this answer.
If you only want to play one or two games at a time and don't have many other programs installed on your laptop, 256GB SSDs are good enough for gaming.
However, if you have a lot of heavy software programs installed on your computer, such as Photoshop, and you plan to use your laptop for high-end AAA games, then a 256GB SSD is not good enough for gaming. Period of time.
Instead, you should look at computers or laptops with 512 GB SSDs or 1 TB SSDs.
Is 256GB SSD enough for a gaming laptop?
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In general, a 256GB SSD is enough for all your basic apps and basic data.
However, if you want to use the 256GB SSD laptop for gaming, photo/video editing or something more demanding, then this amount of storage space won't be enough for you. It is important to note that many high-quality games take up around 50 GB. In fact, some of the larger games take up over 80GB, leaving you with very little room for anything else.
So you get the idea. If you plan to have a large library of games and also use your laptop for work, 256 GB is not nearly enough storage space. The other way to use a 256GB SSD for gaming is to play one game at a time and delete it when you're done playing. Or you can store all your files on a separate HDD (hard drive) to free up space on your laptop.
Whatever you choose, it will require some tinkering.
How many games can a 256GB SSD hold?
A 256 GB SDD can hold 4 to 5 games with a file size of 30 to 40 GB. This leaves room for basic applications and of course your operating system.
It is important to know that the usable space in a 256 GB SSD is always slightly less than 256 GB. To be precise, the usable space you receive will be up to 220 GB, as the rest of the space will be occupied by the operating system (OS).
Both Windows 10 and macOS 11 use around 15 GB of storage each, but you should also leave some space to allow for the installation of updates. So the realistic space your operating system takes up is about 30 GB.
This means that with your operating system and a game library of around 30-40 GB, your 256 GB SSD can hold up to 5 games at the same time.
Now let's look at the size of some of the most popular games.
Most popular games use a file size of around 30 to 40 GB. However, some of the very best AAA video games can be larger than 100 GB, meaning you won't be able to play many AAA games at once with only 256 GB of storage space.
GTA V, for example, starts at around 72GB and can quickly scale up to 98GB, leaving room for something else. So if you want to determine how many games your 256GB laptop will fit, you'll first need to research which games you want to play and their size.
If you keep your software programs minimal (less than 60 GB), you can install 4-5 regular games. If high quality AAA games are an absolute must, the maximum number of games you can get away with is 1 or 2. Even if you played a 7 year old game like GTA V.
So it's clear how high-quality AAA games can make a dent in your storage space. Indie games, on the other hand, usually don't use more than 18 GB or even 10 GB. This means you can install about 6-10 indie games at a time.
How much space is a 256 GB SSD?
How Much Space Would You Find in a 256GB SSD? You may already know that the GB in 256 GB refers to the unit of measure for the storage capacity of a drive: gigabytes. This means that a 256 GB SSD has an internal storage capacity of 256 gigabytes.
In human terms, 256 GB can store approximately:
- 8 to 10 video games of 30-50 GB each
- 64,000 images of 4 MB each
- 2,000 HD videos of 128 MB each
- 200 applications of 1.2 GB each
- 178,000 Microsoft Word files of 2 MB each
256 GB may not seem like a large amount of storage, but if you look at the number of bytes, it is 73,741,824,000 bytes. This capacity corresponds to 250 (or 256) billion bytes. In megabytes this can be expressed as 1,048,576 MB. That's enough storage space for a combination of someminor and major AAA titles as specified by computer technicians.
256 GB SSD versus 512 GB SSD
In addition to the apparent difference in the internal storage capacity of a 512GB and 256GB SSD, there are several other ways in which these SSDs differ from each other.
If you are wondering if 512GB SSD is better than 256GB SSD, then you would be right. Although there are nuances between the types of SSDs you can buy, the 512GB SSD is exactly the same as the 256GB SSD, so the extra storage means the 512GB SSD is better. Bigger is better when it comes to storage.
Here's a quick overview of the differences between the 512 GB SSD and the 256 GB SSD:
1. Speed:A 256GB SSD can read and write drives at a speed of approximately 520/500 megabytes per second. The read and write speed of a 512 GB SSD, on the other hand, is about 1500/800 megabytes per second. This means faster game installation times.
2. Performance:A 516GB SSD comes with more NAND chips and can deliver better performance. It can handle all tasks with ease and the startup time is also shorter. A 256GB SSD, on the other hand, can only deliver average performance. But the 256 GB SSD makes up for this with its durability.
3. Ease of use:A 256GB SSD is good enough for general tasks and some gaming. The 512GB SSD comes with a higher storage capacity, making it best for gaming.
4. Taken:If you're considering buying a 256GB SSD, you can find a good one for around $50. On the other hand, a 512GB SSD costs $70-100, which makes sense since it's twice the size.
Best 256GB SSD for Gaming
If you've read this article and decided that 256GB is perfect for your gaming laptop, it's time to find the best 256GB SSDs to include in your build.
Before you start shopping like a bull in a china shop, it's important to note that the SSD you want to buy for your gaming laptop is NVMe. The reason is that NVMe technology uses the PCIe bus instead of the SATA bus. Without getting too technical, this means that an SSD with NVMe can unlock enormous bandwidth potential. It offers up to 32 lanes, transferring data at speeds of up to 64,000 MB/s compared to SATA III's 600 MB/s specification limit.
As you know, data transfer is essential to ensure that games load quickly and that dynamic elements don't buffer and stutter. So whichever SSD you buy, make sure it comes with NVMe and has enough space for your games.
Here are the best 256GB SSDs for gaming right now:
1. Samsung 980 PRO 250 GB NVMe SSD
Met een Samsung SSD kun je nooit fout gaan. Deze SSD beschikt over sequentiële lees- en schrijfsnelheden van respectievelijk 6.400 megabytes per seconde. seconde en 2.700 megabytes per seconde. Het wordt ook geleverd met Samsung Magician-software voor het controleren van de schijfstatus en prestatiebenchmarks.
2. Samsung 970 EVO Plus 250GB NVMe SSD
The Samsung 970 EVO Plus is another great SSD from the same manufacturer. The 970 EVO Plus can deliver sequential read and write speeds of 3,500 megabytes per second respectively. second and 2,300 megabytes per second. Unlike other SSDs that come with QLC, this MLC uses NAND, making it more reliable.
3. WD Black SN750 250 GB NVMe SSD
If Samsung isn't a brand you like, the WD Black SN750 is also one of the best 256SSDs out there. This SSD can deliver sequential read and write speeds of 3,100 megabytes per second respectively. second and 1,600 megabytes per second. To provide the user with superior performance, it also comes with an internal controller from Westen Digital and DDR4 DRAM cache.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article will clear all your doubts about investing in a 256GB SSD. There are clearly many factors to consider before considering buying a 256GB SSD, with space and speed being two of the most important considerations.
Het zou verkeerd zijn om te zeggen dat SSD's van 256 GB helemaal niet geschikt zijn om te gamen. Je kunt zeker wegkomen met het spelen van een flink aantal reguliere indiegames, zelfs 1 of 2 AAA-games. Als je echter op zoek bent naar een SSD die beter compatibel is met hardcore gaming, is het een beter idee om te investeren in een SSD van 512 GB of zelfs een SSD van 1 TB GB waarmee je kunt groeien.
If that's out of the question, feel free to buy a computer or gaming laptop with a 256GB SSD, but be careful what other programs you load.
Did you like this tutorial? Check out some of my other guides below:
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- Best gifts for gamers in Australia
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- Are wireless mice better for gaming?
- How to put games in the backseat
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