How much SSD is enough

IF I am just using an SSD initially for booting up and Windows 8, and my associated applications/, and programs like Microsoft Security Essentials, my photography program, Windows Office... and will have my SATA Hard drive for all of my files (Sometime in an update later I will send my Documents to an SSD, Music, photos, etc to separate SSD's) How about a Ballpark Figure or how large/small my Boot/SSD Drive should be?
I have no idea as of yet because I am only in the beginning stages of a computer build on paper at this stage. Thank you.

My current recommendation is to spend ~$150US and get a 256GB Samsung 840 or 256GB Crucial M4 on sale. With the price that these drives go for on sale it does not make a lot of sense to spend $100 or more for a 128GB SSD. Even if this is larger than you want remember that larger disks will have a longer endurance and possibly better performance.

I had an Intel 160GB for a couple years and I was ok with the capacity, had 2 or 3 games installed at any given time. But the 256 really took away any doubts. I put everything on it (program wise) and still have 140GB free.

Bought a 32 gig Msata for my laptop and tried to make it an OS only drive with small BS on it. It filled up reaaaaallly quickly and ended up putting linux on it. I ended up just using a 120 in that machine for windows. On my desktop 120 was doable but I enjoy packing it all onto the SSD - so I put two of them in Raid 0 and it has met all of my needs.

I've been running a 120GB SSD for a few years without ever getting close to full. I only have OS and applications/games installed. All of my photos, music, videos, and programs I've downloaded are all on an HDD. I also map my docs etc to the folders on the hard drive so that the experience is seamless to me.

You'd be amazed at what you can still put on a small SSD. I had a 16GB that was just enough for the OS (Windows 7 Professional) and a few apps. Of course, I had to put most of my extra storage on a secondary drive. I also tried the mSATA that came with my old P8Z77-V Premium. Twice the storage and plenty for my needs.

64-128GB should be plenty for most people, including the OP's needs. Hell, my parents have a Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB and are only using about 15% (including Microsoft Office 2010). I offloaded their saved documents/pictures/important files onto a 500GB HDD.

However, one thing to take notice is the pricing around the 120-256GB range. Some have been as low as $0.50/GB. Most of your smaller capacity drives don't usually fall in that price ratio. So get something that is affordable and nothing that you'll regret later on.

256 is the current "sweet spot" for SSD deals, so getting any less than that is a little foolish unless your budget absolutely will not allow it.

I own both a 128GB Vertex 3 (great, never any problems, OCZ makes good stuff but Sandforce came with shitty firmware early on) and a 256GB Patriot Pyro in another PC. While 128GB is JUST ENOUGH for me, it really makes you manage your free space more than most people would like. For example, I have to decide on which 5 games I want on my PC at the same time, and that's only if all 5 aren't space hogs. I have Adobe CS5.5, Office 2012 and some other stuff, but that's about it: 128GB seems like a bare minimum unless all you do is check your email, and I don't install things I don't need.

At the moment my free space is 30GB free, but only because I like to leave it that way for performance reasons not because I couldn't use more space if I wanted to.

Thank you all for your inputs, I truly appreciate the feedback. I'm a Big Fan of CORSAIR lately so I'll now put the information on my build sheet (Wish List) and Thanks to the feedback I now know that I don't NEED the 420GB units.

I really only "need" 120GB (I currently have a HD about 60GB full and it's full of junk I don't need), but have to agree with the above that the recent deals on the 256-ers are almost too good to pass up.

I'm in a similar boat, and I had my mind set on the $99 120GB Samsung, but then convinced myself that I needed faster write speeds (not sure why exactly), which led to me focusing on the $140 128GB Pro version. But at that point, there's almost no reason to spend an extra $20 to get the 256GB, right?
So now my $99 SSD turns into a $160 SSD. (My ability to pressure myself to spend more and more money is unparalleled. )

My worst enemy is myself when it comes to buying to much or to large. I was forced to rethink my computer when I recently built a computer on paper and it finally came up to punching numbers and it totaled out at nearly $3K. Silly me! So far on this build I have kept it to less than $1K. I think that with the aid of Hard Forum, the people I am talking with like yourself, and the sales available through all of the forum avenues that I will be able to start from scratch and have a complete computer for less than $1K and have all the bells and whistles that I think I need..all without overbuilding, and something I can just keep upgrading as time marches on for the next decade or so. A main SSD for my programs and smaller one(s) eventually for all of my data. When I see the need for a Graphics Card I can go that route if I am in serious need, right now it is not even a consideration, much the same for my sound . Thanks to the constant feedback from Hard Forum Members I'm feeling much better about my new computer build and being able to sort things out like the sizes and prices as well as the many different components that I do not necessarily need, and some that I thought I wanted and now find out that are completely unnecessary.
What a Great Resource Hard Forum is!

I also recommend the 256 GB now that they are in the $150 range on sale. I recently upgraded from a 128 to a 256 and it's nice to just put things on it and not have to manage the last bit of free space or uninstall something first. 128 was enough...but I had to think about what I wasn't going to play soon or to wait until finishing one game to install a demo or another game that I just wanted to try out.

StormUP said:

I also recommend the 256 GB now that they are in the $150 range on sale. I recently upgraded from a 128 to a 256 and it's nice to just put things on it and not have to manage the last bit of free space or uninstall something first. 128 was enough...but I had to think about what I wasn't going to play soon or to wait until finishing one game to install a demo or another game that I just wanted to try out.

Click to expand...

+1 on the 256. I really love my 128gb speed, but hate that its so small.

I like to install all the programs on it for the speed, and then games, it really starts to get full.

I had an Intel 160 for my first SSD on a notebook and it was okay.

256 takes away most restrictions on use.

I have 2 Intel 240gb drives RAID 0 on my gaming and video editing rig and that it fantastic!

I may end up just using my old computer and a flash drive or two to save/download any programs, music, photos, documents, etc and that way I can just have smaller SSD's in my computer and spare the installation of my old SATA Hard Drive into my new Corsair 650D Tower. SINCE I do not play any games on the computer (yet) I'm thinking that I might be able to use 120/128 GB SSD's and get by with just managing my computer better than I have with the Hard drive I have. I do not even have 250GB of data on my Hard drive with EVERYTHING together that I have in the old computer... I suppose a larger SSD may be required eventually IF I start playing any games. (?)
I know that Hard Forum Support, like this thread, has been very informative and it really helps me to plan out my computer build. Since I do not work, retired and disabled Veteran (US Navy 20 years), I have plenty of time on my hands and not the full resources just to spend anyway I want foolishly...I have to plan things out and expand as I go along. Thanks to all of the information from threads like this one...I'm very confident and receiving all of the support that I ever wanted.
EVERY tid-bit of information so far has been an eye-opener and I can say I have received well without anyone slamming me for being a nOObie on here and after over 40 years of Electronics, Computer, and Micro-Computer repair on my plate...Thank you!

These guys don't know what they are talking about!
I've got 600GBs of solid state storage and I'm running out! Need another 480 drive!

lol jk (but I do love exclusively ssd storage)

256gb drives are perfect atm. Also don't be afraid of Sandforce.

I got a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro, because I kept running out of free space on my 60GB Vertex 2. I figured I'd get the extra free space for provisioning and future-proofing, but I don't think I'll ever use more than 100GB of this drive before I move this to a laptop or replace it entirely.

i remember when the first 1gb hard drive came out and my dad bought one and installed it. We said the same thing....


then again we were playing "lemmings" in DOS still

Adidas4275 said:

i remember when the first 1gb hard drive came out and my dad bought one and installed it. We said the same thing....


then again we were playing "lemmings" in DOS still

Click to expand...

Loved Lemmings, played it every morning at school when I was 9 and 10.

The fun of it wore off a bit when I came back to it a couple of years back and beat the whole thing within a few hours, but it was fun while it lasted.

Adidas4275 said:

i remember when the first 1gb hard drive came out and my dad bought one and installed it. We said the same thing....


then again we were playing "lemmings" in DOS still

Click to expand...

I daydream about that game to this day. I loved me some Lemmings

Xinmosni said:

256 is the current "sweet spot" for SSD deals, so getting any less than that is a little foolish unless your budget absolutely will not allow it.

I own both a 128GB Vertex 3 (great, never any problems, OCZ makes good stuff but Sandforce came with shitty firmware early on) and a 256GB Patriot Pyro in another PC. While 128GB is JUST ENOUGH for me, it really makes you manage your free space more than most people would like. For example, I have to decide on which 5 games I want on my PC at the same time, and that's only if all 5 aren't space hogs. I have Adobe CS5.5, Office 2012 and some other stuff, but that's about it: 128GB seems like a bare minimum unless all you do is check your email, and I don't install things I don't need.

At the moment my free space is 30GB free, but only because I like to leave it that way for performance reasons not because I couldn't use more space if I wanted to.

Click to expand...

Firmware updates terminology would not have been there, if the firmwares were not buggy. SF is not an exception to this. All softwares including the best go through this phase and get refined. SSDs are a new technology and we will need to support this & not criticize this. SF gen 3 is anticipated as the best SSD ever. very excited to get hold of this soon