How much storage do you need in a student laptop?

[TactX21]

Hi, I have got a Surface Pro 4 with 128GB SSD. I want to keep this laptop for uni work when I go to uni next year however I'll most likely get 2 or 3 older games to play if I have some spare time, otherwise I have a desktop computer for gaming.
I am planning on getting a Micro SD for the laptop where I will store my documents so my question is how big will I need the Micro SD to be in terms of memory and what write/read speed is necessary.
Thank you

 

[JQB45]

You can probably make a 128GB SSD + a large Micro SD card work for your college needs. It depends on what you will be studying, the applications you plan to install. What games you will install if any.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

"how big will I need the Micro SD to be in terms of memory"

You mean how big will it need to be in terms of storage, not memory (they are not the same thing, a common misunderstanding not helped by manufacturers calling them "memory" cards).

Get as large a capacity as you can afford, and since it's only going to be used for storing documents, it's write speed is not important. Don't use such cards for long-term storage unless you have the files backed up to something more suitable for long-term storage (ie an external hard drive or optical discs (but preferably not re-writable ones).

 

[TactX21]

You can probably make a 128GB SSD + a large Micro SD card work for your college needs. It depends on what you will be studying, the applications you plan to install. What games you will install if any.

Well I have all of the applications installed that I need for every day use now + 2 games and I have 65GB free on my SSD so I am thinking about getting a 128GB Micro SD for my documents.

 

[TactX21]

"how big will I need the Micro SD to be in terms of memory"

You mean how big will it need to be in terms of storage, not memory (they are not the same thing, a common misunderstanding not helped by manufacturers calling them "memory" cards).

Get as large a capacity as you can afford, and since it's only going to be used for storing documents, it's write speed is not important. Don't use such cards for long-term storage unless you have the files backed up to something more suitable for long-term storage (ie an external hard drive or optical discs (but preferably not re-writable ones).

Oh okay thank you for correcting me 😀
I can use my desktop for long-term storage as back up (or I could buy an external HDD if that's a better option?) but I guess I would use the Micro SD card as a temporary storage when I am working on my laptop and my SSD is full.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Do not let your SSD get too full. Most recommend leaving about 10% of the capacity unused. I would keep your important documents on the SSD, and keep a temporary backup on the MicroSD card. From there you can back them up to your PC. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get Google Drive, and have the files automatically back up to the cloud. I believe Microsoft has a similar feature (OneDrive).

 

[rkzhao]

Honestly, I would just get some flash drives for documents rather than a MicroSD. USB flash drives are much more convenient for carrying documents around. There are likely going to be many times where you may want/need to work in the computer labs on campus and having a flash drive with you is just more convenient.

Then, if you also need something for long term storage and movies or pictures, just get an external HDD.

 

[schwartzasher]

Honestly, I would just get some flash drives for documents rather than a MicroSD. USB flash drives are much more convenient for carrying documents around. There are likely going to be many times where you may want/need to work in the computer labs on campus and having a flash drive with you is just more convenient.

Then, if you also need something for long term storage and movies or pictures, just get an external HDD.

Agreed. I have a 32 gb flash drive and that is all I need. If I were you, I would just use steam streaming to play your games because this way you will not fill up your ssd. also after one semester of college i used up 57mb of space and I did a lot of typing. All you need is a 32gb flash drive or just to stream steam games from your desktop to your laptop where it will play through the internet at the desktop speed. It will then allow you to not have to waste any money on a flash drive. I do recommend having a flash drive anyways just to transfer files to a school computer or to another computer in case you need to print something at someone elses place or the college