Do you want to use an hard drive with your Chromebook but you’re having trouble deciding on the ideal hard drive size for you. This guide will cover everything you need to know about Chromebooks’ various hard drive sizes and which one you should choose.
Devices are pre-installed with ChromeOS in a variety of configurations. To focus on the manufacture of relatively new Chromebooks, the hardware standard and technical requirements appear to rise.
You can see what we’re talking about by comparing the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook and the Asus Chromebook CX9.
But for now, let’s discuss hard drive sizes and which one would be best for you and your Chromebook.
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In This Article
What does a Chromebook’s hard drive do?
One of the main hardware elements of any computer, whether it’s a Chromebook or a Windows laptop, is a hard drive, also known as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).
In addition to serving as the computer’s storage component, RAM and the internal memory work together to complete a variety of tasks.
It paves the way for a hard disk to read and write the operating system’s storage areas collectively, serving not only the storage purpose but also enabling PCs to boot up and down as necessary. The technical details won’t be covered much here, but you get the idea.
Now that Chromebooks are a thing, you can get them with a variety of different hard drive sizes.
Naturally, if you’re unfamiliar with making such purchases, you should do some research to find the best rugged drive-sized Chromebook for your needs to avoid regretting your choice.
To help you decide which option is best for you, let’s examine closely and in-depth the most popular hard drive sizes in Chromebooks. So without further ado, let’s begin.
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Choosing the best hard drive size for your Chromebook
Now, Chromebooks are available with a variety of hard drive sizes, but you’ll probably just choose one. The most typical storage capacity seen on different Chromebooks is included in the bullet point list that follows.
- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Let’s discuss each of these hard disk sizes so you can decide whether it’s the right size for you. Before we get started, it’s important to note that your needs directly affect the storage disk size you choose.
As a result, it will be up to you to determine how much storage you need. Taking everything into account, let’s examine the 32 GB storage capacity.
32 Gigabyte
There is a valid reason why we didn’t start with a hard disk size of 16 GB, as you may have seen. The standard storage space for most recent Chromebooks is 32 GB, so going below that number seems to be asking for difficulties.
You should go for choices with 32 GB or more if you want a satisfying ChromeOS experience.
32 GB is great up to the point when you start to accumulate files and images locally on your Chromebook. You’ll rapidly wind up completely overloading the gadget, maybe even causing it to operate slowly.
However, with ChromeOS, you do not want it at all. After all, what advantage would be buying a Chromebook have then?
Therefore, 32 GB is advised for those who do not intend to store critical data, documents, and media on their Chromebook’s local storage.
On the other hand, if you fall into this description and are someone who does, choose a 32 GB Chromebook along with the rest of the laptop’s hardware.
Here are a few of the top Chromebooks with 32 GB of installed hard drive space; Samsung 4+ Chromebook, and Samsung Chromebook Plus V2.
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64 Gigabyte
As we climb up the ladder, we arrive at the 64 GB hard disk size. Given it’s twice the storage capacity of our initial choice, this one comes across as quite appreciable. If you want to keep things in check, 64 GB is a commendable choice.
Even if it came down to it, you’d feel safe knowing that there is enough space on your Chromebook to carry a decent lot of data without slowing it down.
Ideally, picking this hard drive capacity would suggest that you’re not too fond of local storage initiatives.
If your job is centred on using local storage, 64 GB is still a little amount and will quickly fill up.
However, it strikes a decent balance that will support you when you need it and prevent performance stutters or speed lagging from taking over. The choice still depends on your taste.
The following are some of the top Chromebooks with 64 GB hard disk configurations:
- Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2.
- Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3.
- Acer Chromebook 514.
- Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook.
128 Gigabyte
Moving ahead, local file storage fans should choose a 128 GB hard disk. If you don’t intend to fill your Chromebook with more material than it can manage, this amount of storage will be plenty to satisfy your needs on any given day.
A 128 GB storage capacity is also available as an NVMe SSD, which is superior to a traditional hard drive and results in quicker read and write rates. The latter is therefore an additional advantage that might be provided when your gadget is acquired.
The following list includes some of the top Chromebooks with this hard disk size:
- Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
- Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14.
- Asus Chromebook Flip CX5.
256 Gigabyte
The 256 GB hard disk capacity is only available to those who will not settle for anything less than the best. What we have here is installed on the most expensive, top-tier Chromebooks, which cost well over $1,000.
This storage capacity is the one to choose if you have that much money to spend and don’t mind a seemingly unnecessary amount of storage.
A person who uses their Chromebook’s local storage often would typically choose such devices, but our best assumption is that enterprises will choose such Chromebooks rather than those who would desire a laptop for personal use. As a result, they do not make any hardware concessions.
Check out these two of the top Chromebooks with 256 GB of storage up ahead. Remember that in light of these decisions, affordability is no longer a factor.
- Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise.
- HP Elite c1030 Chromebook.
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An alternative to Chromebook local storage
It seems inappropriate to discuss storage without bringing up a very innovative technology that has been making waves across the board for several years. Chrome OS is an operating system that is “cloud-first” and very deeply utilises this standard.
That’s accurate. As time passes, cloud-based storage options are being used more and more often. Because of how simple and convenient they are to use, they are even more so powering various enterprises and businesses throughout the globe.
Google Drive, a piece of closed-source software that is fully integrated with ChromeOS, is useful for Chromebooks.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll see that Drive is even integrated into the “Files” system application, giving Chromebook users easy access to the cloud-based software.
Furthermore, Drive is not the only solution to your storage needs. There are more solutions to consider, such as pCloud, a different high-quality cloud storage service that offers users a certain amount of free storage in addition to the ability to buy subscription plans.
People are beginning to understand the value of cloud storage since the world is changing quickly and drastically.
When unsure about the ideal hard disk size, do your research. Possibly, your viewpoint could change completely for the better.
Conclusion
An operating system that prefers to keep things as basic as possible is ChromeOS, which is quick, easy, and secure. This is one of the potential causes for the developers’ choice to avoid complicating the program with a plethora of additional procedures.
It is both a plus and a drawback because Chromebooks cannot run Windows applications natively.
Having said that, given how quickly tasks can be completed on Chromebooks, we’re satisfied with the first half of the two ends. If they weren’t created the way they are, it wouldn’t be conceivable.
The information provided above should have answered all of your questions about the minimum hard disk size you should start with.
For our money, the 128 GB hard disk capacity is the best option available. Chromebooks with this amount of storage aren’t particularly fancy or expensive. With the large selection of Chromebooks in the appropriate price range, you ought to succeed admirably.