by With digital storefronts like Steam, Origin, Epic, GOG Galaxy, and Ubisoft Connect taking up the vast majority of PC gamers’ hard drives, how much storage do you actually need in a gaming PC in 2022?
It’s common these days for most gaming PCs to ship standard with a 1TB SSD, be it an NVMe or a SATA, which your BootOS (where Windows is stored) takes up some of that capacity. Now, if you’re considering building a gaming PC from scratch, being smart with the amount of storage on a budget system is a great way to keep those costs down. Luckily, it’s now easier than ever, with more options at your fingertips, for both SSDs of all types and standard hard drives.
With optical drives largely phased out on the PC gaming platform in the 2010s, the present (and indeed the future) is geared entirely towards digital proliferation. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at what you can do with a 500GB drive as well as a 1TB drive in various configurations for a budget-oriented gaming setup. Keep in mind that these models aren’t necessarily the best SSDs for gaming, but for those looking for wallet-friendly models, they should certainly fill the bill.
Is 500GB of storage enough for a gaming PC?
When you factor in your OS installation, with Windows 10 typically taking up around 20GB depending on which version is on your SSD, you still have around 480GB total capacity to play with. It’s estimated that the size of an average Triple-A game in 2022 will be between 25GB and 60GB, as that aligns with listings for titles like Dying Light 2: Stay Human and Elden Ring, both of which have a total install size of 60GB to have.
For two games, that’s about 120 GB of usable storage space (about 25%). Using this example, we can surmise that you’ll have room for six to seven similarly sized games depending on where they fall in that average size range. From this we can conclude that 500 GB is actually enough to store a couple of large games at the same time, although this is at the top without considering other media and files.
Of course, if you’re getting a gaming PC to indulge in more casual gaming experiences, or esports games that typically come with smaller file sizes (like Valorent, CS:GO, and Dota II), then your total system storage space will expand a lot further. Not to mention the indie scene, whose titles can be as little as a few hundred megabits for a few gigs.
Should I choose a 500GB HDD or SSD?
The biggest cost-saving measure here will depend on the storage type, since standard hard drives are generally cheaper and consequently run much slower than faster SATA and M.2 SSDs. As a general rule, we recommend running your games on an SSD as it will result in faster load times and better overall performance.
Thankfully, SSDs aren’t nearly as expensive as they used to be. We’ve rounded up the three best and cheapest options on the market for you below.
The best budget 500GB storage drives
If you’re on a tight budget and are less concerned about your Windows startup speed and gaming performance, then the Seagate BarraCuda 500GB for just $39.99 could be all you’re looking for. While this model probably won’t blow anyone away with its performance, being limited by yesteryear’s proven 7200 RPM spinning disk technology, you can’t go wrong with its reliability for the money. With data transfer rates of up to 140MB/s and a five-year limited warranty, it’s a solid choice for those looking to save a few bucks.
While the Crucial MX500 is unlikely to blow anyone away with its sequential performance compared to an NVMe drive priced at just $59.99, this 500GB model is more than enough for a budget gaming PC setup. Sequential performance is solid overall here at around 560 MB/s, which is still fine for many games in 2022. As a 2.5-inch SATA, the Crucial MX500 slips easily into any relevant slot in your case and is ready to boot both your operating system and the titles you wish to run.
Although it may be limited to Gen 3.0 speeds, the Samsung 980 SSD remains one of the most popular wallet-friendly NVMe drives due to its impressive overall performance. You can expect the higher end of what’s possible from the previous generation, up to 3,500/3,000 MB/s read and write, respectively, which is significantly faster than what a SATA can deliver. The Samsung 980 SSD costs $75, although it’s often on sale, and is the ideal choice for anyone who wants super-fast Windows boot times, quick load times, and respectable file transfer rates in 2022. Although it lags behind that of a Gen 4 drive, far more PC gamers will have access to 3rd Gen M.2 connectors in their motherboard, especially if this drive is priced similarly to many slower SATAs for the same money.
What about cheap 1TB storage options for PC?
We would generally consider 1TB to be the sweet spot for any gaming PC setup, and doubling your amount of storage really isn’t too much more expensive. This is the usual default size that prebuilt machines ship with, which can be enough for many games and files at once. Really, you’re giving yourself that extra breathing room for future, bigger titles, as well as instant access to more of your backlog and programming.
The most affordable 1TB storage drives
With an aggressive asking price of just $39.99, the WD Blue 1 TB HDD is an unbeatable value for anyone looking for a reliable storage drive with respectable speeds. This is also one of the cheaper hard drives from a reliable manufacturer. This standard 3.5″ SATA hard drive spins at the fastest available speed of 7200 RPM and with its 64MB cache it is far from the slowest data drive you can put in your gaming PC. Keep in mind that sequential performance will of course not be outstanding. As for the price per gigabyte here, around 4 cents each, you can’t really argue about that though.
The SanDisk SSD Plus 1TB remains a popular choice in many gaming PCs to this day due to its reliability and competitive price. For $79.99 you get significantly faster sequential performance than a standard hard drive, and this device promises around 535MB/s for faster in-game boot and load times. Additionally, and perhaps the most well-known feature of SanDisk’s durable 3.5-inch SATA range, is its 1500G shock and vibration resistance, which means there’s also far less risk of mechanical failure.
The Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB might not aim quite as high as the company’s coveted Gen 4.0 drives, but this wallet-friendly previous-generation model certainly has enough going for it to be considered one of the highest-performing NVMe SSDs in 2022. With up to 3,200MB/ sequential rates, you’re looking at the higher end of what’s possible with the Gen 3.0 architecture, which is far more common on budget motherboards than 4X4. When you’re ready to take advantage of these ports, you’ll see performance that’s more than three times that of a typical SATA connection, meaning there’s still room for your PC and games.
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