How much hard drive space do I REALLY need?

PTN · #1 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 12:45 AM

I am going to be buying a second hard drive for a computer that will be used for video editing. The second hard drive will have to big enough for about 3 hours of raw footage from the camcorder and the rendered files. The 3 hours of footage (@216 mbs = 40GB correct?)will be cut down to a little more than an hour of finished movie, rendered and then burned onto DVD. I need a hard drive that is big enough to handle this, but some of my friends are telling me to get mammoth 300MB hard drives which the man upstairs will probably not go for. I have crunched the numbers and 120GB seems big enough, even adding in the audio files and considering that I don't want the drive any more than 70% full. The drive will never (NEVER!!!!) need to hold more than this.

Am I missing something or is 120GB fine?

Thanks

Marc Peters · #2 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 12:52 AM

About 40GB is right. 120GB is fine for now...

PTN · #3 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 07:10 AM

Is that unanimous?

mrlipring · #4 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 11:45 AM

Look at the prices too. 120GB ain't gonna be all that much more expensive than 40, tbh. EVen then, 160 or 200 ain't gonna be much more than a 120. Always better to get as big/fast as you can afford. You never know, REALLY, how much space you'll need. 120GB is a good starting point though.

for you, though, 200GB or 300GB will probably be overkill.

Mike Thorpe · #5 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 03:22 PM

worked out a couple of weeks ago that he best cost per GB ratio is (generally speaking) a 160GB drive.

Marc Peters · #6 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 03:38 PM

You have now been volunteered as the "HDD space monitor". It is your job* to post a weekly report on the cheapest HDD size in terms of cost/GB.

*this is not your job

Mike Thorpe · #7 (**permalink**) 01-24-2005, 03:45 PM

It seems to have been 160 for ages....