A terabyte (TB) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 1,000 gigabytes. With the increasing need for more storage space for photos, videos, music and other files, many computer users wonder just how much a terabyte of storage really is. This article will provide a detailed overview on terabyte hard drives, including how much storage space a 1TB hard drive provides, the differences between hard disk drive (HDD) and solid state drive (SSD) capacities, average cost per terabyte, and recommendations for what size hard drive you need.
What is a Terabyte?
A terabyte (TB) is a unit of digital information storage that is equal to 1,000 gigabytes (GB). Here is a breakdown of digital storage units from smallest to largest:
| Bit | Smallest unit of binary data |
| Byte | 8 bits |
| Kilobyte (KB) | 1,000 bytes |
| Megabyte (MB) | 1,000 KB or 1 million bytes |
| Gigabyte (GB) | 1,000 MB or 1 billion bytes |
| Terabyte (TB) | 1,000 GB or 1 trillion bytes |
| Petabyte (PB) | 1,000 TB or 1 quadrillion bytes |
| Exabyte (EB) | 1,000 PB or 1 quintillion bytes |
So a 1TB hard drive has a capacity of 1,000 gigabytes or 1 trillion bytes. With computer storage, the prefixes kilo, mega, giga, tera refer to powers of 1,000 instead of powers of 1024.
How Much Storage is 1TB?
To understand how much storage space a 1TB hard drive provides, here are some examples of the amount of data that can be stored:
– 250,000 digital photos (assuming 4MB per photo)
– 250 full length movies (assuming 4GB per movie)
– 500,000 mp3 songs (assuming 2MB per song)
– 1,000 hours of video recordings (at medium quality settings)
In summary, 1TB of storage space is enough to store:
– Around 500 hours of HD video
– 250 2-hour full HD movies
– 250,000 photos
– 250,000 songs
So a 1TB hard drive can hold a massive amount of data, making it suitable for storing large multimedia libraries and archives. The average computer user that works with documents, spreadsheets and internet browsing won’t come close to filling up this amount of space.
HDD vs SSD 1TB Drives
There are two main types of storage drives found in computers:
– HDD – Hard disk drive with spinning magnetic disks
– SSD – Solid state drive with integrated circuit chips
Both HDD and SSD drives are available in 1TB capacities, but there are some key differences between the two:
Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
– Store data on quickly rotating magnetic disks
– Slower read/write speeds due to mechanical moving parts
– Much lower cost per terabyte compared to SSD
– Prone to damage from shocks and vibration
– Higher failure rates over time
– Examples: Seagate BarraCuda, WD Blue
Solid State Drives (SSD)
– Store data on flash memory chips with no moving parts
– Much faster read/write speeds than HDD
– More expensive cost per terabyte than HDD
– Resistant to physical shocks and vibration
– Lower failure rates over time
– Examples: Samsung Evo, Crucial MX500
While HDDs have the advantage of lower cost, SSDs with their faster speeds, durability and reliability are becoming more popular for consumer use, especially as their prices drop. A 1TB SSD has up to 5 times faster data transfer speeds compared to a 1TB HDD.
1TB HDD Price
There are a wide range of 1TB hard disk drives available from various manufacturers. Here are some typical prices as of 2023:
– Mainstream models – $40 – $60
– Performance models – $60 – $100
– Enterprise/NAS models – $80 – $150
The mainstream HDDs from brands like Seagate, Toshiba and WD provide adequate speeds and reliability for basic home and office use. The higher performance models offer improved cache, faster RPMs and lowered failure rates best suited for gaming PCs and workstations. Enterprise and NAS (Network Attached Storage) optimized drives are designed for 24/7 operation and RAID environments.
In general, shoppers can find 1TB HDDs for around $50 from well-known brands. Cost per TB is a main factor driving the continued usage of HDDs for bulk data storage needs.
1TB SSD Price
Solid state drives are currently 3-5 times more expensive than hard disk drives in terms of cost per terabyte. Here are typical prices for 1TB SSDs:
– Budget SATA models – $80 – $100
– Mainstream PCIe NVMe – $100 – $150
– High Performance PCIe – $150 – $250
The budget 2.5″ SATA SSDs like those from Western Digital and Crucial provide a great value for basic computing. For gaming systems and intensive workstation tasks, the faster PCIe NVMe SSDs help speed up loading and workflow. Top tier PCIe 4.0 models take full advantage of the latest PCie 4.0 x4 bandwidth for peak transfer speeds.
As manufacturing costs decrease and adoption increases, 1TB SSD pricing is expected to reach close to $100 for SATA drives and $150 for PCIe NVMe drives. The extra speed and reliability make SSD a preferred choice over HDD for computers that can benefit from the performance.
Cost Per Terabyte Comparison
One useful way to compare hard drive prices is to calculate the cost per terabyte (TB). Here is a comparison of HDD vs SSD cost per TB:
| 1TB Hard Disk Drive | $50 | $0.05 per GB |
| 1TB SATA 2.5″ SSD | $100 | $0.10 per GB |
| 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD | $150 | $0.15 per GB |
This shows that while SSD provides much faster speeds, HDDs continue to offer more storage capacity per dollar spent. The cost per terabyte gap has narrowed recently however, making SSD a viable option for more consumers looking to upgrade system performance.
8TB+ Hard Drives
While 1TB hard drives are common for basic computing needs, data hoarders, media enthusiasts and business users often require drives with much higher capacities. Some key points on large 8TB+ hard disk drives:
– Primarily 3.5-inch desktop drives rather than 2.5-inch notebook sizes
– Utilize higher areal density platters to cram more data per disk
– Require additional platters and read/write heads (increases failure risk)
– Cost per TB drops significantly with larger sizes (4TB+ is optimal value)
– Popular for network attached storage (NAS) and DAS server setups
– Allows massive storage without expensive cabinet SAN/RAID
– Top HDD sizes exceed 16TB (using shingled magnetic recording)
For home users and small offices, a single external 8TB+ drive provides a low cost way to backup large amounts of data. But for critical business storage needs, larger capacity HDDs are best used in multi-drive NAS or RAID setups, which provide redundancy and failure protection.
Recommendations for Hard Drive Size
With internal and external hard drives available from 250GB to 16TB, how do you determine what capacity you need? Here are some storage size recommendations based on usage:
Light Use (web browsing, documents)
– 250GB to 500GB is sufficient
Medium Use (some multimedia, games, mods)
– 500GB to 1TB should meet needs
Power User (large photo/video library, PC gaming)
– 2TB+ is recommended
Media Center Storage (HD movies, DVR recordings)
– 3TB+ is ideal
Network Attached Storage
– 4TB or larger for centralized storage
For notebook and tablet users, 250GB up to 1TB SSDs are common. Gamers and media enthusiasts may need 2TB or higher internal HDDs/SSDs. External portable hard drives in the 1TB to 5TB range help safely store precious photos, videos and documents. And 8TB+ HDDs are well suited for dedicated home and small business NAS devices.
Conclusion
While 1 terabyte of storage sounded enormous 10 years ago, large hard drives have become commonplace. A 1TB hard disk drive provides ample storage for mainstream computing use, while the speed and reliability of 1TB SSDs make them enticing for an OS or primary application drive.
With HDD prices as low as $50 and SSD prices around $100 for a 1TB model, there are good budget options. As you move up to 8TB+ drives, the cost per terabyte ratio improves, making high capacity drives affordable for NAS and server use. Carefully consider your current storage needs, speed requirements and budget when choosing a new hard drive.