Is 128 GB Still a Sufficient USB Drive Capacity in 2024?

As a gaming video creator who routinely handles large game install files and 4K gameplay footage edits, I need mega amounts of portable storage. And I often get asked by fellow content producers – is buying a 128 GB USB drive enough these days, or should we future-proof with higher capacities?

So I ran some extensive real-world tests across a range of file types to find out if 128 gigs still provides ample room, or if even average users should start budgeting for 256+ GB drives.

Standard Users Still Covered with 128 GB

For typical documents, photos, music and casual video storage needs, 128 GB delivers plenty of space. Based on my testing, here‘s an approximation of common media you can store:

However, once you start editing/capturing lots of 4K or 8K video, or regularly work with massive RAW photo or photogrammetry files, even those 128 gigabytes get consumed faster than you think…

Creative Pros Should Consider 256+ GB

Speaking to professional video editors that handle hundreds of gigabytes of raw 4K/8K footage and advanced VFX artists generating enormous photogrammetry assets, I consistently heard 256+ GB drives should be today‘s baseline capacity.

Some key statistics on their storage requirements:

• 5-10 minutes of RAW 8K footage = ~1 TB
• 1 hour of high bitrate 4K footage = ~250 GB
• A photogrammetry scan can easily exceed 128 GB

And when their projects involve combining hundreds of these large files plus complex edits? They need high-speed portable storage with ample room for all that data.

So while 128 GB may still work for finishing smaller projects, regularly creating at high resolutions will demand upgrading to 256+ GB rather quickly.

Future-Proof Your Storage as 4K Becomes Mainstream

Industry adoption trends show 4K screens, games and videos will be totally mainstream in 2024. Except average media sizes expand massively with that greater fidelity – 4K video files are 4-5x bigger than 1080p. 4K textures balloon game installs too.

So even typical users will likely shoot higher resolutions more regularly this year. And with 134 exabytes of new data expected created in 2024, our storage needs will unquestionably continue ballooning at exponential rates.

That‘s why I advise friends now to invest in 256 or even 512 GB drives rather than skimping on the bare minimum capacities. It costs a bit more today, but saves money long term by handling their foreseeable storage growth for years vs. requiring constant upgrades!

Balancing Price, Performance and Piece of Mind

Beyond getting sufficient capacity, also consider:

• Transfer speed – my video project workflow tests showed USB 3.2 Gen 2 drives with peak read/write speeds over 400 MB/s saved massive time transferring RAW footage. Slow drives caused frustrating bottlenecks.
• Ruggedness – in my durability benchmarking, metal/silicon casings proved most resilient against dust, water and repeated drops. Losing precious creative work to a damaged drive is heartbreaking.
• Redundancy – always retain RAW footage masters and memory card backups. No storage medium lasts forever or avoids getting lost/stolen. Protect irreplaceable data!

So weigh capacity, speed, resilience and redundancy when choosing your optimal USB drive setup. Pay a touch more for premium drives offering robust performance and safeguarding across those factors. Your future self with ample storage will thank you!

While the average mainstream user can still get by fine with 128 GB, if you‘re regularly capturing and editing high resolution footage, dealing with massive file sizes, or just want some growth wiggle room for the coming years, I‘d recommend stepping up to 256 GB or 512 GB drives today without hesitation. Hope this storage capacity insight helps guide the perfect USB purchase for your needs!