Is 60gb SSD big enough for Win 7?

Question

Wondering if I could do an ssd upgrade at my school. The students have Win 7 as OS, and only use the web browser for checking assignments (chrome), and MS Office, nothing else. Could I get away with this Kingston 60gb ssd? https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-SSDNow-SV300S37A-60G/dp/B00A35X6GM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523663220&sr=8-3&keywords=kingston+60gb+ssd

Answer 1

The short answer is YES.

The technical answer is, well, maybe not.

The minimum requirements for Windows 7 64-Bit is 20Gb. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10737/windows-7-system-requirements

But, in reality, the OS and daily use of the system can take up far more space.

Without regular maintenance there is a high likely hood 60Gb will be consumed.

You need to consider:

1. Temp files
2. Windows update files
3. System restore points
4. Log files
5. User profile data (Lots of users in a lab)
6. Other program files

Windows 7 also has a nasty habit of filling the drive with run away cbs.log files.

A SSD has a finite life. The more full an SSD is, the lower the life expectancy because it can’t distribute the writes across the drive as efficiently. Probably not something to worry about, but something to at least consider.

So, without a proper maintenance schedule, you will certainly have full drives to deal with periodically.

Answer 2

This is more than enough if the only task is web-browsing. I run multiple VM with Win10 (with takes more space than Win7 installation), and have never had problems.

My requirements are also very similar to yours, as I primarily use the VMs for very specific tasks, and not to store data.

Answer 3

only use the web browser for checking assignments (chrome), and MS Office, nothing else.

In that case: Yes.

I have run windows 7 (x64) on a 32GB SSD, with about 20GB used. That included the OS, all windows updates, a browser (firefox), an office packet (open office at the time) and a few small programs such as puttty.

Another question would be if it is wise to skimp that much. If it is an almost locked down windows install and the student will not try to install (large) games etc than it will work just fine. If they get to keep the laptop for a year or two, install steam, a few games, download some movies etc then they are likely to run out of space. And then they come looking for support. About $13 more gets you twice the size of the 60GB kingston, which matches my current modern work laptop. (and more importantly, the same configuration as used by all my colleages. Not just by one person who might clean up a lot).