Storage
File Format
Single Session
Monthly Activity
Backup Strategy
Storage Estimates
Per Session
12.2 GB
500 photos
Per Month
29.3 GB
1,200 photos
Per Year
352 GB
14,400 photos
Yearly with 3× Backup
1055 GB
1.1 TB
Memory Card Capacity
32GB Card
~1,310 photos
Enough for session
64GB Card
~2,621 photos
Enough for session
128GB Card
~5,242 photos
Enough for session
256GB Card
~10,485 photos
Enough for session
512GB Card
~20,971 photos
Enough for session
Storage Recommendations
2TB External SSD
2TB
4TB NAS
4TB
8TB NAS/RAID
8TB
NAS RAID Calculator
Raw Capacity
16 TB
Usable
12 TB
75% efficient
Fault Tolerance
1 drive
Years of Storage
34.1 years
at current rate
Striped with parity - survives 1 drive failure
Cloud Storage Pricing
Cost to store 1.05 TB (your yearly needs with backups)
| Provider | $/TB/mo | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
Google One Integration with Google Photos | $9.99 | $10.54 | $126.47 |
iCloud+ Apple ecosystem integration | $9.99 | $10.54 | $126.47 |
Dropbox Plus Smart sync, version history | $11.99 | $12.65 | $151.79 |
OneDrive Office 365 integration | $9.99 | $10.54 | $126.47 |
Backblaze B2 Low cost, pay per use | $6 | $6.33 | $75.96 |
Amazon S3 Glacier Cold storage, retrieval fees | $4 | $4.22 | $50.64 |
Wasabi No egress fees | $6.99 | $7.37 | $88.49 |
Growth Projection
Y1
Y2
Y3
Y4
Y5
| Year | Added | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 1.05 TB | 1.05 TB |
| Year 2 | 1.05 TB | 2.11 TB |
| Year 3 | 1.05 TB | 3.17 TB |
| Year 4 | 1.05 TB | 4.22 TB |
| Year 5 | 1.05 TB | 5.28 TB |
3-2-1 Backup Rule
- 3 copies of your data
- 2 different storage types (e.g., SSD + HDD)
- 1 copy offsite (cloud or physical)