1TB of Storage? Not Quite. Beware This Sketchy PC Listing Tactic

With storage and RAM prices spiking, some hardware vendors are resorting to sketchy tactics to sell off cheap machines with measly configurations.

On Amazon, some third-party laptop sellers are listing cloud storage capacity as part of the device’s storage. A $499 15.6-inch laptop, for example, advertises 1.1TB of storage, even though only 128GB of that is local.

As storage and memory costs dipped over the years, configurations on low-cost laptops got more plentiful. But these days, the memory crunch means lower-storage laptops are becoming more common again. So, a $500 laptop with 1TB of storage would be notable.

Instead, you need to read the fine print. As VideoCardz notes, one HP laptop on Amazon from a third-party seller is listed as having “1.1TB Storage.” In parentheses, it explains that 1.1TB means a 128GB SSD and 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, but that could be easy for some less-savvy PC buyers to miss.

And some are trickier. According to a Reddit poster who found several examples of these sketchy listings, a $300 HP Ultrabook with “1.2TB Storage” doesn’t break that down until later in the listing, where it says “1TB OneDrive, 128GB UFS.”

Amazon’s budget laptop offerings are inundated with these kinds of listings. (Credit: Amazon)

This is particularly egregious for a laptop that has a mere 128GB of SSD storage. If it had 256GB, there would at least be some usable SSD storage space, but at that size, you’re looking at well under 100GB to account for the OS and other bloatware. Although cloud storage is great for backups, it’s unusable for local applications, leaving very little room on a laptop like this for any kind of apps or photo and video storage.

(Credit: Amazon)

We found several examples of this kind of underhanded sales tactics, too. The most egregious one featured an HP laptop with a mere 64GB of SSD storage listed as having 1.1TB of space.

In a more complicated instance, another HP laptop listed 1.7TB of storage, comprising a “1TB OneDrive + 512GB External + 192GB SSD.” Kudos for listing the actual available storage for your average 256GB SSD, but it’s still confusing.

Most of these laptops are in the ultra-budget category, which makes sense, since saving even $20 can make a big difference. But it does show that when you’re shopping for the best deals, you need to be especially aware of what you’re buying and how it’s being marketed to you.

If you’re looking for more storage for your laptop, consider an external SSD.

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About Our Expert

Jon Martindale

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Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas. 

Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.

Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.

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