buing hard drive

my 750GB is nearly 80% full...

With what? 

files.

What does broadband have to do with it?  Obviously, you're downloading a huge of amount of something?  What is it?  Again, read ivanoe's stated usage.  There's nothing there to indicate he needs a huge HD, nothing at all.

Binaries from Usenet, copyright free of course! and also a large number of digital and scanned photographs and videos from my camcorder. Your digital needs grow as you get used to the digital lifestyle. I have a 20 GB Windows partition and I keep 3 backups on a rolling basis.

Doesn't defragging get slow if the drive is more than about 70% full?

... large number of digital and scanned photographs and videos from my camcorder.

Yes, that stuff gobbles up drive space fast.  So, if ivanoe thinks he might be delving heavily into those types of computer usage, then a larger hard drive makes sense.

Yes, that stuff gobbles up drive space fast.  So, if ivanoe thinks he might be delving heavily into those types of computer usage, then a larger hard drive makes sense.

And, if it is important to you, you back it up, so that's storage x 2, and since I don't like burning a whole stack of DVDs that means another drive.

My girlfriends brother died last year, and we lost a whole bunch of photos of him because an HDD failed.

Thanks once again to all of you for coming to my aid. but i think SOYBEAN is right .
i am only using this computer for genral use i don't think i'll be storing a lot of stuff on it .but as you all agree if the price is about the same i might as well go big.
i can buy 500gb for around $70/80 250gb $55/70.

anyway  thanks all.