Data storage and transfer rate converter
1 kB = 1,000 bytes (decimal, SI)
Choose between a data quantity (storage capacity, file size) and a transfer rate (network speed, connection speed): decimal prefixes (kB, MB, GB... base 1000) and binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB... base 1024) are combined in the same conversion, to compare directly what a manufacturer advertises against what an operating system displays.
1 Gigabyte (GB) = 0.9313225746 Gibibyte (GiB), 2³⁰ bytes
Raw value: 0.931323
Scientific dossier
What the tool computes, what it assumes, where it stops being valid, and where its data comes from.
Method & formulas1 kB = 1,000 bytes (decimal, SI)
1 kB = 1,000 bytes (decimal, SI)
1 KiB = 1,024 bytes (binary, IEC)
Kilo/mega/giga/tera (k, M, G, T) denote powers of 1000, the convention used by storage manufacturers and networks. Kibi/mebi/gibi/tebi (Ki, Mi, Gi, Ti) denote powers of 1024, the IEC convention introduced to remove the ambiguity historically caused by operating systems reusing the same names (KB, MB, GB) for both conventions.
- bit (b)
- · the smallest unit of information, a binary value of 0 or 1.
- byte (B)
- · 8 bits, the usual unit for measuring files and memory.
- Data quantity
- · a total volume (file size, storage capacity). See also the universal converter.
- Transfer rate
- · the quantity of data transferred per second (e.g. Mbit/s, MB/s). A physically distinct quantity, since it implies a duration.
Validity domainThis converter applies an exact conversion between units: it does not model actual throughput loss (protocol overhead, shared bandwidth.
This converter applies an exact conversion between units: it does not model actual throughput loss (protocol overhead, shared bandwidth. Latency), nor the actually usable capacity of a storage device (formatting, reserved sectors). The abbreviations "KB", "MB", "GB" appear here only as the common usage, the engine never uses them internally, precisely because they perpetuate the decimal/binary ambiguity.
Why a 1 TB drive shows 931 GBManufacturers advertise capacity using the decimal convention (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, the legal definition of the "tera" prefix).
Manufacturers advertise capacity using the decimal convention (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, the legal definition of the "tera" prefix). Many operating systems, however. Compute in base 1024 while still displaying the unit "GB", actually gibibytes (GiB). The result: a "1 TB" drive shows about 931 GiB (often mislabeled "GB"). This isn't missing space, it's a mix-up between two prefix systems that this converter distinguishes explicitly.
Mbit/s is not MB/sInternet access plans almost always advertise a speed in megabits per second (Mbit/s or Mb/s), while file-transfer software displays a speed in megabytes per second (MB/s): since a byte is 8 bits, a plan advertised at 100 Mbit/s corresponds to a theoretical maximum download speed of 12.
Internet access plans almost always advertise a speed in megabits per second (Mbit/s or Mb/s), while file-transfer software displays a speed in megabytes per second (MB/s): since a byte is 8 bits, a plan advertised at 100 Mbit/s corresponds to a theoretical maximum download speed of 12.5 MB/s. A division by 8 that's easy to forget, and a classic source of disappointment.