Data Storage Converter

Convert between data storage units for digital storage and memory

Storage Converter
Transfer Rate
Unit Information
→
1 GB
= 1,000 MB
1 TB
= 1,000 GB
1 MB
= 1,000 KB
1 GiB
= 1,024 MiB
Recent Conversions
→
100 Mbps
= 0.1 Gbps
1 Gbps
= 1,000 Mbps
1 Mbps
= 0.125 MB/s
8 MB/s
= 64 Mbps

Storage Units (Decimal - SI)

Decimal units are used by storage manufacturers and based on powers of 10:

Unit Symbol Value
Bit bit 1 bit
Byte B 8 bits
Kilobyte KB 1,000 bytes
Megabyte MB 1,000 KB
Gigabyte GB 1,000 MB
Terabyte TB 1,000 GB

Storage Units (Binary - IEC)

Binary units are used by operating systems and based on powers of 2:

Unit Symbol Value
Kibibyte KiB 1,024 bytes
Mebibyte MiB 1,024 KiB
Gibibyte GiB 1,024 MiB
Tebibyte TiB 1,024 GiB

Transfer Rate Units

Data transfer rates measure how fast data moves between devices:

Unit Symbol Description
Bits per second bps Basic unit
Kilobits per second kbps 1,000 bps
Megabits per second Mbps 1,000 kbps
Gigabits per second Gbps 1,000 Mbps
Bytes per second B/s 8 bits per second

Common Storage Examples

Real-world examples of different storage capacities:

  • 1 KB: Small text file
  • 1 MB: High-quality digital photo
  • 1 GB: About 1 hour of music or 1,000 photos
  • 1 TB: About 1,000 hours of music or 500,000 photos
  • 1 PB: About 500 billion pages of text

Binary vs Decimal Comparison

Understanding the difference between binary and decimal units:

  • Decimal (SI): KB, MB, GB, TB - Uses powers of 10
  • Binary (IEC): KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB - Uses powers of 2
  • Example: 1 GB = 1,000 MB vs 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB
  • Storage Drives: Marketed with decimal units
  • Operating Systems: Often show binary units
  • Difference: 1 TB ≈ 0.91 TiB (about 9% difference)