Summary
All computer data is stored in bits, using a binary format (that is, ones and zeros). Storage capacity can be measured in different units as shown in this table below with the most common ones:
| Data Measurement | Size (Binary) | Size (Decimal) |
| Bit | Single Binary Digit (1 or 0) | |
| Byte | 8 bits | |
| Kilobyte (KB) | 1,024 Bytes | 1000 |
| Megabyte (MB) | 1,024 Kilobytes | 10002 |
| Gigabyte (GB) | 1,024 Megabytes | 10003 |
| Terabyte (TB) | 1,024 Gigabytes | 10004 |
| Petabyte (PB) | 1,024 Terabytes | 10005 |
| Exabyte (EB) | 1,024 Petabytes | 10006 |
| Zettabyte (ZB) | 1,024 Exabytes | 10007 |
| Yottabyte (YB) | 1,024 Zettabytes | 10008 |
Since all computers are based on the binary system, these prefixes represent the base 2 amounts. Each level is an increment of 2 the 10th power, or 1024.
Hardware storage manufacturers measure 1GB as 1000 MB, while operating systems measure 1GB as 1024 MB. This can cause confusion, as you might think that the drive has less capacity than advertised.
Following are some of the most common sizes already converted:
40 GB ≈ 37,25 GB
60 GB ≈ 55,88 GB
80 GB ≈ 74,50 GB
120 GB ≈ 111,75 GB
160 GB ≈ 149,01 GB
200 GB ≈ 186,26 GB
240 GB ≈ 223,51 GB
320 GB ≈ 298,02 GB
400 GB ≈ 372,52 GB
500 GB ≈ 465 GB
640 GB ≈ 596 GB
720 GB ≈ 670,55 GB
1 TB ≈ 931,32 GB
2 TB ≈ 1.862,64 GB
Questions?
Contact Solidigm™ Customer Support