1,024
Standard Binary Factor: 1 Kilobyte (KB) = 1,024 Bytes. 1 Megabyte (MB) = 1,024 KB. 1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1,024 MB.
How Digital Storage Measurement Works
In digital computing, data is measured in bits and bytes. A single bit represents the smallest unit of information (a 0 or a 1). Eight bits combine to form one Byte, which represents a single character of text.
Binary vs. Decimal Storage Standards
Storage capacity can be calculated using two common calculation standards:
| Unit | Binary (JEDEC / Windows) | Decimal (SI Standard) | Equivalent In Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 KB (Kilobyte) | 1,024 Bytes | 1,000 Bytes | 1,024 B |
| 1 MB (Megabyte) | 1,024 KB | 1,000 KB | 1,048,576 B |
| 1 GB (Gigabyte) | 1,024 MB | 1,000 MB | 1,073,741,824 B |
| 1 TB (Terabyte) | 1,024 GB | 1,000 GB | 1,099,511,627,776 B |
Data Converter FAQs
Hard drive manufacturers calculate capacity using the decimal system (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 Bytes), whereas operating systems like Windows calculate capacity in binary (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 Bytes). The mathematical difference results in 1 TB appearing as ~931 GB.
Internet speeds are usually advertised in Megabits per second (Mbps with a lowercase 'b'), while file sizes are measured in Megabytes (MB with a capital 'B'). Since 8 bits = 1 Byte, a 100 Mbps internet connection downloads files at a maximum theoretical speed of 12.5 MB/s.