Demystifying Digital Units

In the digital world, terms like megabytes and gigabits can be confusing. Here, we break down the most common points of confusion.

Storage (Bytes) vs. Speed (bits)

This is a major source of confusion. Data storage is measured in Bytes (capital 'B'), while data transfer speed is measured in bits (lowercase 'b'). Since 1 Byte = 8 bits, your internet speed in megabits per second (Mbps) will be about 8 times higher than your download speed in megabytes per second (MB/s).

Example: A 100 Mbps internet plan has a theoretical max download speed of 100 ÷ 8 = 12.5 MB/s.

1000 vs. 1024: The Hard Drive Dilemma

Storage manufacturers use the decimal system (1 KB = 1000 Bytes) for marketing, while operating systems use the binary system (1 KiB = 1024 Bytes). This is why a 1 TB hard drive appears as ~931 GB on your computer.