When we have to buy a new external hard drive or a computer, we often hear people talking about gigabytes, terabytes, or megabytes. Here’s what they mean
In the process of evaluating the memory capacity of a device, such as a smartphone or a computer, it is necessary to learn to juggle the various units of data measurement, such as Gigabyte (GB), Terabyte (TB), or even larger Petabyte (PB).
Understanding the differences between the various units of measurement is essential in order to purchase the right product, avoiding, for example, running into storage space problems. Today, the reference unit is the Gigabyte, but the Megabyte (MB), a submultiple of it, and the Terabyte are also of great importance based on the context of use.
Let’s see, therefore, how big Gigabyte, Terabyte, or Petabyte are and how to orient ourselves in the evaluation of these units of measurement, in particular when you need to purchase a new electronic product.
- Gigabyte, Terabyte or Petabyte: the differences
- What to choose between Gigabyte and Terabyte?
Gigabyte, Terabyte or Petabyte: The Differences
measurement in computing which, in turn, is made up of 8 bits, the basic unit of computing (historically, 1 Byte was the number of bits needed to encode a text character for a computer).
The Byte is a tiny unit: 1 Byte, in fact, contains very little data. For this reason, in computer science, multiples of the Byte are used using the prefixes of the International System of Units (SI). This is how Kilobytes and Megabytes were introduced to the general public.
Today, however, digital information is increasingly rich in data, and, therefore, the most used multiples are Gigabytes and Terabytes. Furthermore, from a future perspective, there is also the Petabyte, which could soon become a very important multiple. Knowing the differences between GB, TB, and PB is essential when purchasing a device such as a smartphone, computer, or even a USB stick.
Which Is More Significant: Gigabyte, Terabyte, Or Petabyte?
These three multiples indicate an increasing amount of data.
- 1 Gigabyte: 10 9 Bytes (=1,000,000,000 Bytes)
- 1 Terabyte: 10 12 Bytes (=1,000,000,000,000 Bytes)
- 1 Petabyte: 10 15 Bytes (=1,000,000,000,000,000 Bytes)
Therefore, 1,000 GB is equal to 1 TB, while 1,000 TB is equal to 1 PB. By using the binary system, there is a slight difference to consider. In this case, in fact, 1 TB is equivalent to 1,024 GB, and similarly, 1 PB is equivalent to 1,024 TB.
What To Choose Between Gigabyte And Terabyte?
For smartphones, tablets, and computers, right now, the choice is between Gigabyte and Terabyte, at least when it comes to storage capacity. Considering the growing diffusion of multimedia files and the increase in the “weight” of apps and games, 1 GB is now starting to be too little.
To have sufficient storage space on smartphones and computers, you need to reach at least 128 GB. To avoid problems, you need to go further and aim for at least 256-512 GB of storage space.
Especially on computers, where files tend to be even more significant (especially with regards to games), and storage disks are among the fundamental components to be used, the Terabyte is the reference unit of storage. In this case, 1-2 TB is more than enough to have sufficient storage space available.
As regards RAM, however, the GB is the reference unit: 4 GB is now too little, while 8 GB is starting to be the right size on smartphones and tablets. For computers, however, it is better to focus on solutions with at least 16 GB.
For the moment, the PB is still too large a unit of measurement to find a use in the consumer context.
Also Read: How To Move Apps And Free Up Memory On Your Phone
