Gigabytes to Gibibytes
One gigabyte equals 0.931323 gibibytes.
Gibibytes = gigabytes ÷ 1.073741824
Digital Storage Conversion
Common File Sizes
Digital Storage Reference Guide
Binary vs Decimal Systems
Binary (1024-based): Used by operating systems
1 KiB = 1,024 bytes
1 MiB = 1,024 KiB = 1,048,576 bytes
1 GiB = 1,024 MiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes
Decimal (1000-based): Used by storage manufacturers
1 KB = 1,000 bytes
1 MB = 1,000 KB = 1,000,000 bytes
1 GB = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000,000 bytes
Storage Device Capacities
Floppy Disk: 1.44 MB
CD: 700 MB
DVD: 4.7 GB (single layer)
Blu-ray: 25 GB (single layer)
USB Flash: 8 GB - 1 TB
SSD: 120 GB - 8 TB
HDD: 500 GB - 20 TB
Enterprise: Up to 100 TB+
Data Transfer & Internet
Email attachment limit: ~25 MB
Streaming (HD): ~3 GB/hour
Streaming (4K): ~7 GB/hour
Web page: ~2 MB average
Mobile app: 10-200 MB
PC game: 20-150 GB
Important Notes
• 1 byte = 8 bits (fundamental relationship)
• Storage manufacturers use decimal, OS shows binary (explains "missing" space)
• Network speeds typically measured in bits per second (bps)
• File compression can significantly reduce storage requirements
Gigabytes to Gibibytes Conversion Table
| GB | GiB |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.9313 |
| 2 | 1.8626 |
| 4 | 3.7253 |
| 8 | 7.4506 |
| 16 | 14.9012 |
| 32 | 29.8023 |
| 64 | 59.6046 |
| 120 | 111.7587 |
| 128 | 119.2093 |
| 250 | 232.8306 |
| 256 | 238.4186 |
| 500 | 465.6613 |
| 512 | 476.8372 |
| 1000 | 931.3226 |
| 2000 | 1862.6451 |
About This Conversion
Gigabytes to gibibytes is the conversion that explains most reported-capacity complaints. A gigabyte is 10⁹ bytes; a gibibyte is 2³⁰ bytes, which is 1,073,741,824. One GB is therefore 0.9313 GiB, a 6.9 percent difference.
The gap widens with every prefix step: about 2.4 percent at kilo, 4.9 at mega, 7.4 at giga and 10 at tera. That is why a 1 TB drive reports as 931 GiB while a 1 GB file barely looks different, and why RAM, which really is sold in binary units, matches its label exactly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many GiB is 1 GB?
1 GB is about 0.9313 GiB.
How many GiB is 500 GB?
500 GB is about 465.66 GiB.
Why is RAM sized in binary but storage in decimal?
RAM is addressed in powers of two, so binary sizes are physical. Drive capacity has no such constraint, and manufacturers use decimal.
Is GiB bigger than GB?
Yes. A gibibyte is about 7.4 percent larger than a gigabyte.
Worth Knowing
MB vs MiB
A megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes while a mebibyte is 1,048,576 bytes, and the gap grows with each prefix until a 1 TB drive reports as 931 GB.