Gigabytes per second to Gibibytes per second conversion

How to convert gigabytes per second to gibibytes per second?

Certainly! Converting between Gigabytes per second (GBps) and Gibibytes per second (GiBps) involves understanding the difference between the two units:

1. Gigabytes (GB): A gigabyte is $10^9$ bytes (1,000,000,000 bytes), which is based on the decimal system (base 10).

2. Gibibytes (GiB): A gibibyte is $2^{30}$ bytes (1,073,741,824 bytes), which is based on the binary system (base 2).

So, let's convert 1 Gigabyte per second (GBps) to Gibibytes per second (GiBps).

Conversion for Base 10 (Decimal System):

1 GBps = 1,000,000,000 bytes per second.

To convert to Gibibytes per second: $1 \text{ GBps} \times \frac{1 \text{ GiB}}{1,073,741,824 \text{ bytes}}$

$1 \text{ GBps} = \frac{1,000,000,000 \text{ bytes}}{1,073,741,824 \text{ bytes/GiB}} \approx 0.931 \text{ GiBps}$

Conversion for Base 2 (Binary System):

In the binary system: 1 Gigabyte (GB) is also considered as 2^30 bytes when using the IEC standard, and it's the same as 1 Gibibyte (GiB).

So, for the binary system: 1 GBps = 1 GiBps in the context of this standardization practice, but this is generally less common.

Real-World Examples:

1. USB 3.1 Gen 2: Supports up to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second), which is about 1.25 GBps (gigabytes per second) in real-world data throughput.

2. PCIe 4.0 x16 Interface: Provides up to 32 GBps (gigabytes per second) bandwidth.

3. Modern NVMe SSDs: These SSDs can achieve transfer speeds up to around 3.5 GBps.

4. 8K Video Streaming with High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC): Requires around 100 Mbps, which is about 0.0125 GBps.

5. Gigabit Ethernet: Offers speeds of 1 Gbps, which translates to 0.125 GBps.

Summary:

• In decimal (base 10):

  • $1 \text{ GBps} \approx 0.931 \text{ GiBps}$

• In base 2 (binary system, often simplified in some contexts as standards adherence):

  • $1 \text{ GBps} = 1 \text{ GiBps}$ (only if GB is interpreted as 2^30 bytes, which is uncommon).

Understanding these conversions helps in comparing and comprehending data transfer rates for various applications and technologies.