Gigabytes (GB) to Terabytes (TB) conversion

Note: Above conversion to TB is base 10 decimal unit. If you want to use base 2 (binary unit) use Gigabytes to Tebibytes (GB to TiB) (which results to 0.0009094947017729 TiB). See the difference between decimal (Metric) and binary prefixes

Gigabytes to Terabytes conversion table

Gigabytes (GB)Terabytes (TB)
00
10.001
20.002
30.003
40.004
50.005
60.006
70.007
80.008
90.009
100.01
200.02
300.03
400.04
500.05
600.06
700.07
800.08
900.09
1000.1
10001

How to convert gigabytes to terabytes?

Understanding Gigabyte (GB) to Terabyte (TB) Conversion

Converting between Gigabytes (GB) and Terabytes (TB) involves understanding the relationship between these units in both base 10 (decimal) and base 2 (binary) systems. While both are used to measure digital storage, the underlying scaling is slightly different.

Base 10 (Decimal) Conversion

In the decimal system, which is commonly used by storage manufacturers for marketing purposes, the conversion is straightforward:

  • 1 Terabyte (TB) = 1000 Gigabytes (GB)

Converting 1 GB to TB (Base 10):

To convert 1 GB to TB, divide by 1000:

1 GB=11000 TB=0.001 TB1 \text{ GB} = \frac{1}{1000} \text{ TB} = 0.001 \text{ TB}

Converting 1 TB to GB (Base 10):

To convert 1 TB to GB, multiply by 1000:

1 TB=1000 GB1 \text{ TB} = 1000 \text{ GB}

Base 2 (Binary) Conversion

In the binary system, which is often used by operating systems to report storage sizes, the conversion involves powers of 2:

  • 1 Terabyte (TB) = 1024 Gigabytes (GB)

It's also common to use the term "Tebibyte" (TiB) and "Gibibyte" (GiB) to specifically denote binary measurements. In this case,

  • 1 TiB = 1024 GiB

Converting 1 GB to TB (Base 2):

To convert 1 GiB to TiB, divide by 1024:

1 GiB=11024 TiB0.0009765625 TiB1 \text{ GiB} = \frac{1}{1024} \text{ TiB} \approx 0.0009765625 \text{ TiB}

Converting 1 TB to GB (Base 2):

To convert 1 TiB to GiB, multiply by 1024:

1 TiB=1024 GiB1 \text{ TiB} = 1024 \text{ GiB}

Real-World Examples

Here are some examples of quantities commonly converted between GB and TB:

  1. Hard Drives/SSDs: A common SSD size is 500GB. This is 0.5 TB (base 10). Large enterprise storage systems can be several TB in size.

  2. Cloud Storage: Many cloud storage providers offer plans with limits like 1 TB of storage. This is equivalent to 1000 GB (base 10).

  3. Database Sizes: Large databases can grow to be several terabytes in size. Managing storage is a critical consideration for database administrators.

  4. Video Archives: High-resolution video files (e.g., 4K) can quickly consume storage. An archive of several thousand movies can easily reach multiple TB.

Law and Notable Figures

While there isn't a specific law associated with GB to TB conversion, Moore's Law is relevant. Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, observed that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles about every two years, while the cost is halved. This has historically driven exponential growth in storage capacity and a continuous need to manage and convert between different units of digital storage like GB and TB.

Discrepancies and Use Cases

The confusion between base 10 and base 2 arises because storage manufacturers often use base 10 for marketing, making their drives appear larger, while operating systems often report in base 2. This leads to discrepancies when comparing the advertised size of a drive with the space reported by your computer. For scientific and technical accuracy, base 2 is often preferred, while base 10 is more common in consumer marketing.

See below section for step by step unit conversion with formulas and explanations. Please refer to the table below for a list of all the Terabytes to other unit conversions.

What is Gigabytes?

A gigabyte (GB) is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. It is commonly used to quantify computer memory or storage capacity. Understanding gigabytes requires distinguishing between base-10 (decimal) and base-2 (binary) interpretations, as their values differ.

Base 10 (Decimal) Gigabyte

In the decimal or SI (International System of Units) system, a gigabyte is defined as:

1GB=109bytes=1,000,000,000bytes1 GB = 10^9 bytes = 1,000,000,000 bytes

This is the definition typically used by storage manufacturers when advertising the capacity of hard drives, SSDs, and other storage devices.

Base 2 (Binary) Gigabyte

In the binary system, which is fundamental to how computers operate, a gigabyte is closely related to the term gibibyte (GiB). A gibibyte is defined as:

1GiB=230bytes=1,073,741,824bytes1 GiB = 2^{30} bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes

Operating systems like Windows often report storage capacity using the binary definition but label it as "GB," leading to confusion because the value is actually in gibibytes.

Why the Difference Matters

The difference between GB (decimal) and GiB (binary) can lead to discrepancies between the advertised storage capacity and what the operating system reports. For example, a 1 TB (terabyte) drive, advertised as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (decimal), will be reported as approximately 931 GiB by an operating system using the binary definition, because 1 TiB (terabyte binary) is 1,099,511,627,776 bytes.

Real-World Examples of Gigabyte Usage

  • 8 GB of RAM: Common in smartphones and entry-level computers, allowing for moderate multitasking and running standard applications.
  • 16 GB of RAM: A sweet spot for many users, providing enough memory for gaming, video editing, and running multiple applications simultaneously.
  • 25 GB Blu-ray disc: Single-layer Blu-ray discs can store 25 GB of data, used for high-definition movies and large files.
  • 50 GB Blu-ray disc: Dual-layer Blu-ray discs can store 50 GB of data.
  • 100 GB Hard Drive/SSD: This is a small hard drive, or entry level SSD drive that could be used as a boot drive.
  • Operating System Size: Modern operating systems like Windows or macOS can take up between 20-50 GB of storage space.
  • Game Sizes: Modern video games can range from a few gigabytes to over 100 GB, especially those with high-resolution textures and detailed environments.

Interesting Facts

While there isn't a "law" specifically tied to gigabytes, the ongoing increase in storage capacity and data transfer rates is governed by Moore's Law, which predicted the exponential growth of transistors on integrated circuits. Although Moore's Law is slowing, the trend of increasing data storage and processing power continues, driving the need for larger and faster storage units like gigabytes, terabytes, and beyond.

Notable Individuals

While no single individual is directly associated with the "invention" of the gigabyte, Claude Shannon's work on information theory laid the foundation for digital information and its measurement. His work helped standardize how we represent and quantify information in the digital age.

What is Terabytes?

A terabyte (TB) is a multiple of the byte, which is the fundamental unit of digital information. It's commonly used to quantify storage capacity of hard drives, solid-state drives, and other storage media. The definition of a terabyte depends on whether we're using a base-10 (decimal) or a base-2 (binary) system.

Decimal (Base-10) Terabyte

In the decimal system, a terabyte is defined as:

1 TB=1012 bytes=1,000,000,000,000 bytes1 \text{ TB} = 10^{12} \text{ bytes} = 1,000,000,000,000 \text{ bytes}

This is the definition typically used by hard drive manufacturers when advertising the capacity of their drives.

Real-world examples for base 10

  • A 1 TB external hard drive can store approximately 250,000 photos taken with a 12-megapixel camera.
  • 1 TB could hold around 500 hours of high-definition video.
  • The Library of Congress contains tens of terabytes of data.

Binary (Base-2) Terabyte

In the binary system, a terabyte is defined as:

1 TB=240 bytes=1,099,511,627,776 bytes1 \text{ TB} = 2^{40} \text{ bytes} = 1,099,511,627,776 \text{ bytes}

To avoid confusion between the base-10 and base-2 definitions, the term "tebibyte" (TiB) was introduced to specifically refer to the binary terabyte. So, 1 TiB = 2402^{40} bytes.

Real-world examples for base 2

  • Operating systems often report storage capacity using the binary definition. A hard drive advertised as 1 TB might be displayed as roughly 931 GiB (gibibytes) by your operating system, because the OS uses base-2.
  • Large scientific datasets, such as those generated by particle physics experiments or astronomical surveys, often involve terabytes or even petabytes (PB) of data stored using binary units.

Key Differences and Implications

The discrepancy between decimal and binary terabytes can lead to confusion. When you purchase a 1 TB hard drive, you're getting 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (decimal). However, your computer interprets storage in binary, so it reports the drive's capacity as approximately 931 GiB. This difference is not due to a fault or misrepresentation, but rather a difference in the way units are defined.

Historical Context

While there isn't a specific law or famous person directly associated with the terabyte definition, the need for standardized units of digital information has been driven by the growth of the computing industry and the increasing volumes of data being generated and stored. Organizations like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have played roles in defining and standardizing these units. The introduction of "tebibyte" was specifically intended to address the ambiguity between base-10 and base-2 interpretations.

Important Note

Always be aware of whether a terabyte is being used in its decimal or binary sense, particularly when dealing with storage capacities and operating systems. Understanding the difference can prevent confusion and ensure accurate interpretation of storage-related information.

Complete Gigabytes conversion table

Enter # of Gigabytes
Convert 1 GB to other unitsResult
Gigabytes to Bits (GB to b)8000000000
Gigabytes to Kilobits (GB to Kb)8000000
Gigabytes to Kibibits (GB to Kib)7812500
Gigabytes to Megabits (GB to Mb)8000
Gigabytes to Mebibits (GB to Mib)7629.39453125
Gigabytes to Gigabits (GB to Gb)8
Gigabytes to Gibibits (GB to Gib)7.4505805969238
Gigabytes to Terabits (GB to Tb)0.008
Gigabytes to Tebibits (GB to Tib)0.007275957614183
Gigabytes to Bytes (GB to B)1000000000
Gigabytes to Kilobytes (GB to KB)1000000
Gigabytes to Kibibytes (GB to KiB)976562.5
Gigabytes to Megabytes (GB to MB)1000
Gigabytes to Mebibytes (GB to MiB)953.67431640625
Gigabytes to Gibibytes (GB to GiB)0.9313225746155
Gigabytes to Terabytes (GB to TB)0.001
Gigabytes to Tebibytes (GB to TiB)0.0009094947017729