Because it's easier to understand larger numbers when they're round, I guess.
1TB is still 1024GB
( Kroney, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:05, 2 replies, latest was 12 years ago)

PISS.

( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:05, Reply)

But, but, but ...
It was the same with Megabytes, so you have 1Mg, then 2Mb then 4 then 8 then 16 then 32 the 64 so how did they get from that to Gigabytes but still using the same nice round numbers?

Oh wait, I get it "1Gb" is actually "1024Mb"? right? But no, that doesn't work Because once you're past 64Gb teh extra bit rounds it up, and that's not what happens.

And that's assuming you start from Mb, not just bytes.
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:10, Reply)

these trousers are damp

( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:15, Reply)

Nah, that's just your fanny leaking because you thought about me again.
Question swipe, do you wax or shave?
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:15, Reply)

who the fuck would shave it?
an itchy george michael is not a good look
( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:26, Reply)

So, there is a person whose job it is to pour wax on strangers vaginal areas
before ripping the hair off. And you're happy with showing your mimsy to a stranger?
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:28, Reply)

your mum isn't a stranger

( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:31, Reply)

You need waterproof trousers

( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:23, Reply)

Would you recommend the Peter Storm brand?
Or is there another brand you advocate?
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:24, Reply)

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE

( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:24, Reply)

Right. Memory is based on bits. There are eight of them in a byte.
there are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, 1024 kb in 1mb and 1024 mb in a gb.

When you think 1TB, you're thinking in base ten, which is why it doesn't seem to make sense that it's not 1000kb. Because they use 1GB, they've taken to using 500mb (rather than the more accurate 512) etc as well.

It's just ease of labelling, really.
( Kroney, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:16, Reply)

Oh I see. So the fact that 1024kb actually equals
1048576 bytes dosent matter, because you're defining a Mb as 1024Kb, not the number of bytes is containins.

So each layer has a kind of reset factor compared with the actual number of bits involved.
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:19, Reply)

Aaaah, which explains why when you buy a 32Gb SD card
you actually only get about 29Gb of storage because the 29Gb is the actual number of bits available, not the number of "bytes"
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:20, Reply)

There you go.

( Kroney, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:22, Reply)

No.
That's because the quoted size is the raw amount of user data in the flash chips which is less than the actual amount of data since flash chips contain additional non-user data to protect blocks and store status information but less than the amount that the user will see since the file system and operating system will add an overhead and oh god this is tedious but everbody else is talking semi-informed shite and the nerd in me couldn't quite resist I'll shut up now kthx.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:28, Reply)

you
all the careful trolling you carry out, and this you take seriously?

THIS?
( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:30, Reply)

I had to write a driver for an [vendor erased] flash part at work last week because [manufacturer erased] are incompetent nobweeds.
It's a sore point. Like my penis.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:32, Reply)

it's all over for you
the only solution is DYAAKY
( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:34, Reply)

Okay clever clogs
but the amount you "lose" between the volume you see on the packet and what you get appears to be a bit proportional, so if it was just system storage surely that would be far less with a large chip rather than a small chip?

I'm genuinely curious, are you saying that the difference in bits between what we define as 1Gb and how many bits that would be if you started from 8 bits in 1 byte and had 1024Mb or whatever has nothing to do with the difference in perceived size?
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:31, Reply)

Yeah, you've got it!

(PsychoChomp, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:32, Reply)

See the other answer.
Hard disk platters were always quoted in decimal (i.e. 1000 bytes to a kB etc) to make them seem slightly bigger until consumers got a trifle miffed. Flash memory wasn't really a consumer product until fairly recently so the numbers quoted were more "honest".
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:35, Reply)

Nah, you've lost me know and I've stopped being curious.
I'm going to look at some tits instead.
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:38, Reply)

looking down?

( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 13:08, Reply)

And then you get into the whole difference between an
actual, physical measurement and the logical aproximation it actually is. It's all very complicated.
( Kroney, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:22, Reply)

no no no no no no
you never get into that.

EVER.

fucking hell man, there are people here.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:30, Reply)

Most flash chips use 16 bit words rather than octets
and the main difference between platters and flash chips is that the former were conventionally quoted in decimal and the latter have always been quoted in base 2.

But apart from that you're ... well ... largely wrong but I doubt anybody really cares.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:31, Reply)

You probably didn't see this the other day...
b3ta.com/questions/offtopic/post1888552
( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:32, Reply)

Oh man.
Some people actually have negative dignity.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:33, Reply)

Someone doing a study of the linguistics of Klingon is quite interesting and important.
Not because "ooh startrek" but in a how people make up a language sort of way.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:36, Reply)

Bok Choi Hun Twat x'ch'k!

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:40, Reply)

I'd care.
I was aware of base 2, but I went with using 8 as an example because that's what you'll actually see quoted, 8, 16, 32 etc. I'm always willing to be educated.
( Kroney, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:34, Reply)

I tell you what
I've got some massively tedious datasheets you can read while you're pretending to watch Oliver! or whatever it is that your missus is imposing on you.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:36, Reply)

Raw maths has never been my strong point,
but I'll have a bloody good go.
( Kroney, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:42, Reply)

Pure maths*

(PsychoChomp, Mon 11 Mar 2013, 12:49, Reply)