what is the Unit of measure of storage in a computer? I have no doubt you've heard the terms gigabyte, terabyte, and petabyte before, but what does each of these computer memory units mean?

Each of the computer's memory units, such as bytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and petabytes, is used to store information in the digital world but is sometimes confused with phrases such as megabytes and gigabytes. 

Knowing exactly what each of these terms means (and how they relate to each other) is especially important when comparing the amount of hardware, tablets, and flash drives that can be stored. 

This also applies when you are shopping online and want to compare data transfer rates.

unit of measure of storage in a computer

Byte: 

In general, it is the smallest storage unit. Consider that a byte is equivalent to a character. So to save the word ZOOM IT, you will need 6 bytes of space. Because bytes are small units, in the real world, larger units such as kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes are used to measure stored information.

Explanation: Technically, there is a unit smaller than bytes called a bit (b). The unit used to store zero or one digitally is a state of information that can be understood by a computer. A byte is actually a string of eight bits. In other words, a byte is made by placing 8 bits next to it.

The bit unit is usually used to display the data transfer speed over long distances. For example, Bit Per Per Second is used to display Internet speed. In contrast, bytes are mostly used to display the size and volume of data. When it comes to storage space, it's best to use bytes.

Kilobyte

According to the definition, each kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1024 bytes. In different cases, for convenience, each kilobyte is assumed to be equal to 1000 bytes.

Megabyte

By definition, each MB is equivalent to 1024,000 bytes (or 1,024 kilobytes), which is assumed to be one million bytes for convenience.

Gigabyte

According to the definition, each gigabyte (GB) is equivalent to one billion bytes (1024 MB).

Explanation: In addition to GIGABYTE, there is another unit called glblbyte or GiB, which is equivalent to 1,073,741,824 bytes. The JEDEC standard considers one gigabyte to be the equivalent of the same amount of bytes.

This standard is defined by Microsoft and is used by the Windows operating system. In fact, this is the reason for the difference between the nominal volume and the actual size of the memory. 

For example, if a 500GB hard drive is formatted by Windows, its size would be 465GB. The actual volume is constant, the difference is only in the definition of the gigabyte unit.

Terabyte: By definition, each terabyte (TB) is equivalent to one thousand billion bytes (or 1024 GB).

Currently, the maximum size of 3.5-inch hard drives (available on desktops) is 4 terabytes. The storage space of most computers is between 120 GB and 2 TB. This space varies between 8 and 120 GB on portable devices such as smartphones and tablets. 

Explanation: In general, each photo taken with an iPhone camera is a maximum of 2 MB And a song takes up 5 MB of space. That means a CD with a capacity of 700 MB can hold up to 350 iPhone photos or 140 songs.

The actual size of files may vary depending on various factors, such as the type of compression or format. But according to an obvious and unwritten rule, the higher or longer the quality of the file, the larger the storage will be. 

A 10-minute podcast requires between 4 and 10 MB of space. While a 10-minute high-quality video requires a space of a few hundred megabytes or a few gigabytes.

Memory and storage

The two terms "storage and memory" may be used interchangeably in different cases. But the two words are very different. 

Storage: In short, storage is about the place where various information such as photos, images, text files, software, etc. are placed. On a computer, the operating system (Windows, Mac, etc.) is also stored in the internal storage (hard disk). 

Storage space is volatile. This means that with the shutdown of the host device (computer), the information is still stored in the device and does not disappear, and with the launch of the computer, the information is accessible again. Exactly like a book or notebook that can always be read and written.

Memory: Memory is known by other letters such as RAM, Random Memory Access, and so on. Memory is where software data must be placed to run. 

The data in the memory or RAM is volatile. This means that when the device is turned off, the information in it will be erased and the memory will be empty. As if there was no information in it. 

This memory is something like the short-term memory of the human mind. Short-term memory processes texts and images during activities such as reading and writing, but immediately after stopping work, the information is erased and the next activity is noticed. 

Explanation: When the computer is turned on, much of the boot time is spent transferring the operating system from the internal storage space (for example, the hard disk) to the memory (RAM). 

After completing this process, the operating system will be ready to serve and execute user commands. Despite the difference between storage space and memory, there is a strong relationship between the two.

For example, a Word file you are working on is stored in the device's RAM, but after you save it, a copy of it is copied to the computer's storage space. 

When the software is completely closed, only one copy of the file will be available in the storage space, and the copy will not be available in RAM unless you run the software again. All of this means that you don't really experience or see the storage space. 

What is provided to you through the display screen or speaker is provided by RAM. but before that, it should be stored from your device's storage space in memory. The more and faster the computer's memory, the sooner the software will be ready for use. 

In addition, more work can be done with a computer at any time (multitasking). In general, RAM is much smaller than storage space. Most computers now come with 2 to 8 GB of memory, and you don't need more than that. 

Of course, RAM is more expensive than storage space. Remember that memory is only one factor in computer performance. Storage space is another factor that can be a hard drive or SSD.