Data Storage Converter
Articles, guides, and in-depth tips for the Data Storage Converter — everything you need to get the most out of it.
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Why 20 MB of Files Takes Up 400 MB of Disk Space
Why Your 2TB Drive Shows 1.82TB — Binary vs Decimal Units, Database Overhead, and NVMe vs SATA
A 2TB drive shows as 1.82TB in Windows because manufacturers use decimal terabytes (10^12 bytes) while operating systems use binary tebibytes (2^40 bytes) — a 10% gap that isn't hidden storage, just two different unit systems. Here's the IEC binary prefix standard that resolved this in 1998 (but not in practice), how database row overhead and indexes double storage use, file system block waste, and NVMe vs SATA latency numbers.
RAID 1 Mirrors Your Deletions Too — Why Storage Redundancy and Backups Protect Against Completely Different Things
RAID 1 mirrors data across two drives — and when you delete a file, the deletion is mirrored to both drives simultaneously. RAID protects against hardware failure; it doesn't protect against deletion, ransomware, or corruption. Cloud sync has the same problem: ransomware encrypts your files and the sync service uploads the encrypted versions within minutes. Here's the backup vs redundancy distinction, the 3-2-1 backup rule, and why immutable backups are the only thing that stops ransomware from reaching your recovery copies.
Mbps vs MB/s: Why "100 Mbps" and "12 MB/s" Are the Same Number, Not a Problem
Your "100 Mbps" plan and your download manager's "12 MB/s" aren't a problem — they're almost exactly the same number, because internet speeds are measured in bits and file sizes in bytes, an 8x difference. Here's the Mbps-to-MB/s conversion, why "theoretical maximum" and "actual" speed differ for reasons unrelated to units (overhead, server limits, Wi-Fi, "up to" advertising), and why upload speeds are often a separate, much lower number worth checking.
How SSDs Work: NAND Flash Types, 3D Stacking, and Why Prices Keep Falling
SSD prices fell from $3.00/GB in 2009 to $0.08/GB in 2024 — driven by NAND cell density improvements. Here's how NAND flash stores data, the SLC/MLC/TLC/QLC endurance trade-off, how 3D NAND stacks hundreds of layers, why NVMe is faster than SATA, and the TBW lifespan calculation.
Data Storage Converter — Why Your 1TB Drive Shows 931GB & How to Convert
Learn why your 1TB drive shows 931GB, the difference between decimal and binary storage units, how network speeds relate to file transfer speeds, and how to convert any data size with a free storage converter.
Cloud Storage Real Costs: Why Egress Fees Matter More Than Per-GB Pricing
Cloud storage pricing looks simple until you see the egress fees. Here's how AWS S3, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2, and Azure Blob compare on real total cost — including the storage tier minimums and per-request charges that cause bill shock.
Data Storage Converter — Bits, Bytes, KB, MB, GB & TB Explained
Learn how data storage units work, why your 1 TB drive shows as 931 GB, the difference between bits and bytes, and how to convert between any storage unit with a free converter.
