What is the difference between megabyte/second and mebibyte/second?

Megabyte/second (SI) measures data at 1,000,000 bytes per second, while mebibyte/second uses binary calculation with 1,048,576 bytes per second, making them distinct units.

Why is the conversion factor from MB/s to GB/s less than 1?

Since 1 gigabyte equals 1,000 megabytes in SI units, converting megabytes per second to gigabytes per second results in a smaller numeric value reflecting the larger unit.

Can this conversion apply to all data transfer devices?

This conversion applies primarily for devices and contexts using decimal SI definitions, such as network devices and storage drives, but may not be suitable where binary units are used.

How to Convert from Megabyte/second (SI def.) to Gigabyte/second [GB/s]

Learn how to convert data transfer speeds from megabyte per second (SI definition) to gigabyte per second (SI definition) with clear examples and practical use cases.

Megabyte/second (SI def.)

Gigabyte/second [GB/s]

Please check your input. It must be a valid numeric value.

Megabyte/second (SI def.) to Gigabyte/second [GB/s] Conversion Table

Megabyte/second (SI def.)	Gigabyte/second [GB/s]

Custom Unit Conversion Table Generator – Instant Printable Conversion Tables

Start Value

Enter the starting number (positive decimal or integer ≥ 0). Example: 0.1, 1, 5.

End Value

Enter the ending number (positive decimal or integer > Start Value). Example: 10, 50, 100.

Interval

Enter the step size (positive decimal > 0 and < End Value – Start Value). Example: 1.0, 2.5.

Megabyte/second (SI def.) to Gigabyte/second [GB/s] Conversion Table
Megabyte/second (SI def.)	Gigabyte/second [GB/s]

Explore More Data Transfer Units Converter

What Is This Tool?

This converter allows you to transform data transfer rates measured in megabytes per second (SI units) into gigabytes per second, helping you better understand and compare various digital throughput speeds.

How to Use This Tool?

Enter the data transfer rate value in megabyte/second (SI definition).
Select megabyte/second (SI def.) as the input unit.
Choose gigabyte/second [GB/s] as the target unit for conversion.
Click convert to see the equivalent rate in gigabytes per second.

Key Features

Converts data transfer rates from megabyte/second (SI) to gigabyte/second (SI).
Based on standardized decimal units for accurate communication.
Includes practical examples explaining how to apply conversions.
Helps interpret storage and network throughput in larger scale units.

Examples

100 Megabyte/second converts to 0.09313226 Gigabyte/second.
500 Megabyte/second converts to 0.4656613 Gigabyte/second.

Common Use Cases

Benchmarking sequential read/write speeds of storage devices like SSDs and HDDs.
Specifying file transfer speeds over interfaces such as USB or Ethernet using SI units.
Planning bandwidth for backups or high-resolution video streaming in engineering specs.
Expressing memory bus bandwidth and evaluating network link speed conversions.

Tips & Best Practices

Confirm whether units are based on decimal SI or binary prefixes to avoid confusion.
Use this conversion to compare smaller data rates with larger throughput scales accurately.
Apply conversions carefully when working with high-performance computing or network design.
Review conversion outputs in context to ensure meaningful interpretation of data speeds.

Limitations

Conversion relies on decimal SI units and may not apply to binary-based units like mebibytes or gibibytes.
Misunderstandings can occur if unit definitions are not clearly specified.
Rounding errors might affect results when converting extremely large or very small values.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between megabyte/second and mebibyte/second?: Megabyte/second (SI) measures data at 1,000,000 bytes per second, while mebibyte/second uses binary calculation with 1,048,576 bytes per second, making them distinct units.
Why is the conversion factor from MB/s to GB/s less than 1?: Since 1 gigabyte equals 1,000 megabytes in SI units, converting megabytes per second to gigabytes per second results in a smaller numeric value reflecting the larger unit.
Can this conversion apply to all data transfer devices?: This conversion applies primarily for devices and contexts using decimal SI definitions, such as network devices and storage drives, but may not be suitable where binary units are used.

Key Terminology

Megabyte/second (SI def.): A data transfer rate equal to 1,000,000 bytes transferred per second using decimal SI definition.
Gigabyte/second [GB/s]: A data transfer rate representing one billion bytes transferred every second according to the SI standard.
Binary units: Data measurement units based on powers of two, such as mebibytes (2^20 bytes) and gibibytes (2^30 bytes), differing from decimal SI units.

Quick Knowledge Check

What does 1 Megabyte/second (SI def.) represent?

1,048,576 bytes transferred each second

1,000,000 bytes transferred each second

1,024 bytes transferred each second

Which unit is larger in the SI system?

Megabyte/second

Gigabyte/second

Byte/second

Why must you clarify unit definitions when comparing data rates?

Because speed can vary based on cable quality

Because SI units differ from binary units like mebibytes or gibibytes

Because all units mean the same thing

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