Actual HD size

Could anyone with a 160gb or 250gb hard drive tell what is the real size of their hard drive. My old 60gb laptop only has 52 gb that actually shows up and i'm wondering if larger hd have larger differences.

 

my hitachi 7200rpm travelstar 200GB hdd had only about 180GB when I was installing windows. I was disappointed

 

My secondary Hd on my HP is 160GB but only shows up as 149GB before I ever put anything onto it , pretty misleading but what are ya gonna do

 

Actual size is ~93.125% of printed size.

 

Yes, the differences will be larger.

The reason for this is really kinda stupid, but what are yah gonna do?

When you purchase, say a 320 gigabyte Hard drive, the number is based on how many megabytes the drive holds. In the real world, 1000 megabytes is equal to 1 gigabyte. Knowing this, you can realize that there are 320,000 megabytes on the drive.

Now, in computer mathematics, 1 gigabyte is equal to 1024 megabytes. so, if you divide 320,000 by 1024:

320,000/1024 = ~312.5gb

And that should about account for the difference in size.



~poseign

 

I have both a 160gb hitachi travelstar and a 160 seagate momentus, and both format to 149 gb.

I had a 250gb desktop drive, and that formatted to 234Gb, I dont know if its the same for laptop drives.

I have a 320gb seagate desktop drive and it formats to 298Gb.

K-TRON

 

Yes I can, even if I didn't have, what you refer to as the "real" size. The 160GB is in Windows (any one that reports in binary) 149.0116GB, the 250GB is 232.8036GB as long as I am having so much fun with math 320GB/298.0232GB, 120GB/111.7587GB. Using the word "real" is incorrect as both numbers are real and the same at their most basic defined level the byte which is composed of 8 bits the most fundamental level. Nothing has been gained or lost, the OS is not hiding; changing, hording or in any other way absconding with anyones precious storage space. In a decimal system (base10) 10^3 is 1000 very neat and tidy. In base 2 (binary) 1000 in a decimal system is anything but tidy and cannot be expressed exponentially. So the closest you can get is 2^10 which converted to decimal (base 10) ends up 1024. This is not an arbitrary number, computers work in binary so it is a nice round number. To do all in round base 10 numbers is in fact arbitrary from a binary perspective.

Why do people have trouble with binary conversion to base 10 when it involves HDD's but none when RAM is involved? Is it because we all are basically greedy so when RAM gives us extra we like it, 1GB RAM should be 1000MB right? Well when we get 1024MB we feel like we got extra.

Absolute quantity yes, proportion no.

Ah but what kind of MB certainly not the kind your computer uses! That is because the MB your computer uses is 1024KB and that KB your computer uses is 1024bytes. You can't just cut and divide where you want. 1000MB from your computer (the way it reports) will not fit on a 1GB drive because the 1GB is derived from 1000MB where MB=1000KB where KB=1000bytes, as long as we are having so much fun being arbitrary why not make a byte 10 bits not 8? Makes math easier! But "real" world the MB on your computer is 1024KB where KB=1024bytes and just because it is how it has to be a byte=8 bits.

Funny how those who created the term "byte" and then "KB" then "MB" and "GB" and so on defined it as the "1024" because it is binary in how it functions and therefor necessary are upstaged by mathematically challenged individuals who can't think outside base 10 to win the hearts and minds of so many that we now call 1000MB a GB and by the way not even real MB's. Make it so simple it makes no sense!

Correct as usual. But to expand for anyone who cares. 250GB HDD, (250X1,000,000,000)/1024=x/1024=y/1024=Real GB's.

 

Hard drive manufacturers recognize 1GB as 1000MB. Windows recognizes 1GB as 1024MB.

1k = 2^10 = 1,024
1M = 2^20 = 1,048,576
1G = 2^30 = 1,073,741,824

160,000,000,000 bytes (in terms of the hard drive manufacturer)
160,000,000,000 / 1,024 = 156,290,904 kB
160,000,000,000 / 1,048,576 = 152,587.8906 MB
160,000,000,000 / 1,073,741,824 = 149.0116119 GB

Therefore a 160GB drive is recognised as 149.01GB in Windows.

Following this rule:

"40 GB" hard drive = 40,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 37.25 GB
"50 GB" hard drive = 50,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 46.57 GB
"60 GB" hard drive = 60,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 55.88 GB
"80 GB" hard drive = 80,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 74.51 GB
"120 GB" hard drive = 120,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 111.76 GB
"150 GB" hard drive = 150,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 139.70 GB
"160 GB" hard drive = 160,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 149.01 GB
"200 GB" hard drive = 200,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 186.26 GB
"250 GB" hard drive = 250,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 232.83 GB
"300 GB" hard drive = 300,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 279.40 GB
"320 GB" hard drive = 320,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 298.02 GB
"400 GB" hard drive = 400,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 372.53 GB
"500 GB" hard drive = 500,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 465.66 GB
"750 GB" hard drive = 750,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 698.49 GB
"1 TB" hard drive = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 931.32 GB

 

Why two different numbers? I have brain lock from writing my post help me out on this.



Edit:

Where is this number from? I mean a 160GB as sold is not this number so what is the point in using it for your calculations?

 

You guys are taking this way too far. Just remember 93% or just 90% if your memory is poor, or 100% if you're like the majority of the population who doesn't care.

 

OK, but next time this same topic comes up please try and help emphasize, Windows is not stealing any of this and it is in fact the same quantity, no loss "real" world.

 

I don't think anyone claimed that Windows was stealing any of it, nor that the space was lost. I'm sure the OP understood "why", just not "how much".

 

Corrected and simplified

"40 GB" hard drive = 40,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 37.25 GB
"50 GB" hard drive = 50,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 46.57 GB
"60 GB" hard drive = 60,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 55.88 GB
"80 GB" hard drive = 80,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 74.51 GB
"120 GB" hard drive = 120,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 111.76 GB
"150 GB" hard drive = 150,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 139.70 GB
"160 GB" hard drive = 160,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 149.01 GB
"200 GB" hard drive = 200,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 186.26 GB
"250 GB" hard drive = 250,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 232.83 GB
"300 GB" hard drive = 300,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 279.40 GB
"320 GB" hard drive = 320,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 298.02 GB
"400 GB" hard drive = 400,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 372.53 GB
"500 GB" hard drive = 500,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 465.66 GB
"750 GB" hard drive = 750,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 698.49 GB
"1 TB" hard drive = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes / 2^30 bytes in a gigabyte = 931.32 GB

 

Just follow Chicken Royale's post.

+1 rep for ya.