tools / throughput-converter
Throughput Unit Converter
Convert MB/s, MiB/s, Gbit/s and ops/s × size.
Equals
Key facts
| Bits vs bytes | 1 byte = 8 bits · 1 Gbit/s = 125 MB/s |
|---|---|
| Decimal | k = 1,000 · M = 10⁶ · G = 10⁹ |
| Binary | Ki = 1,024 · Mi = 1,048,576 · Gi = 1,073,741,824 |
| Networks | Quoted in bits per second, decimal |
| Operations | throughput = ops/s × size per op |
Worked example
How long does 1 TB take over a 10 Gbit/s link, and what is that in 4 KiB operations?
10 Gbit/s ÷ 8 = 1.25 GB/s 1 TB ÷ 1.25 GB/s = 800 s ≈ 13 min (at full line rate) 1.25 GB/s ÷ 4,096 B ≈ 305,000 ops/s
Real transfers land below line rate because of protocol overhead, so budget 10–20% more time.
Where the mistakes come from
The two classic errors are mixing bits with bytes (an 8× gap) and mixing decimal with binary prefixes (about 7% at giga, 10% at tera). Write the unit next to every number, including the lower-case b or upper-case B.
FAQs
Why does a "1 TB" drive show about 931 GB?
The drive is sold in decimal (10¹² bytes); many operating systems display binary units. 10¹² ÷ 2³⁰ ≈ 931 GiB.
Is ops/s or MB/s the better measure?
Small operations are usually limited by ops/s, large ones by MB/s. Quote both, plus the operation size, or the number can't be compared.
What is MB/s vs MiB/s on a monitoring dashboard?
Check the tool's docs; many label binary values with decimal names. At these sizes the gap is about 5%.