Quantities you will meet.
STORAGE AND FILE SIZE
Measured in bytes, with each step roughly a thousand times the last.
WHY DRIVE CAPACITY APPEARS SMALLER THAN ADVERTISED
Manufacturers count in powers of ten; operating systems frequently count in powers of two.
The difference grows with capacity, and explains a common support question.
NETWORK SPEED
Measured in bits per second, not bytes.
WHY THAT MATTERS
A connection advertised in bits transfers roughly an eighth of that figure in bytes.
That single distinction explains many complaints about speed.
PROCESSOR SPEED
Measured in cycles per second, which is a poor comparison between different designs.
WHAT MATTERS MORE
Cores, architecture, and how the work uses them.
MEMORY
Measured in bytes, with speed measured separately.
TIME
Response times measured in milliseconds.
WHAT TO KNOW
Human perception treats anything under a fraction of a second as instant.
WHAT TO BE CAREFUL WITH
Comparing figures measured differently Quoting a figure without its unit
