binarygigabyte
nounUK /ˈbaɪ.nə.ri ˈɡɪɡ.ə.baɪt/
US /ˈbaɪ.nɚ.i ˈɡɪɡ.ə.baɪt/
A binary gigabyte is a way to measure computer memory that uses 1,024 megabytes instead of 1,000.
The old computer had four binary gigabytes of memory, which is a little more than four regular gigabytes.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A unit of digital information equal to 2^30 bytes, used in computing to describe memory and file sizes.
The software reports the file as 2 GiB, meaning two binary gigabytes.
3. A term sometimes used loosely to mean a gigabyte in contexts where binary prefixes are assumed.
Some manuals say binary gigabyte when they really just mean a gigabyte.
4. A measure of data capacity in operating systems that count in powers of two.
Windows often shows disk sizes in binary gigabytes even though drives are sold in decimal gigabytes.