Is A GB bigger than a MB?

You‘ve finally downloaded that hot new 100 GB open world game that all your friends are playing. You try to install it on your gaming PC, eager to create your character and start exploring right away. But then – disaster strikes. An error message pops up saying you don‘t have enough disk space. 😱

We‘ve all been there. As both a passionate gamer and tech specialist, I totally understand the frustration. But don‘t worry – with some key knowledge about what GB and MB storage units mean, you can upgrade your setup and prevent problems.

Because when it comes to GB vs MB for games, it‘s no contest – GB is way, WAY bigger. Keep reading as I lay out exactly how much bigger and why it matters.

Defining Megabyte vs Gigabyte Storage

First, a quick refresher on what these storage capacity units actually mean:

Megabyte (MB)

• Definition: 1 MB = 1,024 Kilobytes (KB)
• Use: Smaller game files like old school SNES ROMs

Gigabyte (GB)

• Definition: 1 GB = 1,024 Megabytes (MB)
• Use: Modern big game installs, HD graphics

So right off the bat you can see that when it comes to size, there‘s no comparison:

One GB equals 1,024 MB. So it‘s over one thousand times larger! Keep this ratio in mind as we look at some real world gaming examples.

Game Installs Then vs Now – GB Rules

Let‘s travel back in time to the golden 1990s era of gaming, shall we? When the hot new release was the original Doom, how much hard drive space did you need free? Only 10 MB!

Those days 1 MB felt huge. My family‘s first big PC upgrade to a 40 MB hard drive blew my mind. But now of course things are very different.

According to research by TechRadar, the average game install size has ballooned by 930% since 2010! Back then it was only 4 GB. Now the average is a whopping 40 GB.

As you can see, game creators are leveraging the huge storage capacity modern GB-sized drives offer for bigger worlds, higher res textures & assets, detailed audio, and more.

What About Consoles or Graphics Cards?

This explosion in install sizes means that the storage capacity of gaming hardware in GB is critical too. Low internal storage can mean you can only have a couple games installed at a time. Lame!

Let‘s compare some popular options:

As you can see, modern gaming tech specs highlight storage in GB. This directly impacts how many games you can have installed at once, their visual quality, and in-game loading times. An external GB-sized hard drive or SSD is a great option for expanding capacity.

The key is that whether we‘re talking installing huge AAA epics like Call of Duty or Red Dead Redemption, or the graphics card assets loaded into memory, GB reigns supreme.

What About Game Updates or DLC Downloads?

It‘s not just those initial massive installs you need to worry about either. Modern games frequently have large GB-sized update patches and downloadable content (DLC) releases these days too.

As you can see, even keeping games updated to the latest versions can involve multi-GB downloads. So properly estimating usage is key if you‘re relying on a mobile or capped internet data plan.

Personally, I recommend unlimited fiber internet plans for serious gamers. It really makes a difference compared to laggy data capped cable connections.

The Bottom Line

So let‘s recap quickly:

• 1 GB = 1,024 MB
• Modern game installs are commonly 40+ GB now
• Gaming hardware and graphics cards highlight capacity in GB
• Updates and DLC also involve multi-GB downloads

I hope this comparison of megabytes vs gigabytes for games helped explain why GB reigns supreme nowadays! Let me know if you have any other questions. And may your game library and rig storage capacities continue to expand. 😉

P.S. Want to level up your gaming setup? Here are some of my fav accessories:

• 8TB External HDD/SSD to Store 100+ Games
• 1 GBPS+ Routers and Mesh Systems for Lag-Free Gaming, Streaming, Updates
• 500+ GB Micro SD Card to Expand Nintendo Switch Storage

Check out my YouTube channel for specific brand recommendations!