200GB 7200 RPM Size

[wildlywicked]

Hi, I just got my Macbook Pro today (had a nerdgasm) and noticed that the 200GB hard drive capacity was actually closer to 185GB and that was before system files, so I actually started with a 160+GB...

Is this normal?

Thanks.

 

[bart rijksen]

yes it is. I have the same

 

[merl1n]

Yes this is normal.

When you look at drive specs, the size listed is an "unformatted" specification. Formatting the drive takes up space and depending upon how it's formatted (Mac OS, Windows, Linux, etc) the space used for formatting can vary.

Now install an OS, and more space is used.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

^^ It has very little to do with formatting (this was an issue back when a hard drive was a few MB, or tens of MB in size, but these days the difference is negligible).

It's more a marketing issue and the difference between binary and decimal counting: Hard Drive Size Discrepancy