Windows 10 + MicroSD = exFat or NTFS?

[WreckerALeX]

I have Steam Deck with Windows 10.
Just got 3x 512gb Samsung micosd since they are $35 right now on Amazon.

What format should I use?
I've tried NTFS on a 256gb microsd and the games seems to load decently fast with AAA games but haven't tried other formats like exFat

[Jâbbérwôkkï]

Fat has smaller storage block units as opposed to NTFS. I'm not sure there's is any difference in speed between which one you use as that's tied to the sd-card & the Deck's reader. If you only have windows on the deck & no steam os then just do NTFS since its the default of the operating system.

[ReBoot]

If you want to put games there (and not the OS itself), go with ExFAT. It's the more sensible FS of those two in the context of low-tech Flash storage.

KISS: go the simple route, unless there's a good reason not to.

[WreckerALeX]

So I did a few test with my 256gb

First I compared exFat to NTFS for "most free space" (Both test where set allocation size to 512 bytes or the .5kb option):
256gb in exFat (254,283,077,120 bytes FREE OF 254,345,181,696 bytes TOTAL)
256gb in NTFS (256,191,294,976 bytes FREE OF 256,348,026,880 bytes TOTAL)
Seems like NTFS has more space?


Second I did a 3rd test to see if NTFS has more or less space with a different "allocation unit size" and was set to 4k instead of .5k
256gb in NTFS (256,246,046,720 bytes / 256,348,024,832 bytes FREE)

Third NTFS cluster size 64kb
256gb in NTFS (256,347,996,160 bytes / 256,347,996,160 bytes FREE)

So the higher the cluster the more free space?
I'm confused as I though smaller cluster size is supposed to give you more space in trade of slower speed.

Read and write seems to be about same with cluster size .5kb and 4k on the same game(Tried on Rainbow Six Siege, different solo with bots and multiplayer)

[ReBoot]

Simple answers are (almost) always wrong. Space isn't the only difference between and NTFS as well. NTFS, for example, has a journal which is generally a great idea, but I'm really not sure you would want that on low-end flash (as opposed to SSDs). NTFS has the concept of access privileges which got its merits, but also disadvantages.

Do yourself a favor & go with KISS. A way to paraphrase it is to take the simplest solution for a given use case. Go simple unltil you have a good reason not to, then go one step more complex.

Either that, or evaluate all the variables. Free space as a function of sector size is only one of those, one of the least important.

[sunraku]

I Have a Steam Deck With Steam OS I have a 256gb SD Dual Drive. I was trying to transfer roms to my emu deck but it says the drive is not supported. So not sure what type I'm supposed to format it on. BTW my computer is a 2021 MacBook Pro

[D. Flame]

If you are just using WIndows then use NTFS. Exfat is better used for smaller thumbdrives or drives you will be connecting to other devices or OSes, such as a 3D printer or a Linux PC.