FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, 4GB…
By loyukfai | December 2nd, 2008 | 10:32 am
1. Just wonder, are there significant performance differences in between using different file systems?
2. Besides, since Vista is now supported, is it safe to persume exFAT is also supported (on Vista SP1)…? And it’s possible to create a cache file larger than 4GB on exFAT as well…?
3. If one creates 2 x 4GB cache files on a 8GB flash media formatted using FAT16 or FAT32, does eBoostr automatically fill-in both cache file with different content…?
Cheers.
Dec 02, 2008
site about ntfs vs fat32 for flash memory based devices:
http://www.3d4x.de/index.php?xml=Swift%27s+Reality|EEE|Should+I+format+an+USB+stick+or+a+SSD+drive+via+FAT32+or+NTFS
Dec 03, 2008
Thanks for the link.
Do you know if there’re carefully controlled benchmarks done…? I’m aware of the drawbacks of NTFS in general, and have done some not-so-scientific tests myself, but would like to know if say, eBoostr, has herself conducted tests on the various environments and has some recommendation up her sleeve.
BTW do you have any idea for the other questions, in particular question 3?
Cheers.
Dec 03, 2008
Ooops… I meant… Benchmarks done to show various file systems, allocation unit sizes’ effect on eBoostr (read/write cache speed?) and system (CPU%?) performance.
Dec 03, 2008
I don’t know the answer to question 3.
I would say stick to fat32. besides the increased wear of your flash memory device due to more writes, more writes probably also means less performance.
one thing that did help, and decreased the access time on my usb device was the “optimize for performance” seting as described on the following site: http://www.pctipsbox.com/format-a-usb-drive-with-ntfs-file-system/
(i did not do the steps to format the drive as ntfs)
Dec 03, 2008
– I guess FAT16/32 is a better choice than NTFS for eBoostr usage as well. But on XP, if you want to have a >4GB cache file, one has to use NTFS.
Cause according to my quick test result for q3, it’s not possible to create 2 cache files on the same drive.
– I’m aware of the “Optimize for performance” option, but on my particular system, the internal SD reader doesn’t seem to support it.
It could be a good idea to have eBoostr automatically enable it (with warning to user, of course), or suggest the user to enable it.
Cheers.
Dec 03, 2008
yep files >4gb is not supported on fat
Jan 03, 2009
FYI: Just test eBoostr on Vista Ultimate by created cache on SD 4G, formatted as exFAT, and then I got BSOD 3 times.
After format SD to NTFS, no longer BSOD occurred.