Is exFAT always this damn slow ?!

[Seeker47]

For quite some time now, nearly all portable HDDs and flashdrives that you buy have been coming set for ex-FAT. I never liked ex-FAT, partly because my older devices -- of which I have several, in regular use -- won't recognize it. So I reformat everything before first use to NTFS, which has been very reliable here and everything I have can access it. I just copied some video files to a major brand USB 3.2 gen. flashdrive that had been left set for ex-FAT, and was dismayed to be getting just ~ 6.5 MB/Sec. xfer speeds. Then I immediately copied some very comparable files to a major brand USB gen. 3.0 flashdrive that was set for NTFS, and was getting over 40 MB/S. Have to try that with some HDDs for comparison, but so far this seems to be validating my preferences.

[Perhaps this will bring up something about drivers. (?) I'm running Win-10 Pro x64 at current 22H2 level.]

[cholla]

I usually use NTFS to format a HDD or flash drive.
If an older device requires FAT32 I use that.

Also consider the Allocation size used.
Larger for fewer large files.
Smaller for several smaller files.

[ChristianundCo]

Yes, ext-fat is the reason. I had the same problem with my Samsung SSD. NTFS performs automatic trimming. Check the drive properties to make sure trim optimization is enabled.

[ProWo]

Ex-Fat formatted hard disks/sticks are very often fake with a much smaller data volume than stated.

[usually_quiet]

I never noticed that copying to or from exFAT-formatted drives was slower. However, in my case, the devices that will use the drive dictate the formatting, so speed is a moot point. Nothing that I own with an Android-based OS can read an NTFS-formatted drive but they can read an exFAT-formatted drive.

[cholla]

I have not had a "fake flash drive"
Try this as I believe it will detect the size on a "fake flash drive".
I just do not have one to test with.

In Command
To determine allocation size & other information:

Use diskpart.exe.
in command type: diskpart
Once you are in diskpart select
type: list volume
type: select volume <VolumeNumber>
type: filesystems.

Example:
select Volume 7

[Seeker47]

Yes, ext-fat is the reason. I had the same problem with my Samsung SSD. NTFS performs automatic trimming. Check the drive properties to make sure trim optimization is enabled.

fwiw, I was checking each drive with Windows' built-in 'Properties', then if having to do a conversion to NTFS by using Rufus, with standard options. (I'm a bit confused in that some of the flashdrives were listed as "Large FAT-32." Is that a synonym for ex-FAT ? The irrefutable test is going to be if they refuse to take a copy of a file larger than 4GB . . . . )

For many years, I've tried to only purchase premium brands of flashdrives, those having the best warranties. And as much as possible, nothing Made in China -- not just as regards flashdrives, either. Taiwan or Korea: O.K., No Problem My faves were in the Patriot line: 'Rage' or 'Boost' series, with at least 3 years, sometimes 5 on the warranty. The 'Rage' series had a rubberized, anti-shock housing Those became much harder to find at any brick & mortar that I ever get to, after the demise of Frys Electronics. Definitely not fakes ! I think the only flashdrive that ever died on me was a no-name off-brand. Some people reported them getting hot -- or even melting ! -- while playing back a 2-hour movie . . . but I've never seen that. Watched one again that way last night.

[Seeker47]

I also did another test last night: that playback was from a flashdrive left as ex-FAT. I did not expect my Oppo BR deck to recognize it, via the USB, which is how I pipe a lot of stuff to the big screen tv. But it did. I expect the Nvidia Shield would do likewise. But almost a lock that the WD Live TV box won't.

[zing269]

FAT32 and exFAT are not the same.

FAT32 came out during the Windows 95 era has the 2gb file and 4tb volume limitations, depending on sector size and large file support.

exFAT was designed for flash drives and has reduced overhead compared to FAT32. It was introduced with Windows CE 6.0 and was considered easier to implement in firmware for embedded devices.

Many / most removable drives are formatted exFAT because it is compatible with Windows, MacOS, Android, and recent versions of Linux (kernel 5.4 +) so it will just work for most people.

[HemLok]

David Plummer, owner of the YouTube channel "Dave's Garage", worked for Microsoft way back and wrote the Windows 95 format program among other things. He has talked about the FAT32 32GB limit. He's responsible for it and it just never got increased until Windows 11 increased it to 2TB. His video about it is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bikbJPI-7Kg.