Surely, when formatting a flash drive, many users were lost when choosing a new file system for it. In fact, the average person hardly knows how NTFS differs from FAT32. But the differences are quite significant. In this article, we will reveal the main differences between these three formats. Of course, they are an order of magnitude larger, but others, such as ext4 and HFS, are irrelevant in the framework of the Windows operating system, as they are used to work in distributions based on the Linux kernel and Mac OS.
What are NTFS and FAT32?
To understand what the difference between NTFS and FAT32 is, let's try to define them, because not every user understands all the intricacies of a computer system.
So, FAT32 and NTFS are file systems. In turn, the file system is a way of organizing all the information coming into the drive. Without it, the operating system simply cannot interact with all the data on a USB flash drive or hard drive. The file systems presented, as already noted, are not unique, but are considered relevant, that is, often used in Windows.
Now, let us outline the criteria by which it will be possible to compare the described file systems. This is necessary in order to understand the difference between NTFS and FAT32. So, the main in this matter are three aspects:
- Compatibility and system requirements.
- Impact on wear of drive chips.
- Limitation on the size and amount of recorded data.
Well, now you can proceed directly to the analysis of the question of how the FAT32 system differs from NTFS.
Criterion One: Compatibility and System Requirements
If you plan to use a flash drive not only for a computer, but also for other multimedia devices, then compatibility is one of the most important criteria for choosing a file system. Let's see how FAT32 differs from NTFS in terms of compatibility and system requirements.
FAT32 is the oldest file system introduced in this article. Its data organization was used back in the days of the popularity of the MS-DOS operating system. Of the listed systems, it is also the most optimized for all types of devices. That is, you can use it on newfangled devices like the latest Android smartphones without any problems, or play music on old audio players. As for the system requirements, then everything is loyal too. FAT32 does not consume a large amount of computer resources and practically does not load the processor.
When the Windows operating system received a new NT architecture by that standards, then the NTFS file system was born. Now it is considered standard for all Windows operating systems. However, despite this, you will be able to view it on computers running Mac OS and Linux. But do not even try to play music from such a flash drive on car radios or second-tier players: with almost one hundred percent probability you will not succeed. Also, smartphones based on Android and iOS systems will refuse to detect a connected drive via an OTG cable. Also note that system requirements have increased.
Criterion Two: Impact on Drive Wear
What is the difference between the FAT32 file system and NTFS in terms of compatibility, we found out, now let's look at the second criterion - the effect on the wear of the drive. The fact is that the Flash-memory, which is equipped with any flash drive, has its own limit, after which it simply ceases to function. It is expressed in the number of permissible overwrites of data cells, that is, the less often the data will be overwritten, the longer the flash drive will last.
If you value the longevity of your flash drive, then you should refuse this file system. It works great with small and medium-sized files, but despite this, it fragmentes them pretty much. Accordingly, the number of overwrites of the same memory cells increases, and the durability of the drive, on the contrary, decreases.
As for NTFS, a flash drive with this file system will last an order of magnitude longer than with FAT32. The developers achieved this by introducing the technology of indexing all the data, due to which the number of overwrites of the same memory cells is reduced. But there is a significant drawback - this system works much slower with data.
Criterion Three: Limitations
Two criteria have already been disassembled, now we will go directly to the last one and see how NTFS differs from FAT32 in terms of the restrictions imposed on their use.
If we talk about the main disadvantages of the FAT32 file system, then this is undoubtedly its limitations on data recording. Due to the nature of data organization, the maximum size of the recorded file should not exceed 4 GB. Of course, before this figure seemed sky-high, but now this size is more related to medium than to large. There is another unpleasant moment: in the root directory of such a system can not be more than 512 files. However, it is leveled out with a little trick - if the files are placed in directories, then the restriction disappears.
If we talk about NTFS, then, closing our eyes to all the technical points, we can say that there are no restrictions on recording data. Of course, they exist, but to achieve them in our time is simply unrealistic. This applies to the size of the recorded file, and the number of files in the root directory.
File System Recommendations
So we figured out what the difference is between the NTFS and FAT32 file systems, now you can give some recommendations on their choice.
- If you plan to use a USB flash drive to play media files in old-style players, it is better to use FAT32.
- If you need to write large files to the drive, you definitely need to format the USB flash drive in NTFS.
- If you need a high write speed, FAT32 is recommended.
- To extend the life of the Flash drive, format it in NTFS.
Conclusion
All the nuances of using NTFS and FAT32 file systems were discussed above. We hope this article was useful for you and you were able to understand what the differences are between these seemingly two similar systems.
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