Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2021 August 6

= August 6 =

Microsdxc card for Nintendo Switch
I see lots of microsdxc cards mentioning they are for the Nintendo Switch. Are they different from normal microsdxc cards? Are they interchangeable? Thanks. 2602:24A:DE47:BA60:8FCB:EA4E:7FBD:4814 (talk) 21:32, 6 August 2021 (UTC)
 * The Nintendo Switch "Technical Specs" states that it is "compatible with microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC memory cards" but lists no particular requirements past that. Based on that, I would comclude that any standard-compliant card should work.


 * It is my observation that many online sellers will create multiple listings for product X, adding the names of various popular compatible systems to the title ("X for Y", "X for Z", etc.) to attract potential buyers searching for those combinations. That doesn't mean that "X" has any special properties that make it work any better than any other "X". For example, "Glass cleaner for a Ford F-150 Pickup" is just glass cleaner.


 * On a side note: When Buying SD cards (or flash drives) online, beware of high capacity products offered at too-good-to-be-true prices. There is a long running scam going back to at least the early 2000's, where dishonest suppliers reprogram and relabel low capacity SD cards (and USB flash drives) to make them appear to have a much higher (but false) capacity. The fakes will report their inflated capacity in the properties display, and will even work normally at first, but once their true (low) capacity is exceeded, data will by quietly lost. In today's market, a legitimate 1TB card may cost $200-$300, but a 1TB card offered for under $50 is most certainly a fake. Search for "fake flash" for more info. --  Tom N  talk/contrib 06:02, 7 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Thanks, yeah, I do know about fake cards. I don't have a Switch but have seen good deals on Switch-designated cards so had wondered if I could use them in other devies.  That reminds me of another issue though: I'm thinking of buying a so-called high-endurance card, on the idea that it might have longer data retention even in the absence of a heavy write load.  Others tell me that the high-endurance marking is a scam in its own right.  Do you know of any good info about this?  2602:24A:DE47:BA60:8FCB:EA4E:7FBD:4814 (talk) 20:17, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * I don't think high endurance cards sold by reputable manufacturers are a scam, you can find some analysis e.g. [//ripitapart.com/2020/07/16/reverse-engineering-and-analysis-of-sandisk-high-endurance-microsdxc-card/] (I didn't find a endurance one but I'm sure there must be some at least on forums, or Reddit or that sort of thing), but I can't imagine they are any real benefit in a Switch. As you mentioned they are useful for devices with a high write load, like a dash-cam or action-cam and for extreme conditions. Without a high write load or such conditions which your Switch will probably not work in, or even suffer damage there's no real purpose. Even if there is slightly longer data retention it's unlikely to be useful unless you're doing something foolish like relying on the card to be the only source of important data which is foolish whatever the card. Nil Einne (talk) 18:22, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
 * To be more clear, I have no interest in the Switch, I don't own one and don't plan to. I sometimes see SD cards that look like good deals except they say Switch on them, so I wanted to be sure I could still use them in other devices.  Re high endurance: I've had not so good luck with cheap flash memory in general, not just from write wear under heavy write loads, but also from data loss from just sitting around.  So I had been thinking of buying high endurance cards in the hope of higher reliability under normal or low write loads.  They cost more, but not by all that much, so it may be worth it.  Thanks.  2602:24A:DE47:BA60:8FCB:EA4E:7FBD:4814 (talk) 00:04, 11 August 2021 (UTC)
 * The Switch uses standard SD cards. The Switch-branded cards are just charging extra for the logo.
 * Which would make me a little suspicious of cheap ones, actually. But if they're not counterfeit, they should be just as good as a similar card without Mario's face on them. ApLundell (talk) 01:08, 16 August 2021 (UTC)