Hardware How well do 64GB cards work?

[Cyber Akuma]

32 is really starting to limit me, upgrading to 64GB would really help, especially since I started backing up my carts to CIA.

Nintendo officially states that the 3DS only can go up to 32GB, but I have had a lot of people tell me that 64GB work fine. I found this a little odd since cards over 32GB are a different standard than cards that are 4-32GB, and when my friend tried it their 3DS could not recognize the card. (Yes, it was reformatted properly to FAT32).

Which is why I am asking here. Do they work, or no? Or is it hit-and-miss? And if they work, could they cause problems later on? The thing I am most worried about is it working for a while, bit then deleting or corrupting data later on.

 

[Kinqdra]

I think the only reason they stated that they're incompatible is because when they reach the capacity of 64gbs they go from sdhc to sdxc. This can easily be solved by formatting the card to fat32. I have a verbatim 64gb micro sd card which works apsolutely fine on my n3ds as well as my o3ds with an sd adapter.

 

[SomecallmeBerto]

I use a 128GB with no issues. Format it to fat32 with 64 cluster and you will be fine. The problems some people have is by using cheap/fake products.

 

[MadMageKefka]

Any size card will work on a9lh, and up to 128GB cards will work on emuNANDs. All you need to do is force-format the card to FAT32, since all cards 64GB and up come in exFAT format. I like to use a program called guiformat.exe, google it. Also, don't go for cheap cards. I have seen PLENTY of people get some off-brand card for the 3ds and have it not even work for them. Get a good one like samsung or sandisk.

Edit: Don't use a 64 cluster size like suggested above. I have seen some homebrew over time here that doesn't work with 64 clusters. Stick with the default (32). I have tried both and can tell you the speed difference is barely even noticeable.

 

[Cyber Akuma]

Hmm, odd.

I was wondering if they worked because my friend got a 64GB card to use in his unhacked original 3DS, and it couldn't even see a SD card inserted. I used that SD formatted tool to reformat it in FAT32 and we still couldn't get it to work.

It wasn't a cheap no-name brand either.

Any idea why that would have not worked? Makes me worried about trying to use a 64 in mine.

 

[Kinqdra]

Hmm, odd.

I was wondering if they worked because my friend got a 64GB card to use in his unhacked original 3DS, and it couldn't even see a SD card inserted. I used that SD formatted tool to reformat it in FAT32 and we still couldn't get it to work.

It wasn't a cheap no-name brand either.

Any idea why that would have not worked? Makes me worried about trying to use a 64 in mine.

Well I bought a 32gb hama sd card and the same thing happened. Some cards just aren't compatible, nothing you can actually do to change that. I can confirm that both sandisk and verbatim 64gb micro sd cards do work on the 3ds.

 

[ksanislo]

I can confirm that the SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter, Grey/Red, Standard Packaging (SDSQUNC-064G-GN6MA) on amazon works perfectly in all 5 systems I've put one in (2DS/n3DS/n3DS XL, and there's no reason an original 3DS wouldn't work with it too, but I don't have one). Typically I'll just mod the system with the stock SD card, then use EmuNAND9 to format the 64GB SD card to make sure that it's using the proper filesystem type.

 

[Hanafuda]

I can confirm that the SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter, Grey/Red, Standard Packaging (SDSQUNC-064G-GN6MA) on amazon works perfectly in all 5 systems I've put one in (2DS/n3DS/n3DS XL, and there's no reason an original 3DS wouldn't work with it too, but I don't have one). Typically I'll just mod the system with the stock SD card, then use EmuNAND9 to format the 64GB SD card to make sure that it's using the proper filesystem type.

+1. I use the same. No issues.

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

fwiw, larger sd cards will have longer boot times, and I think the home menu as well.

 

[osaka35]

Any size card will work on a9lh, and up to 128GB cards will work on emuNANDs. All you need to do is force-format the card to FAT32, since all cards 64GB and up come in exFAT format. I like to use a program called guiformat.exe, google it. Also, don't go for cheap cards. I have seen PLENTY of people get some off-brand card for the 3ds and have it not even work for them. Get a good one like samsung or sandisk.

Edit: Don't use a 64 cluster size like suggested above. I have seen some homebrew over time here that doesn't work with 64 clusters. Stick with the default (32). I have tried both and can tell you the speed difference is barely even noticeable.

will 200GB cards not work with emunand? or the system?

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

will 200GB cards not work with emunand? or the system?

They probably do, but you are actually wasting money at that point

 

[Gaiaknight]

I use a 128GB in my 3ds and it runs great

 

[Cyber Akuma]

Hmm, this is the one I just ordered, anyone ever used it?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Class-Adapter-MB-MC64DA-AM/dp/B01273JZMG

Kinda was debating if I should get 64 or 128, but was worried 128 would be pushing my luck.

 

[Blue]

I can confirm that the SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter, Grey/Red, Standard Packaging (SDSQUNC-064G-GN6MA) on amazon works perfectly in all 5 systems I've put one in (2DS/n3DS/n3DS XL, and there's no reason an original 3DS wouldn't work with it too, but I don't have one). Typically I'll just mod the system with the stock SD card, then use EmuNAND9 to format the 64GB SD card to make sure that it's using the proper filesystem type.

+1 I bought 2, O3DS XL and New3DS.

 

[lexarvn]

Hmm, this is the one I just ordered, anyone ever used it?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Class-Adapter-MB-MC64DA-AM/dp/B01273JZMG

Kinda was debating if I should get 64 or 128, but was worried 128 would be pushing my luck.

Good chance that that one will work, but you never know until someone tries it. I use this one by samsung and it works fine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IVPU7AO/

 

[migles]

it's just the usual burucracy thing...
"we, nintendo made loads of tests with sdhc cards, thus we garantee and make sure they work, however we didn't want to spend more time\resources\money testing with new sdxc specifications, or didn't want to pay for righs or etc, the console will most likely work with sdxc cards but we can't garantee, we also don't want to teach you how to format theese cards with fat32 and before you sue us or send us angry letters, let's just say officially the console only supports up to 32gb"

 

[ksanislo]

Hmm, this is the one I just ordered, anyone ever used it?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Class-Adapter-MB-MC64DA-AM/dp/B01273JZMG

Kinda was debating if I should get 64 or 128, but was worried 128 would be pushing my luck.

I've used a red EVO 32GB in an n3DS and it works okay, so the 64GB should work the same.

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

Hmm, this is the one I just ordered, anyone ever used it?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Class-Adapter-MB-MC64DA-AM/dp/B01273JZMG

Kinda was debating if I should get 64 or 128, but was worried 128 would be pushing my luck.

the 128 gb is fine, this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B..._t=7101&pf_rd_p=2514108862&pf_rd_i=B00IVPU786 is what im using rn in my n3ds (the 128 gb card, not 64gb)

 

[Clydefrosch]

i heard that even at the right format, 128 gb carts only work to about 100gb or so?
64 ones work though. just use decrypt9 to format one (load decrypt9, eject your current cart, put in the new one and format (no emunand).

 

[MadMageKefka]

will 200GB cards not work with emunand? or the system?

No, the problem is menuhax. It cant load tha card fast enough. SysNAND ends up loading before it can load the theme data. Works fine with a9lh.