Best MicroSD Cards for Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 And finally here, and this means most people eventually need a new micro SD card. The new console comes with 256GB built-in storage-eight times higher The original switch And four times more than Switch OLED – its Better performance Some games means chewing the ton of that place. Cyberpunk 2077 For example, download 59GB Split fiction Checks at 69GB. Other titles are not almost big (especially by Nintendo), but you want to add more room at some point on the road.
When it is, you need a microSD express card. This is No. Old is reliable Micro SD cards You may have purchased for the first switch or other Gaming Handhelds – They are new, fast and significantly expensive. If you want more space, they are your Only the choice. If you are looking to catch one today, we put the best microSD cards for the switch 2 and broke what you need to know before you buy.
Best Micro SD cards for Switch 2 (and you may want to wait to buy)
The first main mainstream device switch 2, which requires a microSD express for storage expansion, so many options are not available yet. Here is the list of every microSD express card we see at the retailers at the time of writing to facilitate the subjects:
128GB
256GB
512GB
1 TB
Remember: You’re looking for micro sd ExpressBranding Sandisk is not “extravagant” like using some of it Traditional MicroSD cards. The big “ex” logo is printed on the microSD express card – if you see, you are good to go.
Nintendo Switch 2 says Technically supported The capacity cards up to 2TB, but the microSD express model has not yet seen more than 1TB. It should also be noted that the GameStop and Own (Walmart’s internal electronics brand) are not manufacturers, so who are making their cards.
The stock is usually spot for these cards, but some from Samsung, PNY, Sandisk and Gamestop appear to be available according to our latest update. In some cases warn you that you have to deal with expanded ship times. Sandisk’s MicroSD Express Card has also increased in price since sale in February; In fact, its price costs $ 45 per 128GB and $ 60 per 256GB. Either way, all these cards are more expensive than traditional microSD options. The Samsung Pro PlusFor example, $ 17 per 128GB, $ 25 per 256GB, $ 43 per 512GB and $ 90 per 1TB.
We have already tested Lexar Play Pro for Sandisk’s Express Card and our wide guide The best micro sd cards. Between the two, the Sandisk card is very fast Sequential Read Speed - up to 899 MB/s vs. up to 712 MB/s CrystaldidmarkTo name a benchmark – it is theoretically better to reduce the load time.
Fast for Play Pro Sequential Rights . (Sandisk said the 128GB version of its card had slowly row than the 256GB model.) Randomly Performance is equal, so both should be similar in keeping big games Mario cart world Running smoothly.
We mainly test those cards in Windows PC and Mac. How do they work in the original switch 2. After we have the hands in the console, we test as many options we can do – Nintendo did not send the initial review units to press, so we need a few more days to complete the test on our own retail model.
At the moment, however, we cannot say that it provides all micro SD express cards at similar speed. In the case of the first switch there is much to: once (regular) Micro SD Card hit a Some entrance There is no such practical difference between performance, its and other alternatives. The Switch 2 is working with a different standard, but if something similar happens again, the “best” microSD express card is the most affordable from the brand you want.
It brings us to our main advice: If you can buy one of these things at the beginning, it’s probably a good idea. It is not just about the lack of test – honestly, we will be surprised if the above cards are really “bad”. It comes to value: More exception Tariffs ShenanigunsAll of these cards are expensive today. The switch 2 is already popular and continues, so more microSD express cards have to be done and prices are reduced. Try to use 256 gigabytes baked into the switch 2, which means you need to remove both the game or both. But if you are sure of sure, you need more space immediately, the above cards Must Be enough.
What are MicroSD Express cards?
Most microSD cards are based on the standard of Ultra High Speed (UHS), including three versions: UHS-I, UHS-II and UHS-III. Most of the more cards you have previously purchased will use UHS-I. The rear includes a series of pins and the ideological maximum data transfer speed of 104 megabytes (MB/s) per second. (Most cards can exceed that limit Ownership Tech And card readers.) There is a UHS-I MicroSD slot in the original switch, as well as other gaming handhales The steam deck of the valve.
UHS-II cards add the second row pin and reach up to 312 MB/s. These are much less common than cards based on pricier and UHS-I, but they support some cameras and high-power handheads like ASUS ROG ALLY x. UHS-III, at the same time, can be twice as fast as UHS-II in theory (624 MB/s), but micro SD cards have not actually used.
UHS-I cards have been for many years because they are cheap, widely supported and many are fast enough for the necessary tasks: 4K video, stash photos and so on. But with the switch 2, Nintendo More needed. The new console is dramatically more powerful, allowing it to run Demands games It may first be built for a strong hardware such as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or Gaming PCs. The device Also uses UFS 3.1 Inherently storing, it is very fast EMMC The storage used in the original switch. (A rite File Decompression Engine You should also help improve load time.) So if the switch is going to accept 2 microSD cards, it will not bring serious drop-off in performance and hold modern games.
Therefore, SD Express. There is this criterion Is technically around From 2018 but to the switch 2, it has never gone anywhere. It also uses the second row PINs, but it allows microSD cards to take advantage of PCI Express (PCIE)/NVME interface, which is used underlying the same Modern SSDs. As a result, it produces speed to read and write very fast with current The ideological maximum Of 985 MB / s.
As mentioned above, real-world performance is not so fast. Despite that, the best micro SD express cards are much slow than the NVME SSDs used By PS5 And Xbox. (Sony recommends SSDs with at least 5,500 MB/s with a series of read speeds.) And they fall better at their maximum speed under continuous loads: for example, the continuous writing speed for the Sandisk, its 128GB express card will fall below 100 MB/s.
But they still have a significant improvement on old UHS-I cards, and theoretically, loading game levels, property streaming, saving or copied to external storage of games should be faster than some old SATA-based SSDs. Sandisk’s Micro SD Express Card can produce a series of reed speeds around 900 MB/s Lexar’s Professional Silver Plus -Mo is the top UHS-I pick-up in our normal microSD card guide and tops over 200 MB/s and it is with proprietary reader. .
There is no way to find out how much these express cards are expanded and their sky-high prices fall. 2 devices that support the microSD express are still rare, and the criterion is not compatible with the back of the UHS-II, so if you want to use your card with another device you will be restricted at a speed of UHS-I (if you buy a Valuable external reader). However, if increased costs and limited choice are annoying, the technology seems to be eligible for the next-Xen switch.
