The exFAT file system offers many advantages over the older FAT32, so an important technical aspect is worth knowing when storing files. exFAT is key in many devices, including NAS dedicated to creators and multimedia use , where it is essential.
exFAT allows us to exceed the FAT32 limit of 4 GB per file , an insufficient figure when we work with videos and other graphic elements. FAT32 would force the files to be divided into blocks of a maximum of 4 GB, making their handling much more cumbersome.
Thanks to exFAT it is easier to share data between Windows and Mac , without depending on their proprietary file systems, since both support exFAT. The format is used on most current USB sticks and memory cards, apart from NAS.
| FAT32 | NTFS | exFAT | |
| Maximum size of each file | 4GB | 16TB | 16 EB (exabytes) |
| Maximum disk size (volume) | 10TB | 256TB | 128PB (petabytes) |
| Usual use | USB Flash Drives Old Devices |
windows | NAS USB Flash Drives SD Cards |
In exFAT the maximum file size is 16 EB (exabytes) ie 16 billion GB (gigabytes), which is an incredibly large number. In practice, the maximum size of each volume on the disks is 128 PB (petabytes), equivalent to 128 million GB (gigabytes), far greater than any current need.
Other advantages of exFAT include a verification of the integrity of the disk structure, which offers greater resistance to possible errors. Performance and resource consumption are also improved , so data can be transferred faster while reducing processor work.
exFAT is faster on QNAP NAS
Optimization is key on NAS , where you have to transfer thousands of files, some tens or hundreds of gigabytes. Popular manufacturer QNAP knows that exFAT makes all the difference when moving 4K video projects, high-quality photo libraries, or large document files.
That’s why the performance of exFAT on QNAP NAS has been specially taken care of. For example, this test compares the QNAP TVS-873 (transferring 20,000 1MB files) with similar NAS using open source drivers:
QNAP’s exFAT driver can offer up to 3 times more performance , which saves a lot of time. The manufacturer knows that software is very important to get the most out of a NAS, and it is one of its priorities, as it demonstrated by launching QNAP’s bounty hunter program to detect potential security issues.
The driver for exFAT is included with the QTS 5.0 operating system and QuTS hero h5.0 or higher on x86 processor-based NAS, and QTS 5.0.1 or higher if ARM processor-based NAS . In addition, QNAP is working on supporting models with Zhaoxin KX.
In other words, we will be able to use exFAT on all QNAP NAS that come with these versions or higher, and also on those that we update. In old models that do not support these versions, there is the possibility of acquiring an exFAT driver license that gives us access.
We will take full advantage of exFAT in the brand’s recent models, such as the QNAP TS-x62 multimedia NAS or the powerful QNAP TVS-hx74 , perfect for multimedia production, among many others.
In conclusion, exFAT performance is a critical factor when choosing a NAS , so keep in mind that QNAP models provide higher speeds on this file system than those with open source drivers.