Max X51V CF/SD size?

[dahawthorne]

People,
New Axim user. I have a couple of 1GB SD cards which work fine, but are far too small.
On the basis of "buy bigger than you ever imagine you'll need" I'm thinking of an 8GB CF.
Anyone know if the X51V handles this size ok?
And any recommendations? Preferably world-wide brand (Sandisk, Lexar...?), since I live in the UK and don't want to get into import taxes...
Thanks,
David.

[Mahstah]

Check this thread for answers to your question. The maximum addressable size of a FAT32 partition using 4KB clusters is 8GB. I believe Windows Mobile 5 usess 4 KB clusters, but you can use a utility such as Pocket Mechanic to format with different cluster sizes, making the theoretical limit 2TB. By that point you are wasting about 40% of your storage space for "slack".

[dahawthorne]

Thanks, Mahstah. Interesting. Presumably if an 8GB microdrive works then an 8GB CF also will? My experience with PCs is that the limits are in the motherboard & BIOS, not in the storage mechanism.
Much appreciated.
David.

[Mahstah]

Yes, many people have reported good luck with Seagate 8GB cards (did you read the linked thread?). Stay away from OEM ones as some of those are ripped from mp3 players and won't work.

The limits for storage on PCs used to be in the BIOS, but modern ones have no such limitation and many older PCs have BIOS updates that address the limitations. For the old FAT32 file system, the file system itself is the limiting factor. For NTFS, the limit is something like 8 Petabytes from what I've read.

[dahawthorne]

Thanks again, Mahstah.
I'm thinking of an 8GB Sandisk Extreme or Ultra, which I believe are fast and reliable.
David.

[Mahstah]

I have a Sandisk Extreme III SD card in my X30 and use a Corsair 133x SD in my X51v. They're both great cards in reviews.

My X5 uses a reformatted 8 MB SD card that came preloaded from Dell with "Atari Retro" games. They sucked.

[Rheya's Assassin]

Mahstah,

So you ordered these Atari games and they came on an 8gb sd card? The games sucked and now you reformatted the 8gb card and it works? How much were these games and does Dell still sell it? It could be a very cheap way to acquire an 8gb card.....

Just wondering....

Thanks,

[Mahstah]

LOL, 8 MB, not 8 GB.

[Mahstah]

You're about to become a senior member.

[Rheya's Assassin]

Yeah 8mb is not nearly as impressive is it.....lol.....How do I become a senior member?