SD Card Recommendation for Nintendo Switch

Part 1: Which SD Card is Accepted by Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch supports micro SD, micro SDHC and micro SDXC cards. It accepts UHS-1 speed class at 104Mbit/s. That is to say, a SD card at 200Mbit/s cannot be fully used in the Nintendo switch because it goes beyond the acceptable range.

Part 2: SD Card Recommendations for Nintendo Switch

Many hot games, like Super Mario and Pokemon, are welcomed by Switch users. While the capacity is 32GB, and only 25.9GB is left for the available space. If a user wants to install several games, the space is not enough at all.

Now, the micro SD slot in Switch can breaks the storage limit. In the followings, we will introduce 8 SD card products and talk about them from capacity, price, read/write speed to cost performance.

SanDisk Ultra 64GB micro SDXC UHS-I

Capacity: 64GB

Price on Amazon: US$13.95

Read speed: 99Mbit/s

Write speed: 51Mbit/s

Game start-up: 9.9s

Lexar 128GB 633x micro SDXC UHS-I

Capacity: 128GB

Price on Amazon: US$19

Read speed: 95Mbit/s

Write speed: 45Mbit/s

Game start-up: 10.1s

SanDisk Ultra 200GB micro SDXC UHS-I

Capacity: 200GB

Price on Amazon: US$32.42

Read speed: 90Mbit/s

Write speed: 40Mbit/s

Game start-up: 9.8s

PNY Elite 128GB

Capacity: 128GB

Price on Amazon: US$29.97

Read speed: 85Mbit/s

Write speed: 60Mbit/s

Game start-up: 10.1s

Samsung Evo Plus 256GB

Capacity: 256GB

Price on Amazon: US$44.99

Read speed: 95Mbit/s

Write speed: 90Mbit/s

Game start-up: 9.9s

Kingston Technologies 64GB SDCAC

Capacity: 64GB

Price on Amazon: US$14.09

Read speed: 90Mbit/s

Write speed: 45Mbit/s

Game start-up: 9.9s

Kingston Technologies 64GB SDCG

Capacity: 64GB

Price on Amazon: US$15.99

Read speed: 90Mbit/s

Write speed: 45Mbit/s

Game start-up: 10.1s

ADATA 64GB UHS-Ⅲ micro SDXC

Capacity: 64GB

Price on Amazon: US$39.99

Read speed: 95Mbit/s

Write speed: 90Mbit/s

Game start-up: 9.9s

Comparison and conclusion

Nintendo Switch supports micro SD card up to 2TB, and UHS-I is the UHS speed class recommended by Nintendo.

The minimum sequential write speed of UHS-III SD card is 30Mbit/s while that of UHS-I SD card is 10Mbit/s. Although the UHS-III SD card writes three times than the UHS-I SD card, this difference can be negligible in booting games. So, it is not necessary to buy a UHS-III SD card.

Here are micro SD cards that we recommend:

64 GB: SanDisk Ultra 64GB micro SDXC UHS-I
128 GB: Lexar 128GB 633x micro SDXC UHS-I
200 GB: SanDisk Ultra 200GB micro SDXC UHS-I
256 GB: Samsung Evo Plus 256GB

Part 4: How to Insert SD Card into Switch

1. The micro SD card slot is behind the Switch stand. You can see it after lifting the stand.

2. Insert the micro SD card into the slot. Then, you will be prompted to restart the Switch. Follow these prompts.

3. After that, go to [System Setting].

4. Select [Data Management] and add the new SD card.

Part 5: How to Transfer Data between SD cards

1. Format new SD card

Change a new SD card as the Switch is off. Then, you will be prompted to format the card when you reboot it. Follow the prompt to format the card and shut down the Switch as it is finished. After that, plug the card out.

2. Copy to the new card

Copy all data in the original SD card to the new one on the computer.

3. Plug out the original SD card

Insert the original SD card into the Switch. Turn it on and plug the card out. At that time, you will be asked to shut it down. Just follow the order.

4. Turn on again and insert the new SD card

Now, when you turn on the Switch again, you can see the symbol “clouds download” on each game. At this moment, insert the new SD card, and then shut down the Switch.

5. Transfer data from the original SD card to the new one

When the Switch is rebooted, the symbols will disappear. You can play your Switch now!

Part 6: How to Recover Formatted SD Card

Renee Undeleter is a powerful application in SD card data recovery. It supports to recover multiple file types, especially formatted drives, like SD card.

Besides, three scan modes set in Renee Undeleter, fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan, can fulfill different requirements. Thanks to the simple and clear interface, users can easily understand how to use it.

1. Use a card reader to connect the SD card to the computer. Then, launch Renee Undeleter and select [Whole Partition Scan].

2. Select the target SD card, then click [Next].

3. The scan time depends on the contents and the capacity of the SD card. As the scan is finished, check the target files and click [Recover].

Part 7: Symbols on SD Card

More and more SD card symbols are defined along with the growth of high-tech devices. Generally, brand, type, speed class, UHS speed class and capacity will be marked on a formal SD card. In the followings, we will introduce how to identify these symbols.

Types and Capacity Standards

Currently, three types of SD card are sold: SD, SDHC and SDXC.

Their capacity standards and file systems are different:

Speed Classes

SD cards in different speed classes read and write at different speeds. The higher the class is, the faster the data transfers.

Class 0: lower than Class 2 or no marked speed class.

Class 2: Play non-HD movies at the minimum transfer speed of 2Mbit/s.

Class 4: Fluently play HD movies at the minimum transfer speed of 4Mbit/s.

Class 6: Fulfill the requirements of DSLR cameras and some professional devices at the minimum transfer speed of 6Mbit/s.

Class 10: Fulfill faster storage at the minimum transfer speed of 10Mbit/s.

Faster Speed Bus Interfaces

The marks “I” or “III” represent the UHS interfaces. As for UHS-I SD card, the maximum write speed is 95Mbit/s; the maximum read speed 104Mbit/s; the minimum transfer speed 10Mbit/s. The USH-III SD card can write at 280Mbit/s and read at 312Mbit/s most. Besides, it can transfer data at 30Mbit/s least.

Speed Standard

If the symbol “UHS Speed Class 1” is marked on a SD card, it tells you that it can transfer data at 104Mbit/s. You can use it to save HD videos in real time.