What is the default cluster size in setting when formatting a Windows NTFS partition on a hard disk larger than 2 GB?

Answer 1

The following table shows the default values that Windows XP uses for NTFS formatting. Drive size

(logical volume) Cluster size Sectors

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512 MB or less 512 bytes 1

513 MB - 1,024 MB (1 GB) 1,024 bytes (1 KB) 2

1,025 MB - 2,048 MB (2 GB) 2,048 bytes (2 KB) 4

2,049 MB and larger 4,096 bytes (4 KB) 8

The maximum default cluster size under Windows XP is 4 kilobytes (KB) because NTFS file compression is not possible on drives with a larger allocation size. The Format utility never uses clusters that are larger than 4 KB unless you specifically override that default either by using the /A: option for command-line formatting or by specifying a larger cluster size in the Format dialog box in Disk Management.

If you use the Convert utility to convert a volume from FAT to NTFS, Windows always uses a 512-byte cluster size. FAT structures are aligned on 512-byte boundaries; a larger cluster size does not allow conversion. Note also that in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and earlier, when a partition is formatted under Windows Setup, the partition is first formatted as FAT and then converted to NTFS. Therefore the cluster size is always 512 bytes when a partition is formatted in Setup. (This information does not apply to Microsoft Windows 2000 Setup or Windows XP Setup, which both format the partition according to your choice of a file system.)

Answer 2

For (2gb-20gb) Small sized drives : 512 bytes

For (20-80gb) medium sized drives : 1024 bytes

For (80-200gb) Large sized drives : 2048 bytes

For anything larger : 4096 bytes

Cluster size also determines how much wasted space would be used by the file-system. Large cluster sizes provide more waste if a file does not fill the cluster completely. Any cluster that has not been filled completed cannot be re-used by the file-system, hence, left over waste.

Large cluster sizes provide more performance on larger drives and larger files sizes.

Small cluster sizes provide less waste and more performance when using small file sizes.

FAT32 would provide better performance and longer HDD lifespan than NTFS should you be using a HDD under 100gb and not hitting the 4gb file limits.

Answer 3

For a hard drive 1,025 MB - 2,048 MB (2 GB), the default size is 2,048 bytes (2 KB). For 2,049 MB (2 GB) and larger hard drives 4,096 bytes (4 KB) is the default cluster size.

Answer 4

I think this question has already been asked - and answered. Check the related link, as I think it asks the same (or similar) question.

Answer 5

4kb