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SD Card and USB C Cord Suggestions for Switch

Anker is my favorite USB cord maker. they make some nice nylon braided ones that are very durable and affordable. I use them for all my consoles and PC controller hookups.
 

Jofamo

Member
Does anyone know if the Joycon Charging Grip come with an included USB-C cable?

I was going to buy an Anker USB-C cable, to use with my portable battery, but if one's included with the Grip I'm buying, I might not bother.
 

brad-t

Member
Can you really charge this with any old USB cord? I assume the system includes a chunky AC adapter for a reason?

Unless we're just talking about the controllers.
 

Pagusas

Elden Member
Does anyone know if the Joycon Charging Grip come with an included USB-C cable?

I was going to buy an Anker USB-C cable, to use with my portable battery, but if one's included with the Grip I'm buying, I might not bother.

Dont buy anything until we know the amps required to charge the device. Your portable battery may not support the charging rate the Switch requires.
 

Kaiken

Banned
Cards should be easy to grab but I'm more interested in what speed would be adequate for the Switch. I'm assuming 90MB/s should suffice.
 
Can you really charge this with any old USB cord? I assume the system includes a chunky AC adapter for a reason?

Unless we're just talking about the controllers.

Not, "any old" USB. It has to be a USB-C.

Sl9JTsL.png


They are mass produced, so you can buy a decent on for cheap.
 
They are mass produced, so you can buy a decent on for cheap.

Careful. Everyone should probably read this.

From The Wirecutter:

For charging USB-C devices: USB-C charger

In terms of charging a computer that uses USB-C power, we haven’t yet found a third-party solution we can recommend. Last year, PCWorld ran a test comparing different USB-C chargers across different laptops and found that no single charger could even charge every computer, let alone charge them all rapidly. “I have no doubt that universal charging for laptops will be a reality one day on laptops,” writes Gordon Mah Ung, “but right now it’s pretty messy.” For now, we recommend using whatever USB-C power adapter came with your computer—for example, Apple’s 29 W, 61 W, or 87 W USB-C Power Adapter, depending on which MacBook model you have—or another adapter specifically recommended by your computer’s vendor.

Source..
 
Thanks for the help people! I'll be getting these:

Anker 2-Port 24W USB Wall Charger

and

Anker PowerLine+ USB-C to USB 3.0 cable (6ft)

I wanted a two-port wall charger as I wanted something that eliminates my need to bring one for the Switch and my phone. I'm also willing to spend a bit more on the braided cable as I know it'll get bent at weird angles like I do things like play in bed. Can't complain about the pricing! Figured I'd post both as a quick reference for someone else in the same scenario.
 

CDX

Member
I'm just getting a 128gb or 200gb microSD card.

And I'll also be getting an extra official Nintendo Switch AC adapter. I just don't want to mess around with 3rd party chargers. I want to leave one adapter plugged into the dock at all times, and I'll have the extra one to carry around with me when I use the switch in portable mode.
 

StereoVsn

Member
I would hold off on buying MicroSD cards until it's known how fast is the internal reader. Some of the cards being quoted in this thread have terrible write speeds, not sure how that would affect things but something to keep in mind.
 
The best decision in regards to MicroSD cards is to not buy now. If you already have a 32gb card, keep it around until it fills up (potentially months from now) and then upgrade to a card reccomended in this thread or elsewhere. Prices are always falling, capacities are always expanding, so you should wait until you absolutely need one.

I have a 64gig card lying around that I'll use until its full. I plan on buying most games physically, so it will last quite a while. I could get a 256gb card for $100
 

TAS

Member
Guys..question about power banks. My Anker pack is regular USB out. If I buy a USB-C to USB 3 cable, will this provide enough juice to power the Switch on the go? Or does it have to be USB-C out from the power bank? That would suck lol.
 

japtor

Member
Re: power banks/batteries and AC adapters, I would not buy anything until we know more about the system, like at least the official AC adapter specs.

Old USB charging is a relatively known thing now, not that everything is perfect but stuff generally just works. USB-C and the power delivery spec (USB PD) opens things up a whole bunch and is still pretty new. Outside of guesses based on the speculated specs, we have no clue what the Switch is actually pulling. As long as it's higher rated (and not a piece of crap) it should work in theory, but that's still going to be a decent chunk of money to take a gamble two months ahead of release.

(Lower rated ones might work to charge while off/idle, but it could just as well refuse to charge too, we don't know...and even if it does charge the rate will probably be slow as hell)

Cables (that are known and tested to be good) and SD cards should be fine though...but still you got two months. And there might be decent deals around launch time to take advantage of a surge of interest in those two items, so I wouldn't rush it unless you find some exceptional deal on a big ass card.
 

brad-t

Member
Not, "any old" USB. It has to be a USB-C.

Sl9JTsL.png


They are mass produced, so you can buy a decent on for cheap.

I know it needs to be USB-C. I just can't imagine that Nintendo would release this huge AC adapter with the system if they could've just bundled in a USB cord and an outlet adapter instead. Even third parties are making them:

hyperkin-ac-adapter-for-nintendo-switch.jpg


I confess I am totally clueless on the subject.
 

CazTGG

Member
Do we know if there will be any capability of installing any sort of internal memory like a laptop HDD/2.5 7mm/9.5mm/m.2 SSD?
 

louiedog

Member
Thanks, good to know. On the plus side though it's very small, and if you only need a small boost (say 30 mins to 1 hr) for portable Switch sessions, it seems like it would do the job no?

I would still stay away from it. Output is only 1 amp so not only is it too low capacity to be very useful for a tablet, but it'll also charge very slowly. It'll be slower than the Switch consumes battery.

Say you discover you have 10% battery left and you plug this thing in. The Switch will continue discharging and die, just a tiny bit slower, before the external battery is even empty. I would wait and see more about the power requirements before buying anything.
 

aadiboy

Member
So does the 32gb storage on the system become inaccessible if you put in an SD card? So if you put in a 128gb micro SD card, would you have 160gb available storage, or 128gb?
 
Slightly off topic, but I'm a bit confused - can I plug the Switch straight into a seat-back USB port on a plane journey like I can with my 3DS?
 

SystemUser

Member
Thanks for the help people! I'll be getting these:

Anker 2-Port 24W USB Wall Charger

and

Anker PowerLine+ USB-C to USB 3.0 cable (6ft)

I wanted a two-port wall charger as I wanted something that eliminates my need to bring one for the Switch and my phone. I'm also willing to spend a bit more on the braided cable as I know it'll get bent at weird angles like I do things like play in bed. Can't complain about the pricing! Figured I'd post both as a quick reference for someone else in the same scenario.



I don't think the Switches power requirements have been announced. The power adapter that you linked to says 24W, but each port is only 12W (2.4 amps at 5v) which is the equivalent of an iPad charger. The power adapter for the Google Pixel outputs 18W and weakest Macbook charger is 29W.
 

JCX

Member
In terms of USB charging I'll be getting something like this Anker charger:


This one specifically is only $13 bucks and should add a good amount of playtime to the Switch on the go.

Between this and Pokemon Go, I wonder if Nintendo is just trying to drive portable battery pack sales more than anything else.
 
SD Card: Sandisk 200GB UHS-1 Class MicroSD card.

$70. The UHS-1 speed class seems to guarantee a transfer rate of up to 300MB/s, so that should max out load times for the Switch depending on its storage controller (an iPhone 7 gets 400MB/s read speeds from its internal storage). Write speeds are guaranteed to be better than 10MB/s.

Nice, that's the exact card I'll pick up for my Switch. I've also preordered the official AC adapter from Amazon and I'm surprised that aren't offering it for order now.
 

Roo

Member
So what are the best specs we should be looking for when it comes to these cards?
I know there are different read/write speeds but I really don't know cards are the best or are more suitable for a gaming system.

XC I/(1?) 10 are the best?
 

jax

Banned
Probably the wrong thread for this but since I'm juniored I can't make a thread.

What would be the best method of streaming/recording the Switch on the go? Small PC? android phone? A Mac?
 

galvatron

Member
I'm going to stick with the 128 GB Samsung Evo I've got lying around until I somehow need more space. Don't anticipate that happening anytime soon as I've pre-ordered everything available that I'd want this year on cart using the Best Buy/Visa Checkout deal.
 
How do the microthingies work? Do you just buy one and replace the one that comes with the switch??? Or does it go elsewhere on the machine? Sorry for dumb question but i never bought one of these and use them as console storage. Are the speeds fast on these things?
 
So what are the best specs we should be looking for when it comes to these cards?
I know there are different read/write speeds but I really don't know cards are the best or are more suitable for a gaming system.

XC I/(1?) 10 are the best?

I'm wondering this as well.
 
I don't think the Switches power requirements have been announced. The power adapter that you linked to says 24W, but each port is only 12W (2.4 amps at 5v) which is the equivalent of an iPad charger. The power adapter for the Google Pixel outputs 18W and weakest Macbook charger is 29W.

I appreciate the input! I was going off the assumption that an iPad charger would be enough, as the Switch has a battery of approximately half the size. I don't plan on ordering either until closer to launch, so I guess I'll have to keep an eye out and possibly reconsider! Really hoping something like what I posted will actually work. I'd like a compact option while traveling.
 
How do the microthingies work? Do you just buy one and replace the one that comes with the switch??? Or does it go elsewhere on the machine? Sorry for dumb question but i never bought one of these and use them as console storage. Are the speeds fast on these things?

The Switch doesn't come with a card. It has 32GB of internal storage. You just insert a MicroSD card in the slot. That's it.
 

Ragnamith

Member
Read speeds is also something people need to consider when it comes to micro SD cards, as far as I know it can go from 20 mbps to 275 mbps, but I'm not sure what a decent speed is to run Switch games from etc.
 

Dominator

Member
I think I'm going to get a 200GB card (SanDisk). 256GB cards are almost triple the price for some reason.

As for the cord, I'm just going to buy another AC adapter. I'll leave the one it comes with in the dock and have another to move around my house as I please. I'm going to be using it in handheld mode probably 99% of the time so I definitely need it.

I'll look into portable chargers later, but I doubt I'll be taking this thing out of my house often.
 
In terms of USB charging I'll be getting something like this Anker charger:


This one specifically is only $13 bucks and should add a good amount of playtime to the Switch on the go.
Ugh. Had that one and I loved it. I just left in a hotel room for a friend's wedding. Need to pick up another.
 

Deepo

Member
SD Card: Sandisk 200GB UHS-1 Class MicroSD card.

$70. The UHS-1 speed class seems to guarantee a transfer rate of up to 300MB/s, so that should max out load times for the Switch depending on its storage controller (an iPhone 7 gets 400MB/s read speeds from its internal storage). Write speeds are guaranteed to be better than 10MB/s.

That card says "Performance/speed:Up to 90MB/s read speed, write speed lower)", so 300MB/s sounds a bit unlikely, unless I've misunderstood something.
 
That card says "Performance/speed:Up to 90MB/s read speed, write speed lower)", so 300MB/s sounds a bit unlikely, unless I've misunderstood something.

No you're correct, 300MB/s is the max for the UHS-1 bus, but no cards have flash memory that fast, the fastest I've seen is 95MB/s read and write on the Sandisk Extreme Plus cards.
 

LaserHawk

Member
I heard from somebody that when you order a good brand of SD card off of a place like Amazon with multiple sellers, you can't always be guaranteed you're getting the real deal instead of a knockoff. Has anybody else heard this? I've been looking at possible storage solutions for the Switch and it has me a bit worried to order something with a good price.
 
do note that cheaper micro SDXC cards usually use TLC NAND instead of MLC NAND, which are more reliable and have longer lifespans than TLC. I use Lexar's 633x on my dashcam and it has been great. It also has a lifetime warranty.
 

SystemUser

Member
I heard from somebody that when you order a good brand of SD card off of a place like Amazon with multiple sellers, you can't always be guaranteed you're getting the real deal instead of a knockoff. Has anybody else heard this? I've been looking at possible storage solutions for the Switch and it has me a bit worried to order something with a good price.


Yes, there are a lot of knockoff SD cards on the internet. I wouldn't even consider buying one on eBay unless Sandisk or Samsung is using a corporate eBay account.


On Amazon I would also stick to "fulfilled by Amazon" for SD cards. I usually buy my SD cards in person at a store that does price matching. I haven't heard of a major brick&mortar store carrying counterfeit SD cards.
 

japtor

Member
Slightly off topic, but I'm a bit confused - can I plug the Switch straight into a seat-back USB port on a plane journey like I can with my 3DS?
If you have a USB-A (i.e. "normal USB") to USB-C cable, yeah you can plug it in, but there's a decent chance it won't be powerful enough to keep the Switch charging while playing. And while off it would hopefully charge, but it might do it pretty slowly.

Like I said earlier, we don't really know anything about the charging/power specs, and everything hinges on that.
I really want one of those Anker chargers. Is there realistically a chance of incompatibility?
Yes there is a realistic chance.
I heard from somebody that when you order a good brand of SD card off of a place like Amazon with multiple sellers, you can't always be guaranteed you're getting the real deal instead of a knockoff. Has anybody else heard this? I've been looking at possible storage solutions for the Switch and it has me a bit worried to order something with a good price.
Depends on how their "fulfillment with Amazon" or whatever works, like I could see counterfeits being mixed in with legit stuff, and buying becomes a lottery at that point. I'm curious if Amazon keeps their own stock separate from the seller stock though, in which case buying from Amazon themselves should be ok at least.
 

lenovox1

Member
The fan is in the switch so it wont fry itself. The one think I'm wondering is if you play in handheld mode while charging do you get docked performance. 900p/1080p downsampled should look amazing on that screen.

As posted earlier, the Switch and the dock will likely "handshake." The Switch will know when it's in a dock and when a lone cable is connected to it. Just like a laptop dock.
 

LaserHawk

Member
On Amazon I would also stick to "fulfilled by Amazon" for SD cards. I usually buy my SD cards in person at a store that does price matching. I haven't heard of a major brick&mortar store carrying counterfeit SD cards.

Depends on how their "fulfillment with Amazon" or whatever works, like I could see counterfeits being mixed in with legit stuff, and buying becomes a lottery at that point. I'm curious if Amazon keeps their own stock separate from the seller stock though, in which case buying from Amazon themselves should be ok at least.

Thanks, both of you. This is stuff I'm going to keep in mind as I purchase my SD card.
 
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