Which file system to use for a large (1 TB) external hard drive?

I've got a 1 TB hard disk drive which is currently formatted as NTFS. I've recently learned about exFAT. I'm connecting this drive via USB. Which filesystem should I use for this large hard disk drive and why?

(I know exFAT requires a patch on Windows XP; this is not a concern.)

Solution 1:

Since you're basically contemplating NTFS vs. exFAT, easy support for other operating systems doesn't seem to be a concern. I'd suggest staying with NTFS. exFAT is primarily meant for smaller volumes and slower devices where the space and complexity overhead of NTFS is an issue.

So I wonder what exactly do you plan to gain from formatting that drive with exFAT. It's in most ways inferior to NTFS anyway.

Solution 2:

I'm pretty sure the "If it aint broken" philosophy is appropriate here. Do you really have a reason to start mucking about with filesystems? It's not as if NTFS has any major problems. Besides NTFS is a well-known filesystem that's been around for a while, whereas exFAT is the new kid on the block. This could cause problems down the line. For example if you were to ever use that disk on a linux system, you'd have far more support for NTFS than exFAT.