Which MicroSD card should I use in my Dell Inspiron 13 5391?

Recently I bought a shiny new computer, the Dell Inspiron 13 5391. It's a high-spec but reasonably priced laptop (as of November 2019), I'm very happy with it.

The 5391 has a MicroSD card slot. I wanted to use a MicroSD card for backup. I bought a SanDisk Ultra, U1, (10). I have used these cards before, they are inexpensive and a reasonable speed. As I was only backing up files to it, I felt I didn't need more. I plugged this MicroSD card into my 5391 and it appeared as a drive, all appeared normal at first...


Problem
However, when I tried to use it, my computer, in general slowed down. Copying files was like watching a video in slow motion. I tried to set up Windows File History, it gave the error "Could not enable File History". Formatting the card was taking minutes and eventually I had to reboot my PC. I tried the same card in another computer and it read it without problem. I tried the same card in an Android smartphone, it worked fine. I formatted it there. I put it back in my 5391, still the same problem...

I recommend a fast U3 MicroSD card for use with the Dell Inspiron 5391

Solution
I tried another, faster MicroSD card that I already owned. The Toshiba Exceria U3 is a faster card (U3 as opposed to the slower U1) and when I put it into my 5391, it works perfectly! I'm using File History on it without any trouble.


Conclusion
Let's be clear, I am not saying SanDisk don't make good MicroSD cards. I believe my Dell Inspiron 5391 (purchased from Dell Europe) requires a faster MicroSD card. I can tell you for sure that the Toshiba Exceria U3 128GB works. It is very likely that a similar U3 card by SanDisk would also work too. The SanDisk card that I bought, I am currently using it in my Android smartphone without any trouble.

I hope that has helped others who purchase Dell Inspiron 5391 (I have the 13" European model). Pay a bit extra and get a faster card, it's more likely to work!


Reference

• U3 = 30MB/sec transfer
• U1 =10MB/sec transfer

The following link explains more about SD cards and their speed ratings:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_card


Disclaimer
Everything I've written here is to the best of my knowledge and experience only. I have not made any extensive tests. I've written this article to help others.

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