Can someone help me figure out if the USB transfer speed of my Garmin Etrex 32x (mass storage mode) is normal for this type of device?

[jackpenning]

I have a new Etrex 32x and when I attach it in mass storage mode to Windows 10 and start copying files, the maximum transfer speed I seem to reach is about 350 to 1000 KB/s. I tried multiple different cables, ports and a different computer.

 

Worried that my device might be broken. Other than this it seems to work great though. Would be very grateful if some of you with this device (or other Garmin Etrex devices) could do a quick test for me, just connecting in Mass Storage USB mode and picking one of the big files in the Garmin folder, starting a copy onto the computer and report back what speeds you roughly get over the course of 1-2 minutes.

 

Sorry if this is a much-discussed topic already, I googled for hours and could not find much beyond 1 or 2 random posts talking about USB transfer speeds of Garmin devices.

[SergZak]

Garmin has always been slow to adopt new technologies and stays with outdated hardware for a very long time. The 32x (as all the current eTrex series, and even the older eTrex color units like the Vista HCx) uses the dog-slow USB Mini-B (4-pin) cable with USB 2.0 data speed (*up to* 480 Mbps but in reality, never that). Along with whatever overhead Garmin's interface imposes with the internal storage as well as external, the transfer speed is dismally slow.

 

Updating the unit's maps just yesterday on my 32x (from TopoActive 2024.20 to TopoActive 2025.10) took 3-4 hours, placing the map files on both the internal memory as well as the microSD card...both drives are equally slow.

 

To get around this speed issue after a map update has been done and for backing up the files on the microSD card, I remove the card from the unit and use an external SD card card reader to backup mapsets as well as add already generated maps to the unit's external storage...really, any kind of file manipulation. There's no work-around for transferring maps to/from the unit's 8GB of internal storage. You will always be limited by USB 2.0 and Garmin's implementation of the interface.

 

The speeds you are seeing are quite normal and your hardware (cables, ports and different computers) is likely perfectly fine.

Edited May 8 by SergZak

[jackpenning]

Thanks for your info. You say it's USB 2.0, and I read the same info on various websites, but when I check with USB Tree Viewer, it is actually consistently identified as a USB 1.0 device. The sub 1 MB/s speeds are also what you'd expect from a USB 1.0 device. (It's identified as Full-Speed which is USB 1, whereas Highspeed is USB 2). This is part of why I was worried because all the sources online say it's supposedly USB 2.0.

[SergZak]

Quote

Along with whatever overhead Garmin's interface imposes with the internal storage as well as external, the transfer speed is dismally slow.

 

I believe that Garmin limits the speed for some unknown reason (if the device is actually reporting as High-Speed USB 2.0 capable but performs at USB 1.0/1.1 speeds ), hence my comment above. Their implementation of disk access has always been slow at best. They were god-awful slow moving away from the original serial interface to USB even many, many years after USB was fully established and when they finally supported it, you can see the result.

 

I have no experience with the newer/more current models that use USB-C but I would hazzard a guess that their bus speed capability is also hampered in some way by Garmin.

 

You may want to return the unit (sadly, I cannot return mine) if you can (within the return period) and wait for something newer from Garmin. They have recently (within a few years...that's Garmin's "recently") released the eTrex SE and eTrex Solar units which have USB-C but are B&W and mapless. Something newer for the eTrex line (with color and maps) may be released soon. When, only Garmin knows.

 

Edited May 8 by SergZak

[jackpenning]

I see. I don't feel a need to return it, as I'm pretty happy with the functionality and can live with the slow USB speed. I mainly want to make sure that my unit isn't faulty as I wouldn't want to spend that kind of money without getting a fully functional unit. I read that it's USB 2.0 so I expected 20MB/s speeds or something around that, so returning it would be a good option if it meant getting an upgrade to that kind of speed. If this is the best it can be ... oh well. I'm okay with it.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[Newb888]

On an unrelated matter. I have several Garmin GPS, I still like my small colored eTrex with limited RAM. Maps are basically very old but I use it mainly for geocaching or saving coordinates. I think for regular average consumer use, using your Android or iPhone is sufficient and just pay for a better app to save your coordinates as Google Maps is still stuck in 2005 in terms of waypoints including saving, naming, organizing,  and retrieving waypoints/favorites.