MBR and GPT are two types of partitions known on computers to organize and manage information on hard drives or other storage devices. The former stands for “Master Boot Record” while the latter is short for “GUID Partition Table”.
MBR Explained
MBR is a traditional method of disk partitioning, and if you will, also the older of the two, as it was first introduced in the early 1980s.
It is located in the first sector of the disk and contains a small executable code called a “boot loader,” as well as a table describing the partitions on the disk.
To use a disk for the purpose of saving data, you must divide it into pieces called partitions. On MBR disks they can be categorized as primary partitions and extended partitions. The primary ones are those on which you can install the operating system and activate them in order to make the computer boot from there. Excluding the space occupied by the primary partition, the remaining space is called the extended partition. Unlike the primary one, the extended one is a “concrete” space with a drive letter and system files. You can use only the extended partition to create multiple logical drives to use the space.
The main limitations of MBR partitions are first of all that they support disks only up to 2 TB in capacity. Also, the limit of primary partitions that can be created goes up to a maximum of four.
GPT Explained
GPT is the new standard compared to MBR first introduced as part of the UEFI Initiative. Compared to the MBR partition scheme, it is more flexible and has much more compatibility with modern hardware.
The first sector of a GPT disk is still the MBR, but it plays a different role here than on a traditional MBR disk. In practice, the protective MBR on a GPT disk serves to prevent older software or operating systems, which only support MBR disks, from mistakenly recognizing the GPT disk and overwriting it. The second sector of a GPT disk hosts the GUID (Global Unique Identifier) partition table header. This header defines the location and size of the partition entries, and includes a CRC32 Checksum (Cyclic Redundancy Check) to ensure the integrity of the header itself. If CRC detects corrupt data, it will attempt to restore it using the backups saved at the end of the disk.
From the third to the thirty-fourth sector of the disk are the partition entries, totaling 32 sectors. In theory, on a GPT disk you can create an unlimited number of partitions. In practice, however, the maximum number depends on the operating system.
Which one to choose
The choice can be influenced by several factors.
MBR is ideal for running dated operating systems, such as outdated versions of Windows. GPT, on the other hand, is a preferable requirement for running Windows 11 for example, given the stringent requirements introduced by Microsoft for this operating system.
On the technical side, on the other hand, to determine whether GPT or MBR is better you should base it on your needs and the hardware you have. For example, if you prefer more speed at startup, it is preferable to use a GPT disk; if your computer is BIOS-based, choose MBR for the disk system; while if you use a disk with a capacity of less than 2 TB, both are fine.