Is there any reason that default buffer sizes are 4096?

Question

I often see 4096 used as a default buffer size all over the place. Is there any reason why 4096 was selected as opposed to another value?

@michael: Jon Skeet *invented* that number. Prior to his writing buffer code, the universe skipped from 4095 to 4097. (Couldn't resist. It's an old meme, but a fun one.) — David, Mar 07 '14 at 20:25
The answer is 42 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy — Steve, Mar 07 '14 at 20:28
@DavidHeffernan except if is the "page" is an A4 page, 210mm x 297mm — Federico Berasategui, Mar 07 '14 at 20:32
It ***is*** a common [page size](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_(computer_memory)), 4*1024 or 4K. — Jeppe Stig Nielsen, Mar 07 '14 at 20:36

score 5 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:45

It is realy depending on your problem but a general compromise solution for the problem is 4KB. A good description for this choice you will find it under the below listed links:

File I/O with streams - best memory buffer size

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ed3c6dea-400e-489c-9a86-b43b3a78cc1c/quick-question-about-filestream-buffering?forum=csharpgeneral

C# FileStream : Optimal buffer size for writing large files?

Is there any reason that default buffer sizes are 4096?

1 Answers1