Best compact flash card 2018 – [Buyer’s Guide]

Last Updated December 1, 2023

Best compact flash card of 2018

Check them out and decide which one suits you the best to splurge upon. Following is the list of top three compact flash card of 2018.

I want to find something that’s designed well (both for aesthetic purposes and efficiency). If you’re reading this, it is very likely that you’re scouting for the best compact flash card.

Test Results and Ratings

Rank	№1	№2	№3
Product
Total	4.8	4.5	4.3
Design	5 points	4 points	4 points
Versatility	4 points	5 points	4 points
Durability	5 points	5 points	4 points
Quality	5 points	4 points	5 points
Awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

№1 – FengShengDa 2G Extreme Compact Flash Memory Card Speed Up To 80MB/s Frustration-Free Packaging SDCFHS-2G-AFFP

Why did this compact flash card win the first place?

I am very happy with the purchase. It is definitely worth its money. The product is top-notch! The material is stylish, but it smells for the first couple of days. I really enjoy the design. It is compact, comfortable and reliable. And it looks amazing! I don’t know anything about other models from this brand, but I am fully satisfied with this product.

Design 5

Versatility 4

Durability 5

Quality 5

---

 

№2 – Compact Flash memory card BR&TD ogrinal camera card 256MB

Why did this compact flash card come in second place?

I recommend you to consider buying this model, it definitely worth its money. The design quality is top notch and the color is nice. I really liked it. It is amazing in every aspect. It did even exceed my expectations for a bit, considering the affordable price. The material is pretty strong and easy to wash if needed.

Design 4

Versatility 5

Durability 5

Quality 4

---

 

№3 – RiDATA 32GB 233X UDMA Compact Flash Card

Why did this compact flash card take third place?

It doesn’t squeaks nor bents. Looks great in my apartment. It is inconvenient to use due to the size. I am going to get something different next time. I liked the design. We’ve been using it for 2 months and it still looks like brand new. A very convenient model. It is affordable and made of high-quality materials.

Design 4

Versatility 4

Durability 4

Quality 5

---

 

compact flash card Buyer’s Guide

UDMA CF

UDMA stands for Ultra Direct Memory Access and is a storage interface standard originally developed for hard disks. If your camera supports UDMA then the use of fast UDMA cards can mean quicker buffer clearing, thus allowing longer bursts of high-speed sequential shooting to be achieved. The earliest UDMA cards were rated between 200 and 300x, where 1x = 150KB/sec. Therefore, 200x cards, in theory, could reach a transfer rate of 30MB/sec, and 300x cards up to 45MB/sec. Today, 600x (90MB/sec) and even 1000x cards (150MB/sec) are available.

Whether or not your camera can really make much use of the faster speeds is a moot point. The first step is to check the specifications of your camera for any mention of UDMA compatibility. Still, as with faster SD cards, with a fast card reader and fast connection to your computer via ports like USB 3.0 and FireWire 800, you will at least be able to get your images off a large card with a significantly reduced waiting time.

CFast and XQD

Compact Flash isn’t going away any time soon, but alternatives are already available in the form of XQD, which is being backed by Lexar and Nikon, plus CFast, backed by SanDisk and Sony, among others.

XQD is a new high-performance memory card format aimed at professional users, and it’s been officially adopted by the independent CompactFlash industry association. It is based on PCI Express bus protocols, which many PCs use for connecting expansion cards. Nikon currently has the only digital camera compatible with XQD, the Nikon D4.

CFast is a similar form factor card to CompactFlash, although it uses the serial ATA bus standard (SATA) and the data connector used is the same as that for SATA hard disk drives. Power connection is not the same, however, and requires an adapter for use on standard SATA ports. SanDisk, which originally had plans for XQD cards, is now focusing on CFast, along with Sony and others.

Performance and performance ratings

Some memory card manufacturers use megabytes per second (MB/s) to indicate card performance but most use a speed rating based on compact disc and recordable compact disc performance. A music CD transfers data at 150K bytes per second. This is 1x speed. A memory card rated at 100x can transfer 100 x 150K per second, or 15MB/s, and so on. Conversely if a card is rated at 100MB/s, its equivalent speed rating is 100MB divided by 150KB, or 667x. It should be noted that basic speed ratings like these indicate the maximum ‘burst’ transfer rate possible and this is rarely matched by the card’s capability to sustain a transfer rate over a period of time.

SD card speed Class ratings

The Class of an SDHC card indicates the guaranteed write speed in Mb/s – something worth thinking about if shooting a lot of high-definition video.

Practical speed limitations

If all that wasn’t complicated enough, MB/sec speed ratings actually only indicate an ‘up to’ data transfer rate. In other words a 95MB/sec card should be able to hit 95MB/sec but not necessarily sustain this rate. There are lots of reasons behind this.

Even with quoted speed ratings from the manufacturer, you may never see the sustained performance of a card peaking at these speeds. For example, if you use a card reader connected via a standard ‘High Speed’ USB 2.0 cable, the theoretical top speed of the cable is 480 megabits/sec (60MB/sec) – but, because of various factors, the speed may be limited to a maximum of just half that.

If you want to benefit from the faster speeds offered by fast cards you need a card reader designed to connect via a very fast interface, such as USB 3.0. Even so, sustained rates of 90-95MB/sec by cards rated at these speeds is rarely achieved. One reason is that data files stored on the card are probably fragmented, requiring the controller to retrieve many constituent parts of the file from its memory store, which is less efficient than with one contiguous file. Even with a very fast card reader connected to a super-fast port you may find that 50-60MB/sec is a more realistic real-world rate.

Many SD cards now available are emblazoned with ‘U1’ and ‘I’, which stands for Ultra High Speed level-UHS-I cards have high-speed controllers that can enable very fast read and write times, up to a theoretical 50MB/sec. A later iteration of UHS-I also supports faster transfers of up to a little over 100MB/sec. But once again, be wary of UHS-I cards that appear to have fast read rates but also slow write rates. UHS-I cards will only be of full value if your camera supports the UHS-I protocol. It’s a good idea to check the manufacturer’s specifications of your camera to confirm whether or not UHS-I is supported. Nevertheless, you can use a UHS-I card in a camera that doesn’t support UHS-I.

In-camera performance

Building extra performance into a camera’s memory card interface adds to the manufacturing cost of the camera. Part of this is down to the use of larger memory buffers in the camera. Less expensive cameras tend to have smaller buffers and slower bus speeds. What this boils down to is less frames-per-second and a shorter sustained rate of sequential frames shot at the maximum frame rate when shooting continuously. Some cameras will be able to sustain higher frame rates for longer when shooting JPEG images, which are relatively small, but shooting large Raw files and simultaneous Raw+JPEG burst sequences can really test a camera’s memory sub-system and the card attached to it.

Those using a continuous shooting mode for sports and other action photography should remember that achievable burst depth is partly dependent on the speed of the memory card.

If your camera is capable of fast continuous shooting, and you need to be able to shoot long sequences at high frame rates, you’ll require a card which has the fastest possible write performance. Not only will you be able to shoot more frames in one burst before the buffer fills and stalls the camera, but the camera will be more responsive because the buffer can be emptied faster, enabling you to resume shooting after a shorter wait compared to a when using a slower card.

USB version

Only really old computers have USB 1.0 ports. At just 1megabits-per-second theoretical maximum transfer rate, the real-world speeds can be as little as half or a third of that, meaning transfer speeds as slow as half a megabyte-per-second. This would mean a modest 2GB card would take over an hour to copy across.

Be aware that USB 2.0 operates at the same lowly speed as USB 1.0 unless it’s a ‘Hi-Speed’ port. USB 2.0 Hi-Speed has a theoretical maximum data transfer rate of 480 megabits-per-second, 40 times faster than standard USB 1.0 or USB 2.0, but real world speeds can vary widely depending on the card reader and the card, with typical sustained transfer speeds varying between and 30MB/s. The system bottleneck is still going to be the USB port rather than the card.

USB 3.0 is over six times faster than USB 2.0 Hi-Speed. With a USB 3.0-compatible card reader and a fast card it should be possible to sustain 95MB/s transfers, or even faster rates. This means you can empty a 2GB card 2seconds, or a 64GB card in just over 1minutes, assuming the card’s rated maximum speed can be sustained. A possible dampener is the speed of the hard drive onto which your files will be copied on your computer. If it’s a low-spec drive it may become the system bottleneck and erode transfer speeds.

How we test microSD cards

Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader. If a card comes with its own USB 3.0 adaptor, as with Lexar’s own card, we use that instead.

Lexar Professional 633x microSD

Unlike most microSD cards, Lexar bundles this one with a USB 3.0 dongle rather than a full-size SD adaptor. Interestingly, it’s intended to be used in “sports cameras” as well as phones and tablets, and boasts of 95MB/s on the packaging (that’s what 633x means = it’s 63* 150KB/s). It’s an UHS-I Class card, and it’s the one DJI ships with it’s Phantom drone.

That 95MB/s is – of course – a read speed, and Lexar doesn’t mention a write speed, only stating that it is “lower”. We were a bit disappointed then, to find that after managing a great 92MB/s read speed when using the included dongle, it managed only 32.4MB/s when writing sequentially. A *lot* lower, then.

Transcend Ultimate microSD

It couldn’t keep up in the 4KB tests, though, averaging 8MB/s when reading and 1.5MB/s for writing. That’s quicker than average, but the cheap-as-chips Samsung Evo outperforms it for phone and tablet use.

On SD cards you also get

Speed class: The minimum write speed for the card, also measured in MBs. Filming a video? This is essential for you to consider as a dramatic drop in write speed could cause loss of frames and reduce video quality. This means action footage could look jumpy or distorted.

UHS class: This is another measure of write speed. UHS stands for ultra high speed. Cards with a UHS rating can work fast enough to capture HD and 4K images, if your device is compatible (check speeds below).

On compact flash cards you also get

UDMA rating: Ultra direct memory access enables more rapid write and read speeds, allowing the card to support HD and 4K images. Cards are graded from 0-7, with offering the highest performance.

Just want the highest speed possible? Be sure that the speed of your device supports the speed of the card, otherwise the benefits are lost.

VPG: Stands for video performance guarantee and is very similar to an SD card’s speed class. There are only two classifications, VPG-20 and VPG-65, with the latter offering the minimum possible risk of frame loss.

Write protect on SD cards

Often memory cards will have the write-protect logo displayed. This means you can lock your card so that it cannot be written on. To be able to record data on your card again, you would need to move the tiny lever at the top of the card down to make it ready to use.

Who should get this

If you own a camera or camcorder, you’ll probably need an SD card to store photos and video. SD cards can also be used to add more storage to your laptop, portable scanner, ebook reader, or gaming console. Check your device to make sure you need an SD card (not a microSD card) and that your device doesn’t include one that works well enough.

If you already have an SD card that gets the job done, you shouldn’t upgrade. Our pick isn’t leaps and bounds better than anything that’s been available for the past couple of years. But if you need another SD card, or you’re having issues with the speed of your card—maybe you burst shoot photos in raw format, or want to shoot 4K and it can’t keep up—consider our picks.

Four of the SD cards we tested for this update.

The most important features of an SD card are speed, reliability, price, and warranty.

SD cards are most commonly used in cameras for storing image and video files as you shoot them. Because most cameras can take photos faster than they can write them to storage, images are first saved to a small but speedy buffer in the camera. Once the buffer is full, the images must be written to the SD card before you can shoot any more. The faster the device can write data to the card—the card’s write speed—the faster this buffer clears and the sooner you can shoot more photos. So write speed is the most important spec for SD cards that are used in cameras.

How we tested

We tested each card’s speeds with a USB 3.0 card reader and in two cameras.

We tested the real-life burst shooting performance of this year’s contenders on a midrange mirrorless camera, the Sony a6300. We also tested the burst-shooting performance of our UHS-I picks against UHS-II cards on a Fujifilm X-Tto find out if any of these faster, more expensive cards are worth recommending yet.

Then we plugged each card into a Kingston USB 3.0 High-Speed Media Reader and ran CrystalDiskMark, a benchmarking program designed to test sequential and random read and write speeds on solid-state storage. Between each test, we cleared the cards and reformatted them using the recommend ed utility from the SD Association to stabilize performance.

We used the same methods to test SD cards this year as we have in previous years. But the cameras, card reader, and laptop we used to test in 201are different than the tools we used in 201This means that last year’s test results are still useful, but they’re not directly comparable to this year’s benchmarks.

Shorter intervals indicate better SD card performance.

In the Sony a6300, the SanDisk Extreme Pro had the fastest practical write speeds, followed by the much more expensive Lexar 1000x. The Transcend W60MB/s ranked third, and the Lexar 2000x came last.

The 6GB SanDisk Extreme Pro is much less expensive per gigabyte than the 3GB model as of this writing—55¢ versus 72¢ for its smaller counterpart. But if your device does not support SDXC (extended capacity) cards, get the 3GB SanDisk Extreme Pro. If you need more space, the 12GB capacity is the most affordable at 50¢ per gigabyte.

SD cards are more durable than hard drives, because they lack moving parts, and they can survive being bumped around and dropped. Like many SD cards, the SanDisk Extreme Pro is rated to survive up to 7hours in meter of salt or fresh water, can withstand temperatures ranging from –1ºF to 18ºF, and is immune to airport X-rays. It’s also backed by a lifetime limited warranty, which covers the SD card as long as it wasn’t used improperly.

What to look forward to

In March 2016, the SD Association announced a new standard for memory cards that will support 360-degree, 3D, and 8K video. These V60 and V90 cards will feature minimum sequential write speeds of 60 MB/s and 90 MB/s, respectively. Cards with these Video Speed ratings are not widely available just yet, except from SanDisk’s website, but we plan to test them when they’re more common.

In February 2017, the SD Association also introduced its UHS-III interface to provide further support for 360-degree, 3D, 4K, and 8K media content. With potential read and write speeds of 62MB/s, UHS-III doubles the performance of UHS-II cards. We expect it will take a year or two before we see memory cards and devices that support UHS-III.

The competition

We only looked at Class 10, Ucards, because they’re fast enough to shoot both 1080p and 4K video. We also eliminated any cards with quoted read speeds below 8MB/s and write speeds below 60 MB/s, because faster cards aren’t prohibitively expensive.

1000x and the Lexar 2000x. The Lexar 1000x is reasonably priced, but it was slower than our top pick, the UHS-I SanDisk Extreme Pro, in both practical and benchmark tests.

We tested the continuous high-speed shooting performance of our top pick, the UHS-I SanDisk Extreme Pro, against the UHS-II Lexar 2000x.

Samsung has discontinued all of its SD cards, including our previous pick, the 6GB Pro Plus.

The 6GB Lexar 633x is less expensive per gigabyte than our top picks, but its write speeds were 48.MB/s slower than the SanDisk Extreme Pro and 2MB/s slower than the Transcend W60MB/s.

Last year’s 6GB SanDisk Extreme Pro, our previous recommendation, performed identically to the 201SanDisk Extreme Pro. The older version now costs nearly twice as much as the newer model, and we don’t recommend it unless it’s cheaper than the new one. The older Extreme Pro lacks a V30 rating on the upper-right side of the card’s label.

Last year, the 6GB SanDisk Extreme Plus had slower write speeds than our picks, and fell behind them in burst shooting tests. It also costs more than twice as much.

The 6GB Transcend W85MB/s and the 6GB Toshiba Exceria UHS-I are more expensive than the SanDisk Extreme Pro, and were slower in last year’s practical and benchmark tests.

The 6GB SanDisk Extreme was consistently the slowest of the six cards we tested in four different cameras for last year’s update.

The 6GB PNY Elite Performance had the worst sequential write speeds of the cards we tested last year.

Fast Cards Ideal For High-Resolution Digital Cameras

SanDisk Extreme IV cards use SanDisk-developed ESP (Enhanced Super-Parallel Processing) technology that combine fast NAND flash memory chips and controller designs, 32-bit RISC processing and advanced algorithms in an architecture that streamlines every aspect of read and write data transfer operations. In addition, SanDisk works closely with major camera manufacturers to ensure the speed and compatibility of its cards.

Medium format cameras such as the Hasselblad H2D-3and digital backs, such as the Leaf Aptus family, produce enormous files that must be quickly processed and then saved to the card. Their advanced firmware lets photographers save RAW and high-end JPEG images faster so they can continue to shoot without losing their rhythm.

High-end digital SLRs may also show increased performance with the SanDisk Extreme IV cards.

UHS and UDMA

Several factors affect maximum read and write speeds of devices using flash memory cards, the most significant being the way the host device and memory card communicate. Both CF and SD cards include technologies that improve data transfer speeds.

The UHS speed class was introduced in 200by the SD Association for the new SDHC and SDXC memory cards. UHS utilises a new data bus that won’t work in non-UHS host devices. If you use a UHS card in a non-UHS host, it will default to the standard (slower) data bus.

CF cards originally supported a maximum transfer rate of 25MB/s but since 2003, a faster UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) protocol has been implemented. This has been supported by most DSLRs and camcorders that use CF cards since 2006-200The maximum transfer rate for UDMA cards is 166MB/s. Unless both the camera and/or card reader support the same UDMA modes, the card will default to the lower speeds they sustain.

In 2008, a variant of CompactFlash known as CFast was announced but since it is based on the Serial ATA bus, rather than the Parallel ATA/IDE bus used for previous CF cards, it’s not physically or electrically compatible with CompactFlash cards. To date, it is only used in a few professional movie cameras.

Card Speed and Video

While card speed can be important for stills photographers who record long bursts of continuous shots, it is more important for photographers who shoot video. Compared to high-megapixel photography, video doesn’t need such a large data pipe because the video format is a smaller ‘fixed stream’ that uses only part of the data pipe available.

But it does require a minimum guaranteed speed to keep recordings smooth and uninterrupted. This is listed in the camera’s specifications. Without a fast enough memory card, HD video cannot be recorded continuously and most cameras and camcorders will display an error message and default to a lower definition setting.

Card Readers

With an increasing number of cameras using SD cards and laptop computers equipped with SD card slots, the need for dedicated card readers is reduced. However, if your camera uses CF cards and/or you edit on a desktop computer, having a card reader plugged into it can be handy.

Using a really fast SD card with a slow host controller is a bit like plugging a USB 3.0 flash drive into a USB 1.0 port. A USB 3.0 card reader plugged into a USB 3.0 interface in the computer, should support close to the maximum speed for a high-end UHS-I SD or UDMACF card.

Card Failure

If a memory card fails before you have backed up its data, there are programs to help you recover lost files. SanDisk’s RescuePRO and Lexar’s Image Rescue are included with some cards in each company’s range.

These programs can scan cards and may be able to recover all types of data, including image files as well as other document types. They work best when used with an external card reader and an external hard drive, which offer optimal security when transferring recovered data.

SanDisk’s RescuePRO is good insurance to have in case one of your memory cards fail.

SilverStone Sugo SG1chassis

It’s possible to build a gaming-ready system even smaller, using a truly trim case such as the Cooler Master Elite 1(which is just 11x10x1inches) or the aluminum Rosewill Legacy V3-Plus (under inches on each side). It can include an Intel Core i7-7700K  processor (the best chip you can reasonably use these days in a PC this small) and a powerful graphics card like the Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 Mini. That card isn’t an extreme performer, but it does support VR gaming and can handle today’s hardiest non-VR titles on high settings at 1080p (1,920×1,080), and perhaps a little above.

Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 Mini

You’ll note that we’ve talked a lot about card length, but not much about card height. A few thin PC cases (usually, flat, broad ones meant for home-theater-PC use) accept only what are called “low-profile” expansion cards, among them low-profile PCI Express video cards. These cards are much shorter in the vertical dimension than an ordinary video card, and they can be outfitted with what’s known as a low-profile or “half-height” bracket. (You twist a screw or two to install the shorter bracket in place of the ordinary one.) This enables the card to mount on the vertically smaller PCI-slot frame.

MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 2GT LP

As always, size and features for video cards based on a given graphics chip can vary significantly, depending on the model and the card maker. Nvidia and AMD make video “reference cards” based on their graphics processors. Third-party partners—MSI, Sapphire, EVGA, Asus, and many others—then make and sell their own branded cards, some of which adhere to the design of these reference boards. They also offer “custom” versions with slight differences in shape and size, the configuration of the ports, the amount and speed of onboard memory, and the cooling fans or heat sinks installed. Compact video cards fall into that custom class.

Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Mini

Because of that, if you’re shopping for a card for a compact system, or you have a particular case in mind, be sure the size, power, and cooling demands of the card you’re buying match up with the chassis you’re planning on putting it in. Few things in the gaming world are more frustrating than getting a promising new video card in the mail, or carting it home from the local superstore, only to find out it doesn’t fit in your PC, or your power supply doesn’t have the juice (or requisite connectors) to get it going.

Storage

Compact Flash cards come in various storage sizes. Starting from 3GB going all the way to 25GB. If you use a camera that consistently churns out high-resolution RAW image files or 4K videos, you will need the beefiest Compact Flash card you can find.

Price will depend on storage, build quality, transfer speed and a few other aspects. This is not in your control and honestly, the price should not affect your decision. I have seen far too many photographers losing their day worth of work because the card dies on them. It is like buying the best off-road vehicle and then buying a set of stock tires. If you need the best camera and lens insist on the best Compact Flash card that you can afford.

CF cards are labelled with speeds like 1066x, or 800x and so on. Along with them, there is another speed rating mentioned on them 120MB/s, 50MB/s, etc. The first speed label dates back to their inception.  They belong to a time when compact discs were state of the art and then everything faster that came about used the CD speed as a reference. So, 50x basically means 50 times the read speed of 150KB/s (the read speed of a CD).

Write and Read Speeds

Write speeds affect the buffer speed of your camera. The slower the write speed, the faster the camera will run out of memory when shooting. When shooting fast action or continuous sports, you don’t want to fall into this situation.

The read speed is also important because it allows the data on your card to be dumped onto your laptop. Slower the speed, longer the time it will take. This can become an issue if people are waiting for the images, but usually not a big-time issue.

Lexar 3GB Professional 1066x

Compact Flash card comes with two internal ratings. The first one is the traditional rating that is based on the read / write speed of compact discs.

The Lexar’s rating is 1066x. The contemporary rating is easier to understand. The maximum read speed of this UDMA rated CF card is 160 MB/s and the maximum write speed is 15MB/s.

The card is compliant with the VPG 6standard which suggests that the minimum write speed is 6MB/s. That is what you need for a smoother performance when shooting 4K / full HD videos. This guarantee is however available on some compatible devices only.

Lexar 6GB professional compact flash card

Lexar Professional 1066x  comes with a storage capacity of 6GB.

It has two-speed ratings printed on it. Just as the smaller brother the 3GB.

The write speed is 15MB/s. just like the smaller brother, this one too comes with the backing of Lexar’s Image rescue Software. This software comes in handy in the event your card develops problems and you cannot retrieve the images/videos on it. All the cards that we have discussed so far are compliant with the VPG (Video Performance Guarantee) benchmark.

The Lexar 6GB is no different. It basically gives a steady 6MB/s shooting speed, which comes in handy when shooting videos in 4K and full HD format.

Lexar 128GB compact flash card

Lexar 12GB Compact Flash card comes with a speed rating of 1066x. That’s the archival system. However, the actual speed as per the new rating system is 160 MB/s. This maximum read speed is achieved only when you pair this card with a UDMA – enabled card reader. That’s more accurate. The write speed is 15MB/s maximum.

Thanks to its compliance with the VPG benchmark, the Lexar 12GB promises a minimum write speed of 6MB/s. Again, that is perfect for shooting full HD and 4K videos.

One reason why we would recommend this card is that it comes backed with Lexar’s Image Rescue Software. This software ensures that even in the event that you accidentally erase any data on it, the software could retrieve that data. It also comes in handy when the card becomes corrupted for some reason.

Delkin 256GB compact flash card

Delkin’s 25GB Compact Flash card is a shade slower than the top Compact Flash cards that we have reviewed here. It is compatible with the UDMA standard.

This card complies with the 4K UHD video requirements. Maximum read speed of the CF card is 160 MB/s whereas the write speed of the card is 120 MB/s.

The Delkin complies with the VPG – 20 benchmark. Which means you could expect a minimum continuous shooting speed of 20 MB/s. This is not the smoothest you could get for shooting 4K.

Though you would get better results shooting full HD videos. The card design is good. It sis capable of withstanding some amount of abuse.

Some people say you can’t take good pictures without a DSLR camera. They’re unequivocally wrong. Here’s our guide to which type of camera you should buy.

Read More. And the speed isn’t just a factor in how fast the camera will save your images, but how quickly it will copy them over to your PC’s hard drive.

Casual Photography

For casual photography — using a point-and-shoot camera and shooting in JPEG format — the capacity of the card you choose is more important than the speed. Compact cameras are not known for their fast shot-to-shot time, and with images in the region of MB, your SD card is unlikely to ever be a performance bottleneck.

Serious Photography

If you’re a more serious photographer who’s shooting with serious equipment — DSLRs, high-end mirrorless cameras, or even an enthusiast-class compact camera — then you should consider both speed and capacity when picking an SD card.

SD Cards for Videography

All modern consumer video cameras use SD cards, and getting the right one is very important. Use one that is too small and you’ll limit the length of time you can shoot for, and use one that is too slow and you’ll risk dropping frames as the card cannot write the video data fast enough.

The quality of the video you shoot varies based on a combination of several settings, including resolution, bitrate, frame rate, and file format. Using a simple formula, you can use the bitrate to determine what speed of SD card you need.

Bitrate is the amount of data that is written to the card and is normally measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). We know that in computing there are eight bits in a byte, so if you divide the Mbps value by eight, you can convert it into Megabytes per second (MBps). You can then use this value to ensure your chosen card is fast enough.

If you’re using an action camera

If you’re into skiing, cycling or surfing, then an action camera is the perfect way to record your adventures.

Read More like the GoPro HEROBlack at its maximum bitrate of 60 Mbps, that equates to 7.MBps using the simple formula above. As long as your SD card is equal to or faster than this, it should be okay.

Serious Video Cameras

The above formula applies regardless of the resolution you’re shooting at. However, 4K needs a high bitrate to maintain its quality, while lower resolutions are much more forgiving of lower bitrates. In high-end video cameras, 4K video files will often be much larger than 1080p files.

As a result, there’s a general rule of thumb for buying SD cards for video: at minimum, you need at least Class for 720p, Ufor 1080p, and Ufor 4k.

SD Cards for TVs

Some modern TVs have integrated SD card slots, and nearly all modern TVs have USB ports. By slotting your card into an adapter, you can easily view the photos or video from a camera without needing to copy them to a PC first.

This is dependent on the format you’re using, though. RAW images won’t display, for example, and you’ll need to check your TV’s manual for information on which video formats will play right off an SD card.

SD Cards for Mobile Devices

Read More that you can use to augment the built-in storage capacity.

Here, you’ll get the best results from buying the largest, fastest card you can afford while staying compatible with your device. Between the two, capacity is more important than speed for a mobile device.

This is even true of 4K video, which on a smartphone is often heavily compressed. The LG G4, for example, actually uses a bitrate of 30 Mbps for 4K shooting, which is below Class card speeds.

Where you will notice a difference in speed is if you copy files to and from the card regularly (especially large video files) or the first time you drag your massive music collection onto the card. Given the low cost of Class cards now, there’s little reason to choose anything slower.

SD Cards for Data Storage

Most laptops come with a built-in SD card slot these days. It’s primarily designed for getting photos off your camera or moving files from one device to another, but can also be used as an easy way to upgrade your storage.

Secondary Data Drives

If the card sits flush with the laptop’s casing, then you can leave it permanently inserted and basically use it as a secondary data drive.

Unfortunately, on many laptops, the SD card actually protrudes from the slot by several millimeters, creating an untidy look and leaving it prone to being snagged. In these cases, there are a few possible solutions.

Some manufacturers, like the Transcend JetDrive Lite, have SD cards that perfectly fit into MacBook card slots. They may or may not also fit your Windows laptop, depending on the case design. Just be wary of inserting a card that’s too small in case it gets stuck and becomes impossible to remove.

Data Backups

From custom backup times to finding out where those GB of new files are, the right apps can give you power and knowledge Apple’s own tools just don’t provide.

How NOOBS For Raspberry Pi Can Help First Time Users

Read More, and the official recommendation is 8GB, Class 6.

You might want to use a larger card so you’ve got space for data storage as well, though you can use a USB flash drive for that if you need to.

Although most SD cards should work on the Pi, some users have experienced compatibility problems with certain card models. Before you settle on a card, it’s worth checking this list of working and non-working cards to see if yours has been tested.

The Importance of Graphics Power

Whether you’re looking to upgrade an existing desktop, build a new one from scratch, or choose a laptop that fits your needs and budget, the graphics solution you choose could have a significant impact on your overall experience. PC makers often de-emphasize graphics cards in favor of promoting CPU, RAM, or storage options. While all of these components are important, having the right GPU matters as well, and this guide will help you pick the best options for a desktop or a laptop.

A modern GPU, whether discrete or integrated, handles the display of 2D and 3D content, drawing the desktop, and decoding and encoding video content. In this guide, we’ll discuss how to evaluate GPUs, what you need to know to upgrade an existing system, and how to evaluate whether or not a particular card is a good buy. We’ll also touch on some upcoming trends and how they could impact which card you choose.

Starting With the Basics

GPUs from these two companies are typically grouped into families of graphics processors, all of which share some common naming conventions. For the past eight years, Nvidia has followed a common format of “prefix—model number—suffix.” If two GPUs have the same model number, like the GeForce GTX 750 and the 750 Ti, the suffix “Ti” denotes the higher-end part. Nvidia has also been known to use an “X” or “Xp” to denote certain extremely high-end parts. AMD’s nomenclature is similar, with a prefix “RX,” three-digit model number, and, at times, a suffix (typically XT or XTX). Be advised, however, that these are rules of thumb rather than absolutes.

There a few key metrics to keep in mind when comparing video cards: engine clock speed, core count, onboard VRAM (memory), memory bandwidth, memory clock, and, of course, price.

Engine clock speed and core count

When comparing GPUs from the same family, you can generally assume that higher clock speed (the speed that the core works at) and more cores mean a faster GPU. Unfortunately, you can only rely on clock speed and core count to compare GPUs when you’re comparing cards in the same product family. AMD GPUs, for example, tend to contain more cores than Nvidia GPUs at the same price point.

There are three broad exceptions

First, professional workstation users who work with CAD software or in video and photo editing still benefit greatly from a discrete GPU. There are also applications that can transcode video from one format to another using the GPU instead of the CPU, though whether this is faster will depend on the application in question, which GPU and CPU you own, and the encoding specifications you target.

Second, people who need a large number of displays can benefit from a discrete GPU. Desktop operating systems are capable of driving displays connected to the integrated and discrete GPUs simultaneously. If you’ve ever wanted five or six displays hooked up to a single system, you can combine an integrated and discrete GPU to get there.

Third, there’s the gaming market, to whom the GPU is arguably the most important component. RAM and CPU choices both matter, but if you have to pick between a top-end system circa 201with a 201GPU or a top-end system today using the highest-end GPU you could buy in 2012, you’d want the former.

How to Put Music on Flash Cards or SD cards

This post has been flagged and will be reviewed by our staff. Thank you for helping us maintain CNET’s great community.

Sorry, there was a problem flagging this post. Please try again now or at a later time.

If you believe this post is offensive or violates the CNET Forums’ Usage policies, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the post). Once reported, our moderators will be notified and the post will be reviewed.

Technical specifications and vendors

Based on the Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) interface, CF cards measure 42.mm by 36.mm (about the size of a matchbook) and are available with storage capacities ranging up to 51gigabytes (GB).

CompactFlash cards support 3.3V and 5V operation and can switch between the two. This varies from other small form factor flash memory, which can only operate at 1V.

There are two types of CF cards, in varying thicknesses, to accommodate different capacities: Type I CF cards are 3.mm thick vs. 5.0 mm for Type II cards. The extra thickness of a Type II CompactFlash card is because almost all of them were Microdrives, a tiny spinning hard disk format originally developed by IBM.

SanDisk is still one of the largest suppliers of CF cards in the world, but it has plenty of competition. Consistently getting high reviews from digital imaging websites are cards from Kingston Technology, Lexar and Transcend Information. Other suppliers include Delkin Devices, KomputerBay and Verbatim Americas.

How they test

The 5Ds is mounted on a tripod and a remote timer is used for 30 second shooting intervals. A manual lens is used and focused using live view at maximum magnification. The subject is a static test scene under controlled lighting.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 160MB/s 32GB CF 99.MB/s

Many of the current cameras that record digital video offer dual memory card slots. For example, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR includes one SD card slot and one CF card slot, whilst the EOS C100 Mark II digital cinema camera features two SD card slots. Probably the key advantage of dual card slots is that once one card is full of data you can continue recording to the other.

Read and write speeds

The speed of a memory card pertains to both its read speed and its write speed. Write speeds describe how quickly images or video can be saved to a card. The read speed denotes how fast data can be retrieved from a card – for example, when transferring footage to a computer. Generally read speed is always faster than write speed but write speed is absolutely essential for video as you will need your cards to have both the speed and capacity to deal with recording large amounts of digital video data.

The CFast era

As you’ve no doubt gathered, speed is of the essence for shooting video and CFast 2.0 cards are the current leaders in terms of speed. The original CFast 2.0 card, launched in 2013, promised read speeds of 450MB/sec and write speeds of up to 350MB/sec. Both CFast and XQD cards were created by the CompactFlash Association to replace the CF card format as it had reached its maximum performance capabilities. In their current 2.0 versions XQD cards have a theoretical limit of 500MB/sec and CFast cards 600MB/sec. Both are ideal for shooting 4K video and beyond.

The required write speed

For write speeds memory card maker SanDisk recommends Class cards for standard video, Class for HD Video, Class and upwards for Full HD video, UHS Ufor Full HD video supporting real time video recording and Ufor Full HD and 4K Video supporting real time video recording.

Featured

A £SD card from a supermarket will give you the same results as using the latest generation of card from Lexar, SanDisk or Samsung. The difference, however, is that the cheaper card may do it much more slowly, be less reliable, have fewer backup measures, different components, and, in terms of memory card data recovery, may not be such a wise choice if things go wrong and your images go missing.

Increasing speed

You can sometimes help increase the read speed of your card to your computer if you are using a USB or FireWire accessory such as the Lexar UDMA Dual Slot (CF and SD) model or the SanDisk ImageMate Multi-Card USB 2.0 Reader.

Around £12-£30

From the Samsung Pro line, this card offers quick speeds of 80MB/s, and at 16GB you can save plenty of photos and HD videos, plus use it as storage to transfer files to different devices. With a very reasonable price this ticks all the boxes.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Word

First of all thanks for reading my article to the end! I hope you find my reviews listed here useful and that it allows you to make a proper comparison of what is best to fit your needs and budget. Don’t be afraid to try more than one product if your first pick doesn’t do the trick.

Most important, have fun and choose your compact flash card wisely! Good luck!

So, TOP3 of compact flash card

• №1 — FengShengDa 2G Extreme Compact Flash Memory Card Speed Up To 80MB/s Frustration-Free Packaging SDCFHS-2G-AFFP
• №2 — Compact Flash memory card BR&TD ogrinal camera card 256MB
• №3 — RiDATA 32GB 233X UDMA Compact Flash Card