MaximumPC 2004 06

400 MAXIMUM PC JUNE 2004

Is More

Expensive “Fast”

Compact Flash Worth

the Money?

The test: Walk into a store to buy

Compact Flash memory and you’ll be

presented with a dizzying array of 40x,

Ultra, Extreme, or Elite versions which

cost 20 to 30 percent more than the

standard Compact Flash. We wanted to

know if it’s worth shelling out the cash for

the faster-sounding CF, or if the special

designators are just marketing hype

designed to make your wallet lighter.

For our test, we collected a set of CF

cards from Sandisk, Lexar, and

Kingston. We threw in an old IBM (not

Hitachi) Microdrive as a sanity check,

and also used a very old 1GB card we’ll

just label “generic.” We used the cards

with two different card readers: an

Atech USB 2.0 multicard reader and a

Lexar FireWire reader.

Because there’s quite a bit of

controversy regarding the most effective

method for testing CF memory, we chose

a comprehensive, scattershot approach.

First, we ran SiSoft Sandra’s removable

storage test and our own file-copying

exercise wherein we transfer a 234MB

file. Then, to get real-world results, we

used a high-speed Nikon D2H camera

and timed how long it took to write a

set of 25 images in RAW format and 40

images in JPEG format.

The results: We learned a few lessons

from our experiment. The first is that fast

cards do indeed matter—especially in

photography where a faster write speed

can mean the difference between getting

the shot and not getting it.

We also found that, in general,

write speeds vary more than read

speeds. In our file copying tests, for

example, the generic card moved 234MB

of files as quickly as the expensive cards.

Finally, even among the fast cards, we

were surprised by the differences in

speed. Sandisk’s Ultra II literally ran away

with the tests in just about every

category, significantly outpacing both

Kingston’s new Elite series and Lexar’s

40x media. (Interestingly, we expected the

IBM Microdrive to pull up the rear in our

tests, but it actually performed faster than

the generic 1GB CF card, which must

have been rated for 2x write speeds.)

So, if you care about speed, pay

for the faster media. And give serious

consideration to Sandisk’s Ultra II CF

card—it’s ultra -speedy. 

CF BENCHMARKS SANDISK 1GB

ULTRA II

KINGSTON

1GB ELITE

LEXAR 1GB

40X

KINGSTON 1GB

STANDARD

IBM 1GB

MICRODRIVE

GENERIC

1GB

Atech Flash USB 2.0 reader

SiSoft Sandra

READ (KB/s)

2,662 2,697 2,662 1,264 2,697 1,877

Atech Flash USB 2.0 reader

SiSoft Sandra

WRITE (KB/s)

2,423 1,911 1,229 1,604 1,707 546

Lexar FireWire reader

SiSoft Sandra 2MB

READ (KB/s)

12,245 5,154 6,383 12,527 4,233 2,492

Lexar FireWire reader

SiSoft Sandra

WRITE (KB/s)

6,417 2,697 2,731 1,911 2,901 614

Atech USB 2.0 reader

File Copying

WRITE 234MB MP3 (sec)

93 106 109 125 137 337

Lexar FireWire reader

File Copying

WRITE 234MB MP3 (sec)

30 70 52 96 61 337

Nikon D2H 25 RAW (sec)^19^2226414693

Nikon D2H 40 JPG (sec) 16 19 24 35 37 86

Best scores are bolded.

When it comes to Compact Flash,

you get what you pay for.