Questions You Should Know about Custom Memory Card Connector
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks - Wololo.net
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
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I wanted to make this write-up for the community at large to discuss how to go about obtaining/creating a high capacity memory stick for PSPs. I'm hoping this guide/thread can become the definitive place to discuss these issues as much of the information and guidance is scattered throughout this and other forums. There are a few myths and a lot of vagaries about this topic and I hope to clear some things up.NOTE: All my practical experience is on an original PSP- (phat/fat) model.
The below has all been validated on this device running currently running 6.61 ME 2.3, though the vast majority of this should work on all of the standard PSP models using ME or PRO. There is a bit more detail below regarding FW versions (which are really beyond the scope of this guide).
Additionally, all my tests were done with MicroSD cards up to 200 GB capacity (because I got a good deal on them). This means the largest high capacity setup I have personally tested is 400 GB. Theoretically, the information in this guide should be attainable for MicroSD cards of 256 GB, 512 GB, or even 1 TB in size. Practically however it may be that the adapters on the market today have a limitation or that the CFW will not indeed support such large sizes. I will leave it up to others who have the available hardware to test this.
Have a working high capacity Memory Stick combination? Please post your info!
You may find after reading all the information presented here that you have no need to go beyond ~200, ~400, or ~500 GB in size based on other usability factors I will discuss below.
What is a High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Stick?
As we all (should) know, the PSP uses the Pro Duo format for it's external memory card. The maximum available space that the Pro Duo was manufactured with is 32 MB. If you want a stick with more than 32 GB then you will have to create one using a Pro Duo adapter and one or more MicroSD cards to achieve the capacity you desire.
While you can technically create any size card from 1GB to 2TB, most people will be looking to create something 64 GB or higher.
Even if you are looking for a smaller capacity card, creating your own memory stick may be cheaper as MicroSD cards are plentiful and cheap (especially the small capacity ones).
So, assuming you want to use a custom Memory Stick, let's talk about how to get there in the following posts....
- What you need
Choosing memory (MicroSD) Card(s)
Choosing a Pro Duo Adapter
Configuring/Formatting the Pro Duo Adapter
Best Practices
Troubleshooting
F.A.Q.
Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 8:56 pm, edited 13 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
What you need:- - 1 or more MicroSD cards
- A MicroSD to Pro Duo adapter
In theory this is correct. In practice, things don't usually go so smoothly.
Issues usually come down to one of a few things:
- - Lack of knowledge about the basic concepts/procedures
- Bad/incompatible memory cards
- Bad/incompatible adapters
Let's start with arguably the easiest one to cover - memory cards: Advertising
Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 4:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
Choosing memory (MicroSD) Card(s)What memory card(s) are supported?
Any SDHC and SDXC (including I and II) should work.
The only difference between SDHC and SDXC cards is the maximum storage capacity and default file system format.
SDHC cards only go as high as 32 GB, whereas SDXC cards go up to 2 TB
You may see some information/verbiage that states the PSP or the adapters support only SDHC cards. This is only because SDXC cards were not around when these devices were made there was only SD and SDHC format. So, the SDHC verbiage was meant to say "hey, we support the larger size SDHC, not just SD!" The same is still true in that the SDXC will work fine and indeed must be used if you want to use MicroSD cards beyond 32 GB.
It is probably wise to stay with the name brands of memory (Sandisk, Transcend, PNY, etc.) And, since you won't necessarily see speed improvements with the newest and fastest cards you can probably buy the lower end of the more modern cards. Have some spare ones sitting around that are a few years old? They will probably work just fine.
BEWARE of buying memory cards off of eBay and similar sites, or even for Amazon deals that are probably too good to be true. Trust me (first hand experience) that unless it is a super holiday sale that amazing deal you are getting is because you are getting a knock-off card. These knock-offs aren't just slower/inferior, they literally don't have all the memory they claim to have (even though they may report they do) - which will lead to data corruption and just lots of issues. You can get good 32 GB cards for ~$15 a piece and 200 GB cards for ~$80 without looking too hard.
How much Memory can I use?
This depends on what firmware is running on the PSP. I believe that the latest OFW version can support up to 128 GB (though it might be as much as 256 GB). Most of the modern CFW should support up to 2 TB. You should verify what your FW can support before buying anything.
Additionally, the adapter you use may determine the maximum amount of memory (based on what it can support.
More on that below...).
The last topic I want to address in terms of memory is the idea (myth?) that you must use memory cards that are of the exact same type/size/speed/etc when using 2 of them in a Dual Pro Duo adapter. While this is certainly a good idea, it is not true.
I have personally confirmed mixing and matching of MicroSD cards of different sizes and speeds (although they were all the same brand - SanDisk). For instance I installed a 64 GB with a 16 GB to get ~72 GB (after format) of usable storage.
I would highly recommend that you do use cards that match speeds/type - preferably from the same manufacturer. However I don't believe there should be danger in using different size cards within the same product line. In fact the original PhotoFast claimed you could mix between SD and SDHC which likely also meant different speeds. So, mixing cards should be supported but if you have problems, stick to cards that are as identical as possible. Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 4:22 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
Choosing a Pro Duo AdapterThis section is maybe more aptly named "Letting a a Pro Duo Adapter Choose You!" since it might be hard to get your hands on the specific adapter you want. The problem is there was (to the best of my knowledge) only one or two "brand name" Pro Duo adapters ever produced and widely used. The most common one was the PhotoFast CR-. There is some information about this card at the PhotoFast site.
The PhotoFast link includes some information about spotting fakes - but the thing is these days pretty much everything is a fake - or at least not a "name brand." This isn't all bad news though because the genuine CR- cards can't even support MicroSD cards above 32 GB. So if you want to build a card with more than 64 GB of memory you need to find another (no-name) brand.
To be honest, I'm not sure if there are any real companies out there manufacturing one specific card that is better than the rest. The market is littered with knock-offs. Some of these claim to be real PhotoFast CR- cards while others simply state they are Pro Duo adapters and have little to no identifying characteristics. There is virtually no quality control and the card you buy on eBay for 99 cents may be as good as the one you get on Amazon for $10.
There is however a taxonomy about these cards which the PhotoFast link above addresses to some degree. I have purchased quite a few of these cards and will show you how to distinguish between them and which cards you are likely better to have success with.
Identifying Pro Duo Adapters
The best way to identify is visually, so let's just get started with a pic of several different cards:
- adapters-front-small.jpg (147.19 KiB) Viewed times
The first, and perhaps most obvious is the color. Black or white. Probably choose what suits you here, I haven't necessarily found either color to work better. However in general I would say that you are likely to get a less fragile card if you go with the black models. You can see card #3 is literally cracking apart. While this wasn't delivered in this state, it happened with very little handling. #2 is an almost identical card but whether it was a better batch or actually a different make has been a little more sturdy. If you get a hold of one of these very flimsy white cards you may wish to put one or two small bands of clear scotch tape around it to provide better strength and flexibility.
The next identifying feature is card slot shape. This is highlighted with the red rectangle in card #1 (the *genuine* PhotoFast card). Cards either have the rounded slot shape of #1 or the jagged shape of all the others. As I haven't tested any other cards with jagged slots I can't definitively say which type of cards might be better on any given trait.
Next is lettering. Here I mean both font and verbiage. The font is very similar on most cards, though some have a slightly stronger/bolder printing that might help you distinguish between them. But, more visible are simply the words. Many will state "PhotoFast CR-" as highlighted by the blue rectangle (which they aren't). The rest will just print a generically more honest "MS Pro Duo" and "Dual Slot Adapter."
In my experience you are likely better off getting a card that doesn't say "PhotoFast CR-" as I have had better luck with the blatantly generic ones.
Last identifying trait I want to point out on this front picture is the plastic used. Specifically, if you look at #1 (the genuine article) you can see that the plastic is of a translucent type. If you look at the area circled in green you can see the internal circuit board of the chip. This isn't just because the material is thin and flimsy like #3 it is actually one of the more quality cards in terms of construction. You don't really need to worry about this because the genuine PhotoFast is the only one I've seen that has this translucent appearance, but it is good to know in identifying an original.
Let's take a look at the back of these cards...
- adapters-back.jpg (136.2 KiB) Viewed times
Card #4 has a distinguishing characteristic that I haven't experienced on the other cards...and it isn't a good one.
If you look at the contacts you will see that at least one of them appears a little bent. In actuality the plastic separating the contacts on these cards is not always fully attached to the card. This means they can easily separate and bend. This next picture here shows how I received this card (or at least what happened after only 1 or 2 inserts into my PSP).
- bad prongs.jpg (40.73 KiB) Viewed times
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
You can see here I have literally slipped a piece of paper between the prong and the contacts to show how it is separated. I bought 3 cards like this and they were all like this to some degree. Another way to identify these cards (unfortunately only after you buy them) is they each came with a sticker on them like the picture below:- sticker.jpg (49.9 KiB) Viewed times
There are more cards than I have shown here but for the most part the taxonomy above will at least allow you to select and try different types of cards.
For what it is worth #5 would be my recommendation. This is because it was of a decent build quality and seemed to give the most consistent and reliable formatting results (more on that below).
Once the cards were formatted however I was able to remove the MicroSDs and place them in any card and they all appeared to function normally. The exceptions here are #1 (the genuine PhotoFast which wouldn't support cards higher than 32 GB) and #6, which seemed to have no issues with 2 x 64GB but would not read my 200 GB cards properly.
With all the cards (again, with the exception of #1) I was able to achieve a 2 x 64 GB cards (using the process described below).
However #5 was the only card that I could consistently get 2 x 200 GB cards to format on.
If you want to go with up to 128 GB I think most any card will work. To go higher than that you might have a bit more of a challenge finding a card like #6, or some other card that has proved trustworthy for others.
Some notes on speed:
I did some speed tests with blackSPEED v.2 and most of the cards fell within a common range:
- - #1 scored in the high 300's with read speeds around 11 MiB/s
- #2, #3, #4 all scored in the low-mid 400's with read speeds around 12 MiB/s
- #5 scored off the charts near with read speeds around 15 MiB/s
- #6 scored in the high 400's with read speeds around 13 MiB/s
Based on this I would have to recommend #5 if you plan to only go up to 128 GB of memory. Unfortunately I couldn't get this card to reliably detect my 200 GB card and so #6 was the best choice and the one I would continue to recommend out of my tests.
So how/where do you buy these cards?
Amazon and eBay are the two easiest places to find them. I didn't spend more than $2 for any of these cards. I'm not 100% confident that spending $6-$10 for some of the identical looking Amazon ones would be a good investment, thought they may ship to you quicker than the ones coming direct from Asia.
There are some sellers on Amazon who are selling cards that look almost exactly like the genuine except they don't say "PhotoFast CR-" on them. They even appear to have the translucent plastic type. I expect that the build quality on these is superior due to this type of slightly flexible plastic.
Also note that most of the manufacturers/sellers won't be able to reliably tell you what the maximum capacity card supported is. Most of them will probably tell you 32 or 64 GB but indeed they can almost certainly support more than that.
Additional Info on Adapter Types:
There is/was actually one other make of card that you might come across, the SDA-. There is apparently both a black and white version and I'm not sure if either of them is genuine/fake. There is at least one seller on Amazon who sells working 2 x 128 GB sticks (256 GB) using the black ones. Apart from this - I haven't really seen them for sale separately. But if you can get your hands on one they would appear to be pretty reliable.
- sda-.jpg (59.76 KiB) Viewed times
However, they do make single adapter cards as well, like this one:
- adapter-single.jpg (9.06 KiB) Viewed times
While I have given a lot of background here on the different Pro Duo types it is assuredly not complete. I have no direct evidence that a card which looks like #6 here will be of the same make as another one which appears physically identical.
There are no brand names or known retailers who sell and vouch for these cards. And, as I was against spending $5-10 for a card that I had no guarantee would work I preferred to play the numbers by buying a bunch of cheaper ones. It is very likely that one of the more expensive cards on Amazon will work more reliably, but there isn't enough data in the community to come to that conclusion.
My recommendation would not be to pay more than $1-$2 for a card that you can't return. Buy several, and of different types using the identifications above and hopefully you will find a good one. While I would recommend based on my experienced a card that looks like #6 it is possible you may get one that has a different provenance than mine.
With that - let's now talk about actually setting up the card for use with the PSP... Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 7:59 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
Configuring/Formatting the Pro Duo AdapterAs discussed previously, the basic steps for setting up the Pro Duo card is to simply insert the MicroSD cards, place the adapter in the PSP and then choose "Format Memory Stick" from "System Settings." If all goes well the PSP will say "Format completed" and you will be able to enter "USB Connection" mode and begin to transfer data from your PC.
In practice however the PSP is likely to give you several different kinds of "Format failed" errors.
These "Format failed" errors do not mean you can't use the card!
The ONLY thing of importance is that after the format the PSP can see your inserted memory card with all the available space that was formatted!!!
For instance, 2 x 64 GB cards should result in ~118 GB stick size. A 200 GB card should show ~183 GB of free space.
This can be checked by navigating to "Memory Stick" under "Game", "Video", or "Music" in the XMB. If it shows "Free Space" of the right amount, you are good to proceed to the next step.
If it doesn't show the correct space then you won't be able to continue on with the next stage of configuration.
You can try several troubleshooting steps to try to get the system to show the available space.
If however you can't get the PSP to recognize the card with all space you will likely need to get a hold of another adapter, MicroSD card, or possibly CFW.
You may also get the error:
"There is no Memory Stick inserted"
This error may show either directly after format or upon inserting the card. In either case, same as the above - if you can't get past this error message you are out of luck with your current hardware configuration. Refer to the troubleshooting steps to see if you can resolve.
NOTE: If you plan on using only a single MicroSD card in a Dual adapter, place it the slot labeled "1" (top slot).
If you get a "Format completed." you are likely good to go - though you should read through the next sections to ensure that your card really is setup properly.
More than likely you will get a "Format failed" error, but as long as you have the usuable space showing on the Memory Stick in the XMB you should be able to get a usable card by re-formatting the drive from your PC.
To do this, you need to hook your PSP up via USB and go into "USB Connection" to mount your PSP to your PC.
During this process the PSP exposes the internal memory stick to your PC as a drive. At this point you should see a new drive letter appear in Windows.
The drive may:
- - Show as a good drive and contain all necessary PSP files and folders*
- Show as a good drive, but not contain any files/folders
- Show as a good drive, but have corrupted/gibberish data on it
- Show as a bad drive needing fix/scanning
If you had a "Format completed" message on your PSP and #1 above is true you can likely stop here and just start using the card.
However if you got any sort of "Format failed" message you should continue on.
Re-formatting After a Failed Format
This process simply entails re-formatting your card through the PC. After putting your PSP in "USB Connection" mode and seeing the drive letter appear in windows we need to reformat.
The tricky part here is that the PSP reads only FAT/FAT32 and Windows (by default) will not format a FAT32 partition above 32 GB.
There are however several tools/application which can get this job done.
rsn (who helped me get over some of my misgivings about this process) recommends the lightweight guiformat tool in his helpful thread. This tool is extremely easy to use - just select the drive, cluster (allocation) size, and quick format.
While I have also had success with guiformat in some cases it would give me an error about the drive being locked. I have found more consistent success with the free EaseUS Partition Manager. I won't go into detail how to use this tool as most people reading this will have the necessary skills to decipher its basic use.
NOTE: Use 32 or 64 KB cluster size. See Best Practices for more info.
At this point the PSP drive letter should show as a good drive on the Windows system and you should be able to browse and copy files to/from it.
The final step is to create the default/file folder structure on this card that the PSP expects.
Note: Personally I was very concerned when I was unable to successfully format my card using the PSP. My thought process was that if the PSP is not able to successfully format the cards then it likely wouldn't be able to read/write data to them without issues either. This issue kept me from getting a successful build of a high capactity card for months as I searched and searched for adapters and MicroSD cards that would successfully format.
After many tests I decided that it was unlikely I was going to ever get a clean format on anything over 128 GB. After reading rsn's thread above and seeing that he encountered the same issues I did I gave in to the fact that I probably have to rely on Windows to properly format the cards.
I am happy to report though that although the PSP has issues with the formatting, it appears that once it is formatted properly via PC the PSP has no troubles accessing the cards.
Creating the Default Memory Stick File/Folder Structure
After a standard format on a PSP using the 6.61 OFW, the standard folders are created:
D:.
&#;&#;&#;&#;PSP
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;GAME
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;SAVEDATA
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;COMMON
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;SYSTEM
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;THEME
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;RSSCH
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;IMPORT
&#;&#;&#;&#;MP_ROOT
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;100MNV01
&#; &#;&#;&#;&#;101ANV01
&#;&#;&#;&#;MUSIC
&#;&#;&#;&#;PICTURE
&#;&#;&#;&#;VIDEO
Additionally, there are two hidden files in the root:
- - MSTK_PRO.IND
- MEMSTICK.IND
You can manually recreate this structure by copying it from another working card that formats successfully in your PSP.
After you manually create this folder structure on your PSP drive which has been successfully re-formated via the PC tools you should be good to go in using this card in your PSP.
You should dissconnect from the USB connection and restart your PSP several times to ensure that the card continues to be detected.
Alternately you can simply remove and replace the card. Some people believe that swapping cards while the PSP is on may lead to corruption of the filesystem on the card. While I have not personally experienced this, I tend to not remove my memory card while it is being accessed because I don't want to have to reformat and copy all my files again. However, do be sure to disconnect the USB mode from your PC before removing the card because that can lead to file system errors.
If the card is properly detected by the PSP and by the PC in USB mode, then try to copy one or two games/apps/music/etc and ensure they copy and play successfully. At this point you should be complete and ready to enjoy your high capacity Memory Stick! Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 9:15 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
Best PracticesI'm going to list in here some additional notes, suggestions, etc I have in terms of creating or managing your high capacity Memory Stick. The will not be in any particular order and some of these topics may be mentioned in other places in the guide.
Default Cluster size
When formatting your Memory Stick via the PC you will use FAT32 (FAT/FAT16 has a maximum partition size of 4 GB so is not an option when creating high capacity sticks).
Your formatting tool should provide an option for Cluster Size (possibly called "allocation unit size").
Select either 32 KB or 64 KB.
The only officially published standards for FAT32 partitions beyond 32GB state 32 KB sizes. However 64 KB is also sufficient. In theory, performance should be increased with larger cluster sizes at a (small) expense for space. If you plan to store mainly large ISO/CSO or video files go with 64KB. If you will have mostly small emulator programs/ROMS and music files you can stick with 32KB.
Consider building a card under 256 GB
While it is possible to go 400 GB+ larger cards are going to have speed penalties when loading the card.
Note this does not mean that things from the card will load slower, but it means that the PSP will take longer to recognize the card and load its contents into the XMB memory.
After I was maxing out my 128 GB card I decided to go with 400 GB but decided I didn't want the PSP to take a minute to load my memory card each time. I decided that I could probably fit everything I needed on a 200 GB for my day to day needs and save $$ and loading time.
If you really need all that space on one card and don't mind the waiting while the memory card is initialized each time, then there should be no problems going to the higher capacities.
Consider building a card with only one MicroSD
So you want a 256 GB card? There are some advantages in buying 1 x 256 GB MicroSD instead of 2 x 128 GB.
In fact, the only disadvantage is probably cost (as 2 smaller cards are cheaper than 1 big one).
If you do choose to go with one however you will get the following advantages:
- - You can remove the MicroSD from the ProDuo adapter and place it in a USB/other SD adapter to place in your PC. This can make transferring files, etc much quicker than doing it over the PSP USB Connection.
- More likely a higher probability of working in your ProDuo adapter. Some adapters may have problems formatting both cards, but not with one. In fact, because you can mount the single card directly in your PC (without PSP) you can format it there using the methods in this guide and then put it into the ProDuo adapter. As long as the ProDuo adapter is capable of addressing that memory capacity it should work immediately!
If anyone tells you that CSO (Compressed ISO) loading speed is negligible compared to ISO, they're lying.
Most games load anywhere from 50-100% slower when running from a CSO instead of an ISO.
Now - that being said, CSO compressed games are far from unplayable and in most cases won't have you twiddling your thumbs either.
As with the topic above regarding total Memory Stick size, you should decide if you want to use CSO or ISO.
You may opt for a smaller card and use CSOs to save space. Comparable to the speed differential, many games can be compressed considerably from their ISO forms.
You may however choose to stick with ISOs and use higher capacity cards to store them. Personally I prefer to have a smaller card with CSO files, but there isn't a wrong decision here.
Use a File manager to sort/alphabetize, and a Categories Plugin to organize your files
With a large card you can load up hundreds of games. The problem becomes browsing them.
I recommend using pspHBSortTool to sort your games alphabetically.
I also recommend Game Categories Lite for organizing your games into folders. For instance you can create folders A-H, I-P, Q-T, and U-Z and divide your games up into their respective folders. Keep each set of folders relatively small and create as many letter ranges as you need to keep ~20-30 games per folder. Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 9:53 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
TroubleshootingGetting PSP to recognize/format full amount of space
As mentioned in the guide above, the most important thing to get a working configuration is getting your PSP to format (even a failed format) the entire contents of your MicroSD card(s). If you get the "There is no Memory Stick inserted" error or simply only see a portion of the space you should then you might be out of luck. There are however some things you can try:
1) Try switching the slots each MicroSD card is in and formatting again.
2) Try to format each MicroSD in slot 1 by itself (i.e. nothing in slot 2). After formatting both separately, put them back in and try again.
3) Try to clean both disks completely using diskpart's "clean" process (or something similar)*
4) Try to format both cards using FAT32 in a 3rd party format tool.*
5) Try every combination of the above several times
6) Try a different CFW (though I doubt it will make a difference as long as both support high capacity).
* These require you to mount the MicroSD card directly in your PC using a USB (or other) adapter.
If you are unsuccessful with the above you may simply be out of luck with the combination of MicroSD card and ProDuo adapter you have. More often than not the issue will be the adapter, so spend another few bucks and try to get a few others with different physical characteristics.
You may also want to try to take the PSP out of the equation entirely. While ProDuo card readers aren't standard on most computers, you can purchase one and try the format directly from your PC. There are several on Amazon in the $8-15 range. While I have never tested one myself these may be the easiest/most foolproof method of getting a good format for a few extra $$. Note however that this won't automatically solve your issues if the ProDuo adapter itself is faulty or just not capable of addressing memory beyond a certain amount. Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 9:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Ultimate [GUIDE] to High Capacity Pro Duo Memory Sticks
F.A.QIn progress...
I will attempt to list any additional questions/clarifications in this section if there is confusion about the text of the main guide. Last edited by bengalih on Fri Aug 25, 4:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Knowledge of SD Cards Memory Cards Encyclopedia
Knowledge of SD Cards Memory Cards Encyclopedia
There is no doubt that SD cards are the most widely used memory cards. For the majority of users, it is necessary to know about the relevant knowledge of SD cards.
Size
SD cards consist of SD, Mini SD and Micro SD and the size is reduced in turn. The standard SD card can be used for most cameras and video cameras. The ontology has a writing protection switch&#;&#;however, it does not affect the internals of memory cards, but influences the recognition of cards reader devices. Mini SD card has already become outdated. Micro SD card, also known as TF card, is mainly used for mobile , motion camera, unmanned aerial vehicle and other products.
Different sizes of SD cards
Micro SD card can be converted into a standard SD card by ferrule. This conversion does not slow down the speed, but it may reduce the reliability of system&#;after all, there is an extra connection. Why is a Micro SD card with same capacity and similar speed cheaper than a SD card? Sorry, ET cannot find the answer.
Micro SD cards convert into standard SD cards&#; ferrules
Capacity
The SD card we often call has a variety of versions in the maximum capacity. In the primary SD card, the maximum capacity has only reached 2GB, which has already been out of date&#;If you like to collect old digital cameras, you may need this SD card&#;. The most common SDHC memory card and SDXC memory card have a maximum of 32GB and 2TB respectively. The SDUC memory card newly launched can reach 128TB in the theoretical capacity&#;&#;but, I don&#;t know if we will see the SD cards with full capacity in our lifetime.
It is worth mentioning that SD cards (SDXC and SDUC) with 64GB or more adopt EXFAT format, and the size of a single file can be larger than 4GB. Recommend users who need long time continuous recording and 4K high-rate video shooting to use.
Capacity compatibility
If you want to use SD cards with large-capacity&#;such as a SDXC card or a future SDUC card &#;, you need the supports of devices&#;cameras, mobile phones, card readers and operating systems&#;. For example, When the SDXC card is used on a camera that only supports SDHC cards, it will be unusable.
Devices which support SD cards with large-capacity can use SD cards with small-capacity&#;The opposite is not feasible.
Speed grade
The speed grade is a performance specification specified by the SD Card Alliance and is also a mark that SD card manufacturers need to print on the product body and outer packaging. The speed grade usually only reflects the minimum performance level of the SD card, and does not represent the actual performance.
No UHS: Single row contact, the highest standard C10 (continuous writing speed is not less than 10MB/s), the theoretical speed does not exceed 25MB/s (usually refers to the reading speed, the writing speed will be slightly lower). This card has basically withdrawn from the market.
UHS-I: Single row contacts, the highest standard C10, U3, V30 (continuous writing speed 30MB / s), theoretical speed 104MB / s. This is the most important product in the market.
UHS-II: Double row contacts, the highest standard C10, U3, V90 (continuous writing speed 90MB/s). Full-duplex mode theoretical speed 156MB/s (most cameras), half-duplex mode theoretical speed 312MB/s (card reader, etc.)
UHS-III: Double row contacts, the highest standard C10, U3, V90, full-duplex mode up to 624MB/s. However, there are currently no actual products.
SD card speed grade and corresponding video format
SD Express: Double row contacts with PCIe 3.0 bus and NVMe support for ultra-high speeds of 985MB/s. Currently, SanDisk (Western Data) has launched a prototype product. It should be noted that SD Express can only be backward compatible with UHS-I, and does not support UHS-II or UHS-III &#; that is, when the memory card or one of the devices does not support SD Express, the maximum speed that the system can reach is 104MB/s.
Application performance: this is the performance standard considering the use of Micro SD card with smart phones, including A1 and A2. The standard does not require high and continuous writing speeds (10MB/s), but there are clear random reading and writing performance requirements.
Compatibility of speed grade
The highest reading and writing speed that a system can achieve depends on the lower speed of the memory card and device. For example, using a UHS-II card on a device that only supports UHS-I cards can only achieve the highest theoretical speed of UHS-I.
Which cameras can support the UHS-II card? When is it necessary to use the UHS-II card?
For more information, please visit Custom Memory Card Connector.
As of July , the camera that clearly supports UHS-II has the following models.
Note 1: Although some camera specifications are written to be compatible with UHS-II cards, they are actually only usable (in fact, they can be used) and cannot play the performance of UHS-II cards.
SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I SD Card
Note 2: The camera that supports UHS-II is usually only able to achieve a writing speed of about 160MB/s, that is, it works in full-duplex mode (against common sense, full-duplex is half-speed, half-duplex is full speed) .
Considering that the current price of UHS-II card is still relatively high, you can buy a high-speed UHS-I card first. If you actually encounter high-speed continuous shooting, the sustained power is not enough, or the writing delay is longer after continuous shooting. In case, consider purchasing a UHS-II card.
Current high speed UHS-I card
SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I SD Card
Measured reading 90+MB/s, writing 80+MB/s
More affordable UHS-II card solution
Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II MicroSD card with card ferrule
Measured reading 240+MB/s, writing 140+MB/s
More recommended MicroSD card
Samsung EVO Plus 128GB
Measured reading 90+MB/s, writing 85+MB/s
(64GB nominal writing 60MB/s, 32GB nominal writing 20MB/s)
What about 4K video shooting? Actually, most cameras do not require a high- speed for 4K shooting, and a U3 rating (continuous writing speed of at least 30MB/s) is sufficient.
Why does the video automatically terminate or prompt the memory card to be slow when recording video?
&#; It is true that the writing speed is slow. For example, you are using a Canon SLR (in the old MOV format, where 5D4 is best to use a CF card for 4K) or 4K video at a 400 Mbps rate (Panasonic GH5 series).
&#;The memory card did not pass the corresponding certification. When a Sony camera records at a 100 Mbps rate, it will recognize if the memory card has reached the U3 rating. Some cards have reached the standard speed, but because they have not obtained the corresponding certification (such as the launch time is earlier than the U3 standard time), the camera thinks it is not up to standard.
&#;The upper limit of the camera&#;s single-segment recording time is reached. For example, when you shoot 4K by Sony RX100M4, M5, and M6 , the single-segment duration is no more than 5 minutes.
&#;Cameras overheating or other reasons.
&#;Card reader recommendation&#;
Finally, two single SD cards are recommended.
Kingston MobileLiteG4
Compatible with SD, MicroSD
USB 3.0 interface, support UHS-II
SanDisk SD UHS-II USB-C Card Reader
Compatible with SD, cord design
USB 3.0 Type-C interface, support UHS-II
&#;Other issues that seem to be related to the memory card&#;
When the long-time exposure noise reduction function is turned on for a long time exposure, it is necessary to perform noise reduction for the same time as the exposure time. At this time, the camera displays &#;Processing&#; regardless of the speed of the memory card. Similar to the Canon 5D4 DLO digital lens optimization function, Sony camera built-in beauty shooting function, will also prompt &#;processing&#; when shooting.
When the Sony camera shoots a slow motion video, the storage time is the actual playback time, and the time of writing the card is also independent of the memory card speed.
Do You Know These Little Things about TF micro sd Cards?
Detailed explanation of the knowledge about SD cards (SD miniSD microSD SDIO)
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