SanDisk Retail Pack SDSDB-512-A10, UPC Code 619659018115
by SanDisk

List Price: $49.99
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details

• 512 MB capacity
• User selectable mechanical write protect switch on the exterior card casing
• Works with all SD enabled devices
• Low battery consumption to maximize battery life in small portable devices
• Operating shock rating of 2,000Gs, equivalent to a 10-foot drop to the floor

• Targus DMC111 Digital Memory Card Case - Black (Koskin)
• Transcend TS-RDM3R All in 1 USB 2.0 Multi Card Reader (Red)
• Digital Concepts CR-80 32-In-1 Digital Hub Reader
• ZIO CORPORATION DM25800 READER, CAMERAMATE, 10 IN 1, USB 2.0
• SanDisk 2 GB SDSDX3-2048-901 Extreme III SD Memory Card (Retail Package)

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Retail Pack SDSDB-512-A10, UPC Code 619659018115

Customer Review: Value depends on how much data you move & how often
Summary: 2 Stars

I just received a SanDisk 512MB Ultra II Secure Digital card and did a quick & dirty performance comparison with the non-ultra SanDisk SD card. If you just want the results, then go to the bottom of the review. For the more inquisitive, here is my test configuration:

linux-2.4.22 (with ehci to enable usb2.0) connected to . . .
usb2.0 hub connected to . . .
SanDisk SDDR-88 usb2.0 memory card reader

commands for the write test:
- mount -o noatime,sync /dev/sda1 /flash_memory
- cat testfile > /dev/null
- time cp tesfile /flash_memory

The first command forces any writes to the flash_memory to happen immediately, so there is no caching going on. The second command reads through the ~50MB testfile and caches it into memory (no need to access the hard disk). The third command actually copies the test file to the memory card and times it.

commands for the read test:
- umount /flash_memory
- mount -o noatime,sync /dev/sda1 /flash_memory
- time cp /flash_memory/testfile /dev/null

The first command unmounts the flash memory and clears the cache. The second command mounts the flash memory so the computer can access its files. The third command actually copies the file, which must be read directly from the card because we cleared the cache, and times the copy.

The read and writes tests were performed multiple times, and the results varied little between iterations. The 512MB card was completely empty, and the 256MB card had a small 3MB file.

The SanDisk Ultra II card turned in some impressive numbers:

writes: 4.95MB/sec (5048.2KB/sec)
reads: 8.19MB/sec (8389.96KB/sec)

For comparison, here are the numbers for the SanDisk 256MB non-ultra card:

writes: 0.86MB/sec (876.44KB/sec)
reads: 1.53MB/sec (1570.69KB/sec)

If you need performance, then the SanDisk Ultra II series + usb2.0 is a winning combination. The Ultra II reads and writes more than five times as fast as the plain-vanilla SanDisk secure digital card. In my case, I will be using the card to store MP3 files for a portable audio device, and waiting around while moving MP3s is not how I want to spend my time. So, I bought the Ultra II. Your needs may vary. Buy accordingly.

Compare prices between the Ultra II and non-Ultra cards and ask yourself, "How much is my time worth?" If you answer this question honestly, then you won't be kicking yourself later on because you bought the wrong card. For people who copy small files frequently, the non-ultra cards provide great value for the dollar. If you move larger files, however, then have something else to do during the copy operation because the non-ultra cards will frustrate you otherwise.

Also, I realize that other manufactures market "high-performance" memory cards, but since I don't own one, I can't recommend/jeer them here.

Description of SanDisk Retail Pack SDSDB-512-A10, UPC Code 619659018115