SanDisk Extreme Pro

[mraroid]

Hi....

I always buy SanDisk CF cards because I believe they are one of the better vendors.  I have been using the 4GB SanDisk Ultra.  I am sure it will last a lifetime for me:

http://www.sandisk.com/products/memory-cards/compactflash/ultra/?capacity=4GB

It has a 10 year warranty and moves data at around 25MBs per second.

But I have been intrigued with SanDisk's line of CF cards called the "Extreme Pro":

http://www.sandisk.com/products/memory-cards/compactflash/extremepro-160mbs/?capacity=16GB

While it can move data at around 150Mbs, that is not why I tested it.  I tested it because it has a lifetime warranty (if you are Canada or Germany the warranty is only 30 years).

The smallest Extreme Pro is 16GBs.  I formatted it using Drive Setup v 1.5.  I made 3 partitions. One was 1490GBs, one was 1.5GBs, and the third was 4GBs.  Depending on your OS, you can make many more partitions of different sizes. 7GBs is about twice as much HD space as I may ever need.

As I seem to not have the correct software to format anything older then 7.6, I loaded 7.6 onto the first partition of the extreme pro and it worked just fine. Then I upgraded to 7.6.1  All seems well.

So, if a 10 year warranty is not good enough for you, and you worry that your data may some day fail, you can move up to the SanDisk Extreme Pro. While you still may loose your data, it is probably better then the SanDisk Ultra.

The CPU and bus speed of my Color Classic may be so slow that moving from about 25Mbps to about 150Mbps, may not be visible.  My CC seemed to run at about the same speed.  But I have not speed tested it.

This is the unit I used to test the 4GB and 16GB CF cards in my color classic:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CF-AztecMonster-CF-3-5inc-SCSI-Converter-New-Condition-for-Vintage-Computer-/261968447389?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cfe89479d

Just an FYI.

jack

 

[Elfen]

Though the speed of the CF says it can do So-So MB/sec into the high double and even the triple digits, you will never see it.

It is the speed o the interface that determines the top-end of the data bus even if the device is faster. The PowerPC before the G3s, the IDE interface can only top out at 16MB/sec at best. The G3s can do 16MB/Sec to 33MB/Sec. And the G4s can do 45 to 64 MB/Sec, if that. Knowing these speed limits, you can use a higher speed device, but those speed will never be achieved.

BUT, one reason to get them is longer write cycle life. This means that they will last longer in a writing environment, just like a SDD. They will also have better TRIM and ECC (Error Correction Coding).

I use SanDisk, as they invented the CF Technology in the 1990s. I also use Kingston, Kennison (sic?), and Transcend Media. There are a few No Name Brands as well, as these guys put their name on it and guarantee it. Professional and TOP are two small companies I know - they buy SanDisk and other Name Brand CFs that did not pass their tests at the manufactured speed but passed a lower test speed and sell them at lower rate.

 

[Elfen]

I forgot to mention, beware of counterfeit CFs. There is quite a lot of them out there, including SanDisk.

Things to look for - Blurry labels, colors a but off, Look-a-like lables (missing the brand name or logo), missing serial numbers (on one of the end of the CF there is a serial number put there by the company, counterfeit CFs usually do not have this number), when you format them they are a bit smaller in size than the name brand, they are slower than advertised speeds and a "too good to be true price."

Because of Counterfeit CFs, SanDisk and other CF Media Makers change their label designs few couple years. Counterfeit CF tend to have the older labels for the a longer amount of time.

 

[mraroid]

BUT, one reason to get them is longer write cycle life. This means that they will last longer in a writing environment, just like a SDD.

That was my #1 reason for moving to this card.  Longer life.  I am happy I did.

jack