CF vs. MD

[luiskim]

What would be the main difference between CompacFlash and MicroDrive? Witch one would be better??? i'm curious about a 1gb ones...
Thanks...

[Pat Logsdon]

What would be the main difference between CompacFlash and MicroDrive? Witch one would be better??? i'm curious about a 1gb ones...
The main difference is that compact flash uses flash memory - i.e., no moving parts and low power consumption, and the microdrive is a tiny hard drive - i.e. small spinning magnetic platters. This requires more power and is more fragile than a flash memory card.

Which one is better is really a personal decision. Some people don't like microdrives because they drain a battery much quicker, or because they fail after being dropped, thrown around, etc. On the other hand, microdrives are cheaper on a price per mb basis than flash memory.

[Jason Dunn]

SurgicalSnack is correct - CF is tougher, and uses less power, but more expensive per MB than a Microdrive (usually). I'd always go for a CF card over a MD, every time. I've had a MD go bad on me two months after the one year warranty was up, but I've never had any flash memory go bad on me...

[hipchick]

What would be the main difference between CompacFlash and MicroDrive? Witch one would be better??? i'm curious about a 1gb ones...

If you a debating between a CF and a microdrive, I, personally, would opt for the CF. Microdrives eat your battery life - BIG TIME! :evil: I can use my PDA (playing media files) from the microdrive for about 1.25 hours before the battery gets low. However, I can play from the SD card for about 5 hours before my battery gets down to 33%.

Good Luck! :way to go:

[luiskim]

thanks a lot... i know how they worked.. i just wanted to know about he baterry and the durability... i'll go fo the CF for sure now... :)
LuisKim

[Ripper014]

The reason that Microdrives exist is the cost factor...

The cost of a using a Microdrive as a (I hate to use the word "MASS") storage medium versus a Compact Flash card is a lot less...

I believe you can get a Hitachi 4GB Microdrive for $299...

$0.07/mb

or $199 if you want to cannabalize a Mp3 player...

$0.04/mb


1GB Compact Flash Card... Sandisk (retail price $299.99)
$0.30/mb


1GB Secure Digital Card... Sandisk (retail price $499.99)

$0.50/mb



As you can see the there is quite a difference in price... but as was mentioned you do pay it back in battery life. Note the prices are just what I was able to quickly pull off of the web... but the cost per mb is substantial no matter how cheap you can get a solid state card...

The choice it ultimately yours... storage or battery life...? Being a mechanical device... I would think that a microdrives life would be shorter than that of your solid state card... However I have had mine now for 3 plus years...