4GB SD Card for $71?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.supermediastore.com/adata-4gb-sd-secure-digital-card-150x.html">http://www.supermediastore.com/adata-4gb-sd-secure-digital-card-150x.html</a><br /><br />I have never heard of an "A-Data" card, but you can get one for $70.95 and it has a 4GB capacity. 8O I don't really need one that large for my Pocket PC - my 2GB card has plenty of room left on it. My digital camera, on the other hand... :D

[vicott]

The speed and price is good but I would not recommend anyone to get it because of its inferior quality (IMO). The material (casing) is very thin and fragile, and is the worst SD card I've used so far. After using the Adata 2GB SD Card for about 3-4 months, one crack suddenly appeared (at the "bottom" end) and I have no idea when or how it happened.

Just today, another crack surfaced (at the "top" end) and 2 small parts are chipped off. Because of the 2 cracks, the card can be opened very easily, just by bending the card very slightly. I have no choice but to use glue and tape to seal it securely.

I swear I would never ever get Adata Storage Cards again. I should have spent more money to get a Kingston Ultimate SD Card instead. The built of Kingston's SD cards are one of the most solid I've seen so far.

[Menneisyys]

Yup, opinions certainly differ on A-Data cards. Many say it sucks while some say (see for example this AximSite thread (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=125800)) it is OK.

[Boinger]

You may need a rebate, but this 4gb pqi card ends up being $66 after shipping costs. Supermediastore charges $9 for shipping something that could be sent with a postage stamp. $80 vs. $66, hmm... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141037&amp;ATT=20-141-037&amp;CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r

[mpaque]

I have 2 of the Adata 4 GB SD cards. I use one in my digital camera and the other in my PPC. I've had them for about 6 months, maybe less, no problems yet. The SD cards I've had the worst luck with......... Sandisk. I think their SD cards expire and stop working after so many reads/writes. I'd recommend Adata cards to anyone.

[Covert]

I have 2 of the Adata 4 GB SD cards. I use one in my digital camera and the other in my PPC. I've had them for about 6 months, maybe less, no problems yet. The SD cards I've had the worst luck with......... Sandisk. I think their SD cards expire and stop working after so many reads/writes. I'd recommend Adata cards to anyone.
That's been my experience too, almost exactly. I've had more problems with Sandisk cards over the years, though I've only had one Adata card. It's a 2 GB miniSD card that I've had for probably four months, and I've had no problems with it at all.

All the cards feel like they're made out of pretty thin plastic to me.

[x51vuser]

Yup, opinions certainly differ on A-Data cards. Many say it sucks while some say (see for example this AximSite thread (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=125800)) it is OK.

It is really very OK.
That 4GB is on the market almost one year now, it used to be $100.
Very fine product far better quality then Kingston which in my case
failed after few years and I got pen drive as replacement sic !

[Craig Horlacher]

Has anyone had a 4GB sd card not work in a pocket pc?

Apparently SD only officially supports up to 2GB. There's that new flavor of SD that does higher but requires a device that supports it. I've only heard rumors that SD cards >2 don't work in some Pocket PC's. Has anyone actually had a 4GB SD card not work in their Pocket PC...or can someone explain this to me better if I'm missing something?

[jalex]

As I mentioned in this (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50033&amp;highlight=4gb) post, I've enjoyed my A-Data 4GB card since the day I got it. I also have a 2GB card that works perfectly too. Mine hasn't come apart in any way so I guess different people do seem to get different mileage out of this brand -- but is that much different from any other brand, of anything?

Either way, for this price, I would take the chance again (if I needed another card, that is).

Furthermore, you'd be surprised how much you can find to put on the card once you have it. Your mindset does change a little. I have a 1GB GPS map, so that uses a good chunk, then I have another 1.5-2GB of music, then an assortment of documents, pictures, etc. with some room left over for incidentals/transients.

[DaleReeck]

There's probably only one or two companies in the world that actually do the manufacturing for these cards for everyone. So I would imagine most brands would be safe :)

[applejosh]

I don't have the 4GB card (which I assume is the "133x" card I've seen around). I do have an Adata 50x 2GB card, and it is much slower than my Lexar 32x 1GB card.

Both formatted FAT. (FAT16)
Using SPB Benchmark, the differences are really apparent for the smaller files:

Write 10KBx100
Lexar - 7511ms
Adata - 23793ms

Read 10KBx100
Lexar - 223ms
Adata - 523ms

The writing part kills me. Both cards were similar for large files (1MB), with the Lexar edging out the Adata 689ms to 803ms for writes and 45ms to 46ms for reads.

So, in addition to doubting any of the 'x' factors, I'm reluctant to get another Adata. (And I agree with the consensus that the older Sandisk SD cards were bad. I haven't tested any od the Ultra II's/III's but hear they're much better.)

[follick]

I've been using an A-data 4GB MMC+ 200x card for about 6 months now with no problems in my Toshiba e800 and in my HP hx4700. I had some trouble finding a reader that would work with it. With a Sandisk MMC plus capable reader it is very fast.

[christak]

I have an A-Data Turbo 150x 4GB SD card -- been using it for several months without issue... Paid $110 for it from Zipzoomfly... Very fast and reliable so far -- I'd buy one again without hesitation.
8)

[Brad Adrian]

I echo the positive comments about this card. I bought one the last time it showed up on the Thoughts weekly bargain search and have had no trouble at all. In fact, I remember having a LOT more trouble with cards from SanDisk a couple of years ago when they first passed the 256mb mark.

I know that sometimes you get what you pay for, but if you "take a chance" and buy from reputable dealers, you minimize the chances that you'll get stuck with a bad card.

[185driver]

Not to pull this thread off topic, but has anyone with a nifty 4GB SD card had trouble with their card reader recognizing the card? I just purchased a Transcend 150X 4 GB SD unit ($65 net after rebate) and found that my trusty 2-year old 12-In-1 reader couldn't recognize the card.

Ironically, the card works perfectly right out of the box in both my Acer n311 PPC and Canon S2 IS camera. Maybe it's a technology generation thing, since my son's new Toshiba laptop's built-in card reader handles the card just fine.

For me, having some sort of high-speed card reader for these uber-sized SD cards is a must. ActiveSync transfer of that much data is way too painful. I mention the card reader issue since the low purchase price of an SD card might be offset by the added cost of a replacement card reader, as it looks to be for me.

[hazcaddy]

I have a PRO-Gear multi-card reader, bought at Fry's in March, and it won't even recognize a 2Gb SD card...

ActiveSyncing 2 Gigs of GPS maps is a long process, so I thought this would be my answer but apparently there's quite a few hardware items out there that won't recognize 2Gb and up cards.

[Brad Adrian]

I haven't had any trouble using an external reader. Oddly, though, the built-in SD/SM reader on my HP notebook doesn't do a very good job reading cards of ANY size or type.

I use a very pocket-able reader from SanDisk that's about 2" long and plugs directly into my USB port.It's always worked without fail, even with the 4GB SD card. I agree that a reader is a must-have, especially when transferring files like Mapopolis maps.

[christak]

Not to pull this thread off topic, but has anyone with a nifty 4GB SD card had trouble with their card reader recognizing the card? I just purchased a Transcend 150X 4 GB SD unit ($65 net after rebate) and found that my trusty 2-year old 12-In-1 reader couldn't recognize the card. ...

For me, having some sort of high-speed card reader for these uber-sized SD cards is a must. ActiveSync transfer of that much data is way too painful. I mention the card reader issue since the low purchase price of an SD card might be offset by the added cost of a replacement card reader, as it looks to be for me.

I've seen this issue as well -- my "solution" was to just continue to use the card in my Dell x50v along with Softick's Card Export II...

http://www.softick.com/pocket-pc/cardexport2/

...and a Boxwave minisync...

http://www.boxwave.com/products/minisync/index.htm

Both of which I already owned...

[MeSue]

I have this card and it works well in my Axim, but it didn't work with my PC's internal card reader. Yesterday I picked up one of these, which I've been told works with the full capacity of this card: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AYA59M/

I think these thumb-drive style card readers are a great idea. It's like having an unlimited capacity flash drive.

[amc3141]

i've used this card in a samsung i730 WM2003 pocketPC phone since about Feb. . . . and while i have read about the quality complaints nothing would appear to be wrong with the card [that may be because i just leave it in the phone slot, as the slot in my toshiba laptop can't seem to read cards over 2gb. . . . so the card doesnt undergoe any insert/remove strees]

i'll have to pick me up one of those thumb sized readers though

[amc3141]

IGNORE . . .

test of ID change [edit: didn't seem to work]

[pbalogh]

There are two different SD card technologies on the market, SLC and MLC. SLC cards are usually more expensive, much faster to write, somewhat faster to read and consume less power. They also have 100k rewrite cycles, vs the 10k rewrite cycles of the MLC cards. MLC cards are much cheaper. Based on the stats above, I think this AData card is as MLC - hence the low price. Also, some devices are not compatible or exhibit some problems with the MLC cards.
Interesting side-fact is that Intel's ARM/Xscale CPUs are very bad at SD card handling, while Samsung ARM CPUs are much faster at it, usually 2-3 times faster, actually.
The speed of card handling on a device is also a mix and match situation - some cards might work fast with a device and slow with a different one. The reason? I haven't the faintest idea... Probably something to do with dragons.

Cheers,
Peter

[Brad Adrian]

There are two different SD card technologies on the market, SLC and MLC.
Thanks for the insight. Do you know of any way to tell which technology a card uses, or if there's some kind of listing somewhere?

[Dyvim]

Transcend claims it only uses SLC chips. I've had their 4GB 150x SD card for some months now. Works great in my iPAQ 5550, Toshiba e830, eTen M600, and Psion Netbook Pro. Also works fine with an old SanDisk 6-in-1 card reader, a SanDisk SD card reader, and SanDisk SD PC Card adaptor. The only reader it didn't like is the one built into my HP laptop (which is at least 1 year newer than the 3 other readers), but that doesn't recognize any SD card over 1 GB capacity.

The 150x speed claim is a bit dubious at least on PPC. I get a lot more dropped frames watching movies from this card on my e830 than when I watch the same movie from a 66x SanDisk Ultra II 2 GB SD card. I know ppc SD speeds are nowhere close to desktop speeds, but it would be nice if the card weren't slower than a 66x card.

[jlp]

Dyvim,

You might want to check HP's support pages to see if an update is available for your reader. Some readers are upgradable.

[jlp]

There's probably only one or two companies in the world that actually do the manufacturing for these cards for everyone. So I would imagine most brands would be safe :)

I highly doubt only 1 or 2 companies make memory cards. Even floppy disks, CDs, DVDs and memory keys have many different manufacturers.

Where do you hold this from? Is it a guess? A fact? Do you have links to trusted sources?

[MitchellO]

The SD cards I've had the worst luck with......... Sandisk.

Yeah, I have had a few Sandisk cards. Two 1GB cards that are ok (except one corrupted itself once or twice), and a 64MB that just decided to go on strike permanently.

I had a 512MB A-Data miniSD card and had no problems with it. Build was excellent.

I currently have a Sandisk 1GB miniSD in my imate SP5, but it never sees the light of day (being buried under the battery. bloody stupid designers!) so I can't attest to its quality under regular conditions of popping it in and out of multiple devices.

[MitchellO]

For me, having some sort of high-speed card reader for these uber-sized SD cards is a must. ActiveSync transfer of that much data is way too painful.

Yeah, with 4GB of space, some speedy transfers are a priority. I know I wouldn't want to be transfering a full-load of stuff to my 1GB SD over a USB1.1 connection :p

[ctmagnus]

fwiw, the only memory card I've ever had an issue with was a Lexar. The lock tab broke off, disabling the ability to write to the card but after a short email exchange, the card was promptly replaced.

[MitchellO]

fwiw, the only memory card I've ever had an issue with was a Lexar. The lock tab broke off, disabling the ability to write to the card but after a short email exchange, the card was promptly replaced.

The card that I use the most that frequently changes hands (or slots should I say :p) is my regular Lexar 1Gb. This is the card that lives in my camera, and it gets swapped between my camera and internal card reader in my Dell 710m laptop several times a week, or even several times a day. Its 18 months old and the contacts all have scratches from popping in and out, but its still excellent :D

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/7455/cimg6395smalloo7.jpg

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/3359/cimg6396smallps9.jpg

[ctmagnus]

fwiw, the only memory card I've ever had an issue with was a Lexar. The lock tab broke off, disabling the ability to write to the card but after a short email exchange, the card was promptly replaced.

The card that I use the most that frequently changes hands (or slots should I say :p) is my regular Lexar 1Gb. This is the card that lives in my camera, and it gets swapped between my camera and internal card reader in my Dell 710m laptop several times a week, or even several times a day. Its 18 months old and the contacts all have scratches from popping in and out, but its still excellent :D

Yeah, the card I was referring to was just a fluke. All the other cards I have, regardless of brand or age, still work wonderfully. Heck, I'd bet money that card still works (if Lexar didn't destroy it upon receipt, as I hope any decent storage manufacturer that has to deal with warranty-issue cards does, that is), it just can't be written to is all. ;)

[jlp]

There's probably only one or two companies in the world that actually do the manufacturing for these cards for everyone. So I would imagine most brands would be safe :)

I highly doubt only 1 or 2 companies make memory cards. Even floppy disks, CDs, DVDs and memory keys have many different manufacturers.

Where do you hold this from? Is it a guess? A fact? Do you have links to trusted sources?

As a follow up to my quoted post I just found this link (http://www.mmca.org/applications#mmc) with manufacturers/sellers of MMC cards and their various sub-standard variants. Most if not all also make SD cards and other formats.

Out of that v-e-r-y long list, I highly doubt only 1 or 2 are actual producers of the cards and the others just put their label on them.

[salem]

Not all pocket pc can read 4GB card, so dont forget to check before you buy.

[MitchellO]

Not all pocket pc can read 4GB card, so dont forget to check before you buy.

Yeah, is that because of an incompatibility in the SD reader in the PPC itself, or a software issue?

I know older palms can't recognise them because they don't have FAT32 drives, but I am sure PPC have FAT32 (don't they?).

[Darius Wey]

Yeah, is that because of an incompatibility in the SD reader in the PPC itself, or a software issue?

Both hardware-dependent (SD reader) and software-dependent (OS-related). Getting a 4GB SD to work on a Pocket PC is largely a hit-and-miss. If it works, you're lucky. If it doesn't, then shucks. ;)

[The Silverdude]

I've got a 4 GB SD card from A-Data, and at 150x it works just fine in my h2215 for mp3s and wmv files, oh and backup files too. I got mine on NewEgg, and I'm sure the price has dropped by now.