What is the most reliable SD card for running applications?

[joderias]

I want to buy a 4 GB secure digital card

I have several options, and several prices:

PQI, Trascend, Sandisk

Their price varies a lot (around $65 for a PQI up to $100 for a Sandisk)

I just bought a pocket PC, and I want to know what is the most reliable card. I can pay $25-$30 for a card that will give me less trouble

However if I can buy the PQI and it's a good card, then I'll buy it

I appreciate your advices

[Nurhisham Hussein]

The thing is with the 4GB cards I'd be more worried about compatibility rather than reliability. The latest SD spec is SDHC (SDA 2.0), which allows for sizes from 4GB to 32GB. Unfortunately, it's not backward compatible and you can't use these cards on standard SD slots or card readers. These are coming out about now, so be careful not to get these - they won't work for any current Pocket PC.

The old standard only really supported up to 2GB szies, and I've read reports that the 4GB cards may or may not work with certain Pocket PCs, as they are an interim solution (basically two stacked 2GB cards). It really depends on whether the host controller on your Pocket PC is compatible with the controller chip on the card. From the Wiki on SD cards:

Compatibility with 2-gigabyte and larger SD cards has been poor. Most commercial card readers (including those from SanDisk and Kingston), as well as PDAs and cameras fail to work with them for many different reasons. In 2006 card readers are starting to include support for them.

As for brands, the only difference between them is the controller chip itself - most of the actual flash memory is made by the same group of companies (Samsung et al). This has also resulted in the occasional hit or miss, but I'd say you'd be pretty safe with any brand, as long as the size is 2GB or less.

[ADBrown]

It's been my determination from watching various forums that most 4 GB cards will work with newer Pocket PCs. If you're buying for an older device, it's a craps shoot. Check reports for your particular model. Some, such as the Axim X5 and Toshiba e740, are known to be unfriendly to large cards.

[isajoo]

do company allow u to buy a 4gb sd and see if it works and if not returnable?

[joderias]

thanks for the explanation

were can I check which cards are supported by the Dell Axim 51V?

I bet there is at least one card that I could eventually buy with confidence

I tried a Sandisk 4 GB card with a Palm LifeDrive and a Palm TX
Sometimes it worked, but not all of the time

On this Dell Axim 51V, it never worked

Were can I read what cards and types are supported by the Axim 51V, and which cards I should buy?

Maybe I could buy a 2GB SD card and a 2 GB compact flash card

Thanks for the info

[ADBrown]

The X51v does support a 4 GB card, as should the Lifedrive and TX. Sounds like you may have a bad card. That, or you should consider formatting it again.

[joderias]

I think the card is damaged
because I can't explain why the LifeDrive detected it successfully, and after 5 minutes it didn't

I might want to buy another one

WHy do you think people sell this card at $50 on Ebay, when they cost $100 in online stores?

I did formatted this card on the LifeDrive, and one day it worked ok, I started copying all my music there, and the process stopped around 50%

The card never worked allright

[ADBrown]

Definitely sounds like a defective card. You should be able to return it for a refund or replacement.

WHy do you think people sell this card at $50 on Ebay, when they cost $100 in online stores?

Retail markup is a killer. You can find them for closer to $60-$65 from online stores, if you're willing to put up with rebates, instead of buying on eBay.

[joderias]

Great
So do you know were can I buy a new SD card with rebate?
How long does it takes to get the rebate?
How can I search for stores that have rebate?

[ADBrown]

Great
So do you know were can I buy a new SD card with rebate?
How long does it takes to get the rebate?
How can I search for stores that have rebate?

Newegg.com is usually good, or you can check out deal sites like Fatwallet.com/c/18, where people post various sales and discuss them. Fatwallet is also good for evaluating rebates, how fast they respond, what the chances are of getting them, etcetera.

[joderias]

I bought a Transcend Ultra Speed 4GB Secure Digital (SD) Flash Media Model TS4GSD150
it NEVER gaved me ANY problem

One day, while I was playing music at my gym, BOOM
It only played the first seconds of the songs

Then, I used Pocket Mechanic

I did a read/write test (preserving the data), which took ages to complete

After that, I read that there were various defective sectors

Then, the card stopped working

I hope I find the receipt since I want to buy a SanDisk Compact Flash card (very good thing about this Pocket PC, the CF and SD slots)

Do you think a SanDisk Compact Flash is more reliable than a Trascend Secure Digital?

I've already invested
$50 bad SanDisk 4 GB card
$100 4 GB Trascend Card
and today or tomorrow I will buy a $65 Compact Flash

I don't know how reliable SD cards are, but my dad has a card has a camera with Compact Flash, and those cards haven't had a single fault in 4 years.

[applejosh]

Well, I've had a couple of CF cards fail over the years, but they were heavily used before they started going. Most of the 4GB cards (non-SDHC so they can be used in devices like the X51v and T|X) are from manufacturers that I would be wary of just based on lack or reputation (and anecdotal evidence not always painting a rosy picture). More reputable manufacturers (or really distributors) have stayed away from the 4GB cards until the SDHC spec was ratified because technically, 4GB is not supported in the SD spec (at least from what I've heard).

So given all that, and if it doesn't matter if you get a CF or SD card, I'd personally go for the CF card. I have had a better track record with the CF format over the years. Of course that doesn't mean that overall quality of all flash memory has not deteriorated over the years due to the competitive nature and resultant cost cutting (as I've bought more SD recently than CF cards, which were my primary flash format in the early years), so it may just be a complete crapshoot what you get. (One of the 2 CF cards I had fail was in fact a SanDisk.)