What speed SD and CF card to buy

Jeeper · #1 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 10:24 PM

Hi All,

I have just placed an order for a new X51v 624Mhz

and have a couple of questions (I am sure, once I get it in my hands, I will have more).

I want to order a high capacity SD card and would like to know if there is any advantage to getting one of the more expensive high speed cards, or is the Axim buss the limiting factor for speed of data transfer to/from the card. Also, is there any size restriction for high capacity SD cards in the X51v?

And last, can anyone recommend a good source and brand for a high capacity battery?

Thanks, Don

Mahstah · #2 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 10:39 PM

I hate to say it, but Pocket PCs can't perform as fast as expansion cards can. ROM A12 for the X51v sped up the xfer rates but still they are below the 20+ MB/s that high speed cards boast. I personally buy the high speed cards for my Axims but it might be unnecessary.

dahawthorne · #3 (**permalink**) 11-01-2006, 10:47 AM

I bought a 4GB SD & an 8GB CF from eBay, both Sandisk Extreme III, but later received warnings that the SD was a counterfeit and wouldn't give me the full speed. The packaging is supposed to be a good indicator - different graphics, and maybe the CF is a forgery too. I haven't noticed any problems at all with either card - it throws the data as fast as the internal memory, and I play movies faultlessly from both cards. So I agree with Mahstah - the quoted speed isn't particularly important.

dahawthorne · #4 (**permalink**) 11-01-2006, 09:48 PM

Sorry, Don, I forgot your question about the battery. I bought a 2200mah battery also from eBay for (as I recall) about £18/$30, about half the Dell price, complete with larger backplate, and it's fine - lasts for a long time. The backplate didn't fit perfectly - the prongs seem to be a bit smaller, and I got "battery compartment open" errors, but a bit of foam padding cured that (see other posts, including Mahstah's which has a picture).
Even so, I once watched 5 hours of video on the standard battery without coming close to wearing it out...

philpugh · #5 (**permalink**) 11-03-2006, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dahawthorne

I bought a 4GB SD & an 8GB CF from eBay, both Sandisk Extreme III, but later received warnings that the SD was a counterfeit and wouldn't give me the full speed. The packaging is supposed to be a good indicator - different graphics, and maybe the CF is a forgery too.

Unfortunately there are a lot of "forgeries" about on ebay. Also watch out for the fact that some of the high capacity cards aren't what they advertise either - try copying one file of just below the quoted capacity to it. (I know - if you are trying this you have already bought it and it's too late!). There is a very good guide on the ebay site to help identify conterfeit cards.

If the price looks too good to be true - then be very wary - especially from far eastern suppliers. I have a genuine SANdisk Extreme III 4GB card that I bought with and use in my digital camera - it is very quick - it allows continuous shooting for (nearly) ever. But I don't see much difference when I tried it in my X51v - so I stick to my cheaper, slower 2GB cards for this.

steve_waters · #6 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 01:43 AM

Does anyone know what the quoted transfer speed of the AXIM is?

pmaths · #7 (**permalink**) 11-30-2006, 01:15 PM

Apologies for bringing back this post, but I too would like to know wjat the transfer rate is for the X51V as I'm also unsure whether a 50x SD card is overkill or not...

Cheers...

Mahstah · #8 (**permalink**) 11-30-2006, 04:45 PM

I've benchmarked SD and CF cards a few times using Spb Benchmark and Omega One's Pocket Mechanic. With the X51v you can get a maximum of anywhere from 2 to 7 MB/s transfer rate depending on the card. Smaller cards tend to transfer faster in my experience. Stay at or above 50x which is made to transfer around 8 MB/s.

steve_waters · #9 (**permalink**) 12-01-2006, 05:00 AM

This is good know as the slower cards are sooooo much cheaper than their 150X counterparts.

So a 50X is not a bad deal then for cards.

MacIver02 · #10 (**permalink**) 12-20-2006, 07:32 AM

Sorry for a very late reply, but I just came across this... I spent about 45 min on the phone with Dell, about 6 months ago, trying to determine the same thing; how fast will the Axim X51v transfer; to SD & CF cards. My feeling was; I didn't wanna buy a higher priced card(s) that where faster, just because they where faster, when it wouldn't be taken advantage of by the Axim... well, after being handed off (from one phone jockey to another) I finally got a manager who also didn't know squat... it was their belief that it depended on the speed of the card... so, by that rationale, the Axim's xfer rate is/was infinitesimal! Yeah, right!