Is a regualr SD card fast enough for videos and games?

jb22 · 12-28-03, 02:01 AM

I think I'm going to pick up a 256mb Lexar card and I'm just wondering if a regualr SD card is fast enough to watch videos and maybe play games off of? Or should I pay the extra $10 and get the 32x 256mb Lexar card?

I think some one on this board mentioned that the only speed advantage came when using the SD card in a card reader/writer.

Also, whne I do get my card, should I format it? And if so I haven't seen a way to do it through WM2003 so do I need to downlaod an app or should I not botehr with the formatting.

sheepy · 12-28-03, 10:04 AM

i've got the normal Lexar 256MB card, and it's fine playing videos off... can't speak for games but i'd expect it's fine also, seems perfectly fast...

copying onto it using my USB2 reader i can copy the full 243MB in just a few minutes, and reading should in theory be faster still... it does sound right that you wouldn't notice the difference on the axim, as i'm sure the reader in there is not as fast as a USB2 one...

(note that is 243MB, i got stung by that one - it's 256 million bytes, NOT 256MB, how they market these things as 256MB when they're patently not I don't understand, but apparently it's standard practice across the memory card market, not particular to the Lexar cards)

don't know about formatting, but i think there's an option somewhere if need be - i seem to rememebr having to do some sort of jiggery pokery to get it working, formatting it on my computer i think using the card reader... i think there is a way of doing it in WM2003 though, I just don't know it...

12-28-03, 11:06 AM

It will certainly be fast enough for games because although programs are stored on your SD card they actually run in the section of main memory allocated to Programs. Thus all a slow card will do is to delay (very slightly) the time a program takes to load and starts to run.

Videos, on the other hand, will probably be run from the card.

A new SD card will come already formatted. You can check this by using Start>Settings>System>Memory> Storage Card. If a (say) 256Mb card shows something like 247Mb capacity, this small reduction is due to the formatting. I have never had to format any CF or SD card bought new.

aviationwiz · 12-28-03, 01:48 PM

My Sandisk 256MB SD card plays games and videos off of it perfectly.

jb22 · 12-28-03, 03:28 PM

Thanks guys, I think I'll save the $10 and just get a regular SD card.

TWave · 12-30-03, 06:10 AM

Well, its really upto you, if you have an external reader and you transfer a lot of data i suggest the faster memory card. I have 2 256mb Lexar 32x cards and one regular SanDisk card. The sandisk works well, but its half the speed on benchmarks. So all I use it for now is mp3s. The other 2 cards I use in my Digicam and programs on my X3i. I notice a huge difference when using them, mostly when i am browsing the card, or when the other user said while i am opening programs.

Magicmonger · 12-30-03, 09:44 AM

My standard Lexar 128mb sd card plays games without any hesitation. Like davrol said the program is stored on the sd but run in main memory of your Ax.

jb22 · 12-30-03, 01:39 PM

Well I ended up getting the 32x card only becasue they were sold out of the regualr cards. I don't think I will be getting an external card reader/writer right away as I don't maind waiting a couple of mintues while I transfer over stuff to the X3.

I wouldn't mind getting a Lexar Jump Trio or whatever it's called so I could use the SD card in the reader as a usb thumb drive.

But for now I'm okay and I'm very happy with the cards. It's already full!

SpiderWiz · 12-31-03, 08:41 AM

I thought the 32x cards should better benefits in cameras. Since it read/writes faster. I have regular SD cards on my X5 for a year and play Pocket EQ from the cards and have not problems. Also, listen to mp3s from the cards with no noticeable effects.

jb22 · 12-31-03, 12:26 PM

Well, atleast the card I got is made in Japan so hopefully I won't run into any problems.

enforcerviper · 01-04-04, 10:08 PM

Believe it or not my lexar normal sd benches faster than the lexar 32x sd card I have. Using a Jumpdrive Trio, it's write is faster, but the read is slightly slower. I don't buy into the 32x thing at all.

Here's my proof. Test was conducted using the same jumpdrive trio in the same machine, benching one card after another. I even tried another 32x lexar card and it showed pretty much the same results:

Using SisSoft Sandra 2004's benchmark, both cards are BRAND NEW and EMPTY:

WARNING BIG FILES (I'm running dual monitor and didn't crop out the second display.. sorry:

http://members.rogers.com/myimages0/lexar32x.JPG
http://members.rogers.com/myimages0/lexarnormal.JPG

Of course I may have just gotten a really fast regular card. I didn't have another regular one to benchmark.