sidewinder33625

I just made an amazing discovery. The 512MB card I got from Newegg for $75 after rebate is nearly 4X faster at writing than my 256MB card which is also Sandisk. I was so surprised that I ran multiple tests using multiple files and still same result.

For example, writing 16MB file took 24 seconds on the 256MB card while writing same file took 7 seconds on the 512MB card. Just to make sure this has nothing to do with file cache on the PC, I deleted the file off of the 256MB card then wrote the same file again to the 256MB card and it took same 24 seconds. This was tested on a Sandisk USB 2.0 8-in-1 reader/writer.

So it appears the new 512MB cards are indeed using the 4Gb(Giga bit) chips which are suppossed to offer much higher write performance. I just hope these new generation chips fare better compared to the early generation in regards to reliability.

Some links on the new 4Gb(gigabit NOT gigabyte) chips:

" Key Points of New ICs :
1) Adoption of 90-nanometer process technology allows the 4Gb NAND memory to use the same package as the company's 1Gb NAND flash memory fabricated with 130-nanometer process technology.
2) The new 4Gb NAND flash memory enables approximately eight times faster write performance, compared with Toshiba's present memory chip (TC58DVG14B1FT00), by implementing advanced design concept and adjusting the control system of the memory cell.
3) Stacking the new 4Gb NAND flash memories in a single TSOP achieves an 8Gb NAND flash memory in the same package size as the 4-gigabit chip. CompactFlash? memory cards, which can incorporate up to four TSOP in a card, will be able to double their capacity to 32Gb. " --- link

" The new generation NAND MLC memories will enable the production of flash memory cards having double the storage capacity of today’s cards, at a reduced cost per megabyte, thereby further expanding the wide-ranging adoption of NAND flash in consumer and mobile applications. The MLC-based memory cards that will be built using the new 4Gbit die and 8Gb chips will achieve higher write speeds via careful design integration between both the flash memory chip and our latest generation controller chips. . . . Mass production of the device is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2004. " --- link