1src Forums - Best 4 GB SD card for T/X

cyberdude

09-28-2006, 05:36 PM

I tried these as 150X
A-Data cheap but plastic break very easy
Topram cheap but break also very fast

& the best for me is Transcend,affordable & very resistent to the everyday in/out card reader.
I wish I knew that before I bought my a-data. Luckily I haven't had any problems. It does have a lifetime warranty. (for what it's worth) :rolleyes:

docinthebox

09-28-2006, 05:42 PM

I would highly recommend the Transcend card reader too.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=83149

From my experience, there's a huge variability in transfer speed among different card readers, depending on the chipset they use. I used to use a cheap reader from CompUSA and it was sooo much slower than the Transcend reader.

npbeers

09-28-2006, 08:12 PM

I've had a 2GB adata SD card for about a year now and have had no problems at all....

I've also got a 4GB RiData SD card that I've really enjoyed, but beware... all teh VFS marks I've seen for 4GB SD cards have very slow delete times. If I'm deleting anything more than 1-2MB I use CardReader and delete it on my PC because my TX just hangs for minutes while it tries to delete.....

cyberdude

09-29-2006, 08:30 AM

Note that most cards are rated on READ times, not write/delete times. so a 150x card reads at 150x (supposedly).

userwaldo

09-29-2006, 10:30 AM

I have a PQI 4GB SD Card, and though it isn't fast (may be just an issue with large SD cards), I haven't had any problems with it.

FaKK

09-30-2006, 02:33 PM

cyberdude

09-30-2006, 03:16 PM

what about one of these new 8 GIG SdCards? anyone know about them?

well .. 4 gigs are okay, sometimes there are some errors on the card .. broken files etc.
pTunes want to search for music every time ... when you have about 600 songs on it
As has been stated before, because of pecularities in the palm OS, 8GB cards will not work without Dmitry's hack.

docinthebox

10-04-2006, 04:20 AM

Here's some performance data (article in Chinese, but pictures are self-explanatory):

http://forum.palmislife.com/viewthread.php?tid=56464&fpage=1&sid=vbsiWM

Using a high speed card reader with the Genesys GL819 controller (like the Transcend 13-in-1 card reader), and HDTach version 3.0.1.0:

Transcend 150x 4GB SD:
Avg read speed 20.0 MB/sec

SanDisk Extreme III 1GB SD:
Avg read speed 18.9 MB/sec

SanDisk 2GB SD (regular, not Ultra or Extreme):
Avg read speed 10.2 MB/sec

TimothyP

10-20-2006, 12:27 PM

joelong

11-17-2006, 04:03 PM

I have a 4gb Transcend 150x SD that I've been using in my Dell Axim X51v. My TX reads it fine, but when I try to delete a file, the TX freeze up and requires a soft reset. The little locking tab is definitely not in the "locked" position. Do I have to reformat this SD card (perhaps in the TX) in order to get it to work right? I'd like to avoid that if possible.

JAmerican

11-17-2006, 04:34 PM

I have a PQI SD 4GB 150x card. Watch Jon Stewart, Chappelle, Family Guy, Have music on it. Don't have any problems with it. Had more problems with my 2GB SD. LOL. Only thing is that NetFront requires FAT cards to save files from the internet so it does not recognize my 4GB card but it sees my 2GB Card.

JAmerican

pokeypda

11-17-2006, 05:11 PM

I have a 1GB Corsair SD card that works erraticlly in my TX. If I just read from it no problems but writing occasionally causes coruption. Disappearing files, lost space .... I had it replaced under warranty but same problems came up. My solution is to only write to it using a computer, I've been using it for movies.

I've been using a standard speed 1GB PNY with no problems other than being bog slow.

Zano2004

11-18-2006, 07:42 AM

Church Punk

11-19-2006, 05:11 AM

we should make a poll to see if a 4gb does work...

Im thinking to buy a transcend 4gb but want to make sure it works flawlessly with the tx...

Zano2004

11-19-2006, 03:28 PM

we should make a poll to see if a 4gb does work...

Im thinking to buy a transcend 4gb but want to make sure it works flawlessly with the tx...So far, it appears that the Transcend 4gb card is the only 4gb card that works.

ovocko

11-19-2006, 03:43 PM

So far, it appears that the Transcend 4gb card is the only 4gb card that works.

It is not true.
Also 4GB A-data works with TX (although I have objections to its quality), 4GB Patriot (133x) which I have now also works - so far it is better than A-data.

cyberdude

11-20-2006, 11:26 AM

I've had no problems at all with my A-Data 4gb 150x card running on my TX.

sundiverdb

11-22-2006, 12:03 AM

I use a RiData card with no real issues. It does take FOREVER to delete a file, and if I don't remember that, I think it has hung. But if I wait long enough it comes back.

Curious about the 4gb and blazer issue - I am going to have to play a bit more, I hadn't thought about it but i might have that problem as well. I can sometimes save a file, sometimes can't in blazer - and I always thought it had to do with how much overhead i had left.

dustoff

11-22-2006, 07:29 AM

Another vote for Transcend...Mine has been rock solid. No problems.

justinluck

11-22-2006, 01:00 PM

I read that you can't sync with a 4GB card. Is this true?

sundiverdb

11-22-2006, 05:06 PM

I am not sure what you mean by sync. Does it prevent you from synchronizing information to your palm? no. Does it prevent you from putting stuff on the card during sync? no.

Not sure what else you might mean

justinluck

11-24-2006, 01:50 PM

Don't ask me. A forum poster said avoid 4Gig cards because you can't install programs on them. You can only use them to load files like jpegs and video files.

Copperhead

11-26-2006, 05:10 PM

Want a great card reader? Iogear makes a series of USB2 thumbdrives with slots for the media of your choice. i use an SD reader with my palm TX and Canon Elph. Surprisingly, it's faster than using a PC Card adaptor with my PowerBook. AND it only cost $10!

http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GFR202SD&name=Pocket%20Card%20Reader

As far as good quality, high-capacity SD cards. I'd use nothing but SanDisk or Lexar (133x but only 2GB). I have both and no complaints about either.

Zano2004

11-26-2006, 09:21 PM

I agree that Sandisk makes great products, but their 4 gig SD Cards do not work in a Tx.

tk_421

11-27-2006, 11:25 AM

Don't ask me. A forum poster said avoid 4Gig cards because you can't install programs on them. You can only use them to load files like jpegs and video files.

Can anyone check on this? I'm about to buy a Transcend 4GB, and I sometimes use ZLauncher. Can this card be used to launch a program?

Church Punk

11-27-2006, 12:23 PM

I agree that Sandisk makes great products, but their 4 gig SD Cards do not work in a Tx.

yeh, sad, i just saw the SDHC, but that specific format is not suported... or so ive read as wel...

i just ordered mine trascend so me is happy :)

sundiverdb

11-27-2006, 02:17 PM

I run all my games off of the 4gb SD card (RiData though I doubt brand would matter there). I have no problems at all.

cyberdude

11-27-2006, 02:32 PM

I run many apps off my 4gb (A-Data) with no problems whatsoever. I use LauncherX. Almost all my utility apps are on the card . Granted there is some delay in launching an app from the card because the application is copied to RAM first, then launched, then copied back when you are finished. With some apps you will need to use the bundle bit, which you can set using any file utility (FileZ). Games like warfare Inc. have data files with a different creator ID. Because of this, you need to do the following if you intend to keep it on the card (as I do):

install the app to RAM
use a file manager like fileZ to check the checkbox labeled bundled on each of the files that were installed
create a directory on your card, something like palm/games/warfare, or palm/programs/warfare
move the files you just altered to that directory
either create a ZL shortcut to the game, or just map the directory in your ZL prefs (I assume you can do that in ZL - I can in LauncherX)

Zano2004

11-27-2006, 05:13 PM

yeh, sad, i just saw the SDHC, but that specific format is not suported... or so ive read as wel...

i just ordered mine trascend so me is happy :) Yeah, I'm really bummed-out that SanDisk doesn't have a 4 Gbyte SD Card I can use. So far, I guess I'm leaning toward the Transcend. But, I haven't filled-up mu 2 Gbyte SanDisk Ultra II yet and I've got a couple of 1 Gbyte cards collecting dust......:( and I can't think of a real good reason to jump to 4 Gbytes.......

cyberdude

11-28-2006, 07:51 AM

Yeah, I'm really bummed-out that SanDisk doesn't have a 4 Gbyte SD Card I can use. So far, I guess I'm leaning toward the Transcend. But, I haven't filled-up mu 2 Gbyte SanDisk Ultra II yet and I've got a couple of 1 Gbyte cards collecting dust......:( and I can't think of a real good reason to jump to 4 Gbytes.......
So you don't have to carry multiple cards with you? Granted I don't have a couple of 1gb cards hanging around, but since I got my 4gb I haven't used my old 512mb at all.

Zano2004

11-28-2006, 05:48 PM

So you don't have to carry multiple cards with you? Granted I don't have a couple of 1gb cards hanging around, but since I got my 4gb I haven't used my old 512mb at all.That's part of my problem........ I started small and grew and grew in card size. Having 3 PDAs doesn't help either......:rolleyes: The very same thing happened to me with hard disk drives until I got a few external boxes for my old drives.....

Church Punk

11-30-2006, 12:30 PM

I got yesterday my Transcend. It took more than hour and a half to download 3.2GB of music to the card. I dunno what exactly the 150x is but it was ok i guess. 3.2GB of data is still a huge amount for the SD card.

Nevertheless i had my doubts about the speed and tried to compare it with the SanDisk Extreme III (ESP. tech.).
What i did was a full resco explorer backup in both cards... here the results:

the Transcend 4GB took more than 23 mins
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9481/4gbao8.th.png (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4gbao8.png)
the SanDisk 1GB took 4 and a half
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/6779/1gbdd3.th.png (http://img380.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1gbdd3.png)

I think it is a good card, but the size limits, somehow, the speed of writng on the SD. To delete files takes also a quite. I first though my TX crashed the first time i deleted a file, but i decided to leave it to see if it was really a crash. My surprise was that the TX was still alive after a moment (could say one minute, more or less) so thats quite long to delete a file. In the other hand, the SanDisk is VERY fast, and it does its job pretty well. To bad/sad they dont have a "normal" 4GB SD, just the SDCH :(.

Zano2004

11-30-2006, 02:17 PM

Theoretically, the Extreme III is real fast, but when in use in my Tx it (1 Gbyte)is much slower than if I plug it into my laptop, which has a card reader for all the cards built-in. I once used a benchmark program to measure the speed of the Extreme II and a 1 Gbyte SanDisk Ultra II. The Extreme is advertised as being faster than the Ultra, but the benchmark program indicated that the Extreme was slower. The Transcend may indeed be faster than the Extreme.As best as I recall the Ultra has a write speed of 9 Mbyte per second and the Extreme is 10 or 12 Mbyte per second. I don't know how that relates to 150x.

p.s. Just checked the SanDisk web site the Extreme is 20 Mbyte per second write and the Ultra is 9 Mbyte per second write.

cyberdude

11-30-2006, 02:32 PM

Just as a matter of note, the speed, in this case 150x, is reflecting the read speed only.

tk_421

12-01-2006, 04:49 PM

Seems like 4GB cards, being FAT32, aren't too performant on the TX, at least with respect to write speeds. I guess I might as well get some cheap ultra 2 card, maybe the one with the USB connector built-in. I don't want to have to wait 25 minutes for a backup, it is just unacceptable to me.

Here's hoping the successor to the TX will accept SDHC cards. That 8GB card is looking very attractive. Knowing Palm, we'll have to wait until ALP to get SDHC support. That would suck, because I am planning on buying the "last" Garnet PDA and make it my main device for at leats 3 years, until UMPCs become a suitable replacement for PDAs as we know them. (I doubt ALP will do everything I need it to do, since it will be mostly a smartphone platform. And I dread the day of VGA screens with subpar color.)

donx

12-01-2006, 09:44 PM

I have a Transcend x150 4GB card. Looking at my backup logs from RescoBackup my backups are taking around 315 seconds (5 minutes 15 seconds) to backup 571 files. The compressed size is 30117k. I show 47.5M free on the device. I don't feel this is too long to wait for a backup.

I use ZLauncher and I have moved several applications to the card. I don't have problems running them from the card. I have Tom Tom 5 maps and about 2 GB of ogg music files on the card as well. I have no problems playing Pocket Tunes music in the background while Tom Tom Navigator is running.

I strongly recommend this card.

tk_421

12-02-2006, 12:18 AM

I have a Transcend x150 4GB card. Looking at my backup logs from RescoBackup my backups are taking around 315 seconds (5 minutes 15 seconds) to backup 571 files. The compressed size is 30117k. I show 47.5M free on the device. I don't feel this is too long to wait for a backup.

I guess not all Transcend 4GB are created equal. There sure is a huge difference between 25 minutes and 5 minutes.

Are you having a hard time deleting files like the other people here? I really wish I could get this card. 4GB is a huge plus. But if it takes forever to write to it, then it's a no-go.

Perhaps I should get it from a place where I can return it. Nothing better than to try it for myself.

donx

12-02-2006, 10:41 AM

I guess not all Transcend 4GB are created equal. There sure is a huge difference between 25 minutes and 5 minutes.

Are you having a hard time deleting files like the other people here? I really wish I could get this card. 4GB is a huge plus. But if it takes forever to write to it, then it's a no-go.

Perhaps I should get it from a place where I can return it. Nothing better than to try it for myself.
When RescoBackup finishes a backup set, it deletes one of the older sets - a directory that is 30117k and holds 213 files. The delete definitely takes less than a minute and probably less than 30 seconds. I haven't timed it, but it is definitely acceptable.

I just deleted a 1762k mpg file and it took less than 1 second.

I copied a directory with 12 .ogg files that is a total of 53087k to another location on the card. That operation took 2 minutes 28 seconds. Deleting this same directory took only 2 seconds. I think that the time to delete is based upon the number of files and not on the size of those files. This would explain why the RescoBackup delete takes longer to delete 213 files that total 30117k than it does to delete 12 files that total 53087k.

tk_421

12-02-2006, 10:49 AM

Seems like your card is plenty fast, unlike some other users here.

How did you format your card? Is the TX, or with your PC? Perhaps that's what makes a difference.

Or maybe your card isn't that full yet? How many gigs are you using now?

Wish I could get the Transcend 4GB, definitely.

donx

12-02-2006, 12:48 PM

I don't think I formatted the card. When I first got it I simply stuck it into the TX and the proper Palm directories were created. Then I put it in a card reader and started copying files to it such as my .ogg files and Tom Tom maps.

I have 82531K out of 4044800K available, so I have used about 80% of it.

Texas_Rsx

12-03-2006, 01:09 PM

So, I'm not quite too sure what card you guys are talking about?

Is it just an SD card like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-GENUINE-TRANSCEND-4GB-SD-SECURE-DIGITAL-CARD-4G_W0QQitemZ320054610829QQihZ011QQcategoryZ122613QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Or a compactflash card like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Transcend-4GB-High-Speed-120x-CompactFlash-Card_W0QQitemZ320055487713QQihZ011QQcategoryZ122613QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Church Punk

12-03-2006, 02:55 PM

it should be the SD, look the tittle of the thread...

tk_421

12-03-2006, 03:14 PM

donx

12-03-2006, 03:51 PM

Zano2004

12-03-2006, 05:23 PM

WARNING! The card that Texas_Rsx links to is NOT the card I am referring to. My card has 150X on it. The one in his/her link doesn't. Perhaps this is the reason people are experiencing different results. The card I have is referred to as Transcend's Ultra Speed 150X 4GB and has a model number of TS4GSD150. Make sure it either says Ultra Speed or 150X. For example:

Transcend 4GB Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820163159&ATT=20-163-159&CMP=OTC-17exta6)

I hope this helps clear things up.Tried donx's link to NewEgg.com. They have the Transcend that according to the reviews works with the Tx. Good price $83 fo 4 Gbytes isn't bad at all. NewEgg has a 30 day return policy and the reviews seem good for NewEgg.

Now, if I can figure out a justification....... My 2 gig card isn't even half full...

tk_421

12-03-2006, 06:35 PM

What I am wondering now is will this card work with digital cameras as well? I am asking because I know it's FAT32, unlike most SD cards which are FAT16.

I am hoping that the next Palm PDA will accept SDHC cards. With more dynamic heap and DBcache, my TX memory problems will finally be over.

donx

12-03-2006, 06:52 PM

It depends on the camera. It won't work with my Pentax Optio 555, but that is a relatively old camera. When I put it in the camera it says that the card is not formatted because it is expecting the card to use FAT16.

Even if it worked in my camera, I wouldn't use it for my camera. Since cameras mostly write to cards, I would rather use 1GB or 2GB cards with fast write speeds. That's what I do. I use 1GB Lexar 32X cards with it. They have much faster write speeds than my Transcend 4GB card. The TX does much more reading from cards than writing to cards, so the Transcend 4GB makes sense for it.

tk_421

12-03-2006, 09:28 PM

I am actually using a 1GB 32X Lexar SD card in my TX now. I am now perfectly satisfied with the write and read speeds as well.

How would you compare the write speed of the 32X Lexar and 4GB Transcend on the TX? Is the 32X Lexar that much faster?

Perhaps I should just go with a 2GB sandisk Ultra, and have something that is compatible accross a wider range of devices. Maybe 2GB will be enough until the SDHC standard is adopted by Palm. (Like... in 4 years from now.)

donx

12-03-2006, 11:24 PM

The following is a posting I made at another palm forum. It is a comparison of three types of SD cards:

"Following junglemike's advice, I installed CardSpeed. I had a problem installing from the .zip file junglemike provided, so I googled for it and found it here: CardSpeed (http://www.freewarepalm.com/utilities/cardspeedtestingutility.shtml)

Here are my results from three of my cards. I ran the test twice in a row for each card. All values are in units of bytes/sec.

Transcend 4GB 150x card (the card referenced by the OP). Reported as good but warned to avoid recording at 22KHz PCM.
Wrt32bit: 91 --- 93
Wrt8KB: 141699 --- 142469
Read8KB: 2016492 --- 2016492

Kingston Ultimate 2GB 120x card. Reported as excellent so can be used at any record setting.
Wrt32bit: 715 --- 1236
Wrt8KB: 794375 --- 771011
Read8KB: 1747626 --- 1872457

Lexar 256MB 32x card. Reported as excellent so can be used at any record setting.
Wrt32bit: 234 --- 206
Wrt8KB: 204800 --- 201649
Read8KB: 1872457 --- 1872457

This card will definitely be good for storing data such as my TomTom maps, mp3, etc. and reading them from the card. It is much slower than my other two tested cards when it comes to writing. Notice that reading is faster from this card than my other cards. I guess that's where they got that 150x label.

Since my plan is to use this card mostly for storage of maps and music, I'm very happy with the purchase of this card."

Notice that the Kingston Ultimate 2GB 120x card is as good as the Lexar is for reading, but notice how it is significantly better at writing than either of the other two cards. If I was going to buy a 2GB card, the Kingston Ultimate would definitely be at the top of my list.

I recommend anyone interesting in knowing the performance of your SD card to download and use the CardSpeed application I have linked.

Church Punk

12-04-2006, 03:52 AM

Now I must admit I am lost... Some people are having beautiful results with the Transcend 4GB, and others, like Church Punk, are experiencing very slow write times.

Now I must admit I feel like playing it safe and getting a Sandisk 2GB. The ranscend is very tempting, but seems risky.

I guess I'll just toss a coin and go along with that.

Yes, im having writing/deleting "issues" with the Transcend, but it doesnt mean that im not satisfied with the card.

I would recomend this card for the same reason donx points out, to store tomtom maps, or music; files that you are going to read from the card only. I have mine like a music card, to use my TX like a portable player (say its like an iPod mini :D)

But i wouldnt rely on this card to work with docs, run apps/ games, or do my backups, since the speed for those functions arent that good for my needs.

Overall its like a 8 out of 10 for me :) (1 minus for writing speed; 1 minus for deleting speed)

donx

12-04-2006, 09:14 AM

Church Punk,

Can you confirm that you have the Ultra Speed 150X card and not a slower model Transcend card? Also, can you confirm that you get test results that are comparable to mine when you run CardSpeed tests?

Church Punk

12-04-2006, 11:59 AM

sure, just, can you please send me your copy of CardSpeed? the link you gave was down...

and yes, i have the 150X card this one (http://www.mediaonline.de/shop/product_5000_5000_-3_192596_5000.123004.123007.12043.60508) and NOT this one (http://www.mediaonline.de/shop/product_5000_5000_-3_413186_5000.123004.123007.12043.60508)

donx

12-04-2006, 03:09 PM

Try the following link:

http://audacityaudio.com/vfst.htm

Church Punk

12-04-2006, 03:22 PM

ok here the test results:

Finished in 1.87 secs

Wrt32bit: 316 bytes/sec
Wrt8KB: 294543 bytes/sec
Read8KB: 3276800 bytes/sec

hope it helps :)

tk_421

12-04-2006, 04:40 PM

ok here the test results:

Finished in 1.87 secs

Wrt32bit: 316 bytes/sec
Wrt8KB: 294543 bytes/sec
Read8KB: 3276800 bytes/sec

hope it helps :)

This make slittle sense to me, since your card seems much slower than donx', although your test results show it is much faster. Perhaps the CardSpeed application has some bug?

I guess buying a Transcend 4GB is a risk. You might get a "good" one, or a "bad" one. Hopefully I'll get lucky if I decide to buy one.

donx

12-04-2006, 08:09 PM

I agree with tk_421. If Church Punk's results are correct, then I don't see how he could be having any problems. Then again, one thing that CardSpeed is not testing is deleting files. I still find it hard to believe that Church Punk is getting these results with CardSpeed, yet is finding the card slow for backups and file deletions.

Church Punk

12-05-2006, 12:40 AM

guys, dunno if thats really a problem...
maybe is the fact that backups need more "dynamic" cards to write in an adequate speed. Remember that RE backups are compressed in zip files, maybe that makes a difference with the writing speed in the long run (during the backup time)?

i was cheking with pasting some files with resco explorer and i must admit that the card speed is not bad at all, but when deleting files my tx "hangs" a bit. Also when i insert the card, the tx doesnt recognize it right away, its like a 2 secs gap until i hear the "tin-tun" sys-sound of a card being inserted. its not big issue but still is something i wanted u 2 know...

tk_421

12-05-2006, 08:41 AM

Church Punk,

How did you format your card? In your TX or PC? Maybe that would affect performance.

Also, CardSpeed gives different readings all the time. Perhaps you can run the test again and see if the result is more in accordance to what you are experiencing.

Perhaps you just got a "bad" card? 20 minutes backup times is just so long.

cyberdude

12-05-2006, 09:18 AM

20 minutes backup times is just so long.
I agree. I ran cardspeed on my A-data 150x 4gb card and got the following (embarrassing ) results:

finished in 6.37 seconds

wrt32bit:340 bytes/sec
wrt8kb: 53718 bytes/sec
read8kb: 2383127 bytes/sec

my backups with NVBackup/ Resco Backup/ BackupMan (yeah, I use all three) take less than 5 minutes to back up ~60mb.

Church Punk

12-05-2006, 09:50 AM

my backups with NVBackup/ Resco Backup/ BackupMan (yeah, I use all three) take less than 5 minutes to back up ~60mb.

ok ok ok... are we talking about FULL back ups??? That is what i did with the Card. If i just select to "update" the last backup its not that long (should chek it also tho)... also with the 1GB Extreme III is like a matter of seconds, but a FULL back up takes more than 4 mins.

cyberdude

12-05-2006, 11:36 AM

ok ok ok... are we talking about FULL back ups??? That is what i did with the Card. If i just select to "update" the last backup its not that long (should chek it also tho)... also with the 1GB Extreme III is like a matter of seconds, but a FULL back up takes more than 4 mins.
good question. I'm so used to doing updates that I didn't even think about it. I'm in the process of timing a full backup right now and will post the results.

EDIT: Okay the full backup using NVBackup, took 15 minutes to backup over 60mb on my slow A-Data card. So I would expect it to be much faster on a transcend.

donx

12-05-2006, 01:02 PM

I use both NVBackup and RescoBackup. I don't know how to tell if NVBackup is configured for a Full versus an Update backup, but I just confirmed that all of my RescoBackups are Full backups. I just completed a manual Full backup using RescoBackup and here are the results:

570 Files took 00:04:49 (4 minutes, 49 seconds). I also used my watch to time this. It turns out that this time does indeed include the time it takes to delete the old files. I noticed that the time to write the files was 4 minutes, 37 seconds, so the delete operation only took 12 seconds.

Some other backup settings I have selected include Compute Crc and Fast Compression.

Church Punk

12-05-2006, 01:28 PM

UUUPPSS!!!!

ok guys, this time it was my fault. I mean with the Cardspeed results. I had the TX internal drive hack enabled and didnt noticed when i ran the test. I just noticed it cuz i tried the other cards... The result i submited was for the internal drive of my TX. So this means that indeed i have a slow card.

Some1 pointed out that the format method affects the card speed? I formated the card first with the Palm builtin launcher and then with resco explorer. I cannot format that card with my pc cuz i dont have a card reader, unless drive mode :rolleyes: But didtn bother to format using windows 2000 ....

sorry again for the trouble guys, it was really my fault :o i will post my results later cuz i need to go right now... believeme, results are pretty slow :D

tk_421

12-05-2006, 03:31 PM

Church Punk,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to perform the test. Now things are starting to make more sense.

The only mistery is why is your card so slow if it is indeed a 150x Transcend? Perhaps you somehow got a "bad" card, that is in fact the "normal" speed one, only with the 150x sticker?

I wish I knew. 5 minutes for a backup is certainly no problem for me. I'd take the Transcend 4GB in a flash (no pun intended) if I could get "performance" like donx is getting.

pokeypda

12-05-2006, 04:49 PM

Yes, im having writing/deleting "issues" with the Transcend, but it doesnt mean that im not satisfied with the card.

I would recomend this card for the same reason donx points out, to store tomtom maps, or music; files that you are going to read from the card only. I have mine like a music card, to use my TX like a portable player (say its like an iPod mini :D)

But i wouldnt rely on this card to work with docs, run apps/ games, or do my backups, since the speed for those functions arent that good for my needs.

Overall its like a 8 out of 10 for me :) (1 minus for writing speed; 1 minus for deleting speed)

What sort of issues? I have a Corsair 133x 1gb SD card that was occasionally losing files (space would remain missing) and other weirdness. I also reached the conclusion that it was the TX writing to the card causing the problems. I'm now using it for movies. Also, all 3 of my computers work well with the card.

Corsair exchanged the card and it didn't help and now I'm wondering why some TXs seem to have problems with some high speed cards that seem fine when used elsewhere?

pokeypda

12-05-2006, 05:02 PM

I use both NVBackup and RescoBackup. I don't know how to tell if NVBackup is configured for a Full versus an Update backup, but I just confirmed that all of my RescoBackups are Full backups. I just completed a manual Full backup using RescoBackup and here are the results:

570 Files took 00:04:49 (4 minutes, 49 seconds). I also used my watch to time this. It turns out that this time does indeed include the time it takes to delete the old files. I noticed that the time to write the files was 4 minutes, 37 seconds, so the delete operation only took 12 seconds.

With NVBackup:

'New Backup' = full backup
'Update' = update of previous backup

RescoBackup:

If it's deleting files it sounds like an update?

donx

12-05-2006, 08:04 PM

With NVBackup:

'New Backup' = full backup
'Update' = update of previous backup

RescoBackup:

If it's deleting files it sounds like an update?
I don't select either New or Update (a.k.a. manual backup). I have the backup performed every night at 1:00AM and I don't see anything to select for scheduled backups (a.k.a. cycle backups) to specifically say I want a full backup or an update backup so I assume my scheduled backups are full backups. In fact I am convinced they are full backups because I have used them to restore my TX after hard resets.

RescoBackup is deleting the oldest backup set. I keep the last four backup sets, so after a new full backup is created, the fifth set is deleted.

cyberdude

12-06-2006, 11:52 AM

I don't select either New or Update (a.k.a manual backup). I have the backup performed every night at 1:00AM and I don't see anything to select for scheduled backups (a.k.a. cycle backups) to specifically say I want a full backup or an update backup so I assume my scheduled backups are full backups. In fact I am convinced they are full backups because I have used them to restore my TX after hard resets.

RescoBackup is deleting the oldest backup set. I keep the last four backup sets, so after a new full backup is created, the fifth set is deleted.
If I stat Resco Backup and tap the schedule button I get a screen that has 3 buttons across the top: NONE, Update, Full. Whichever one you select is the type of backup you are scheduling with that particular project (most stay with the default project, but you can have multiple projects.

You can set up one project that creats a full backup 2 times a week and another project that creates updates 7 times/week.

donx

12-06-2006, 03:53 PM

I know about how the settings work in RescoBackup. I have RescoBackup set to Full.

What I don't know are how the settings in NVBackup work. For example, how do you schedule an update backup? I don't think that can be done. I believe that all scheduled (i.e. cycle) backups are full backups. Am I missing something?

rpvinny

01-10-2007, 07:33 PM

OK after reading the posts where is the best place to pickup one of the 4B Transcend SD cards..

Thanks
Rich

sundiverdb

01-10-2007, 10:38 PM

buy.com is pretty good right now, but newegg seems to be the most consistent in price. E-cost is also a pretty good place to look.

preludejtstyle

01-10-2007, 11:23 PM

OK after reading the posts where is the best place to pickup one of the 4B Transcend SD cards..

Thanks
Rich

8GB 150x speed > 4GB card. if you can afford it :)

rpvinny

01-13-2007, 02:43 PM

Zano2004

01-13-2007, 05:22 PM

NewEgg has been out of them for the past few days. Amazon.com seems to have them cheaper than NewEgg.

donx

01-13-2007, 11:17 PM

Im seeing now that the A Data sd card may be faster than any of the others. I have a PalmTX and would like to get the most reliable plus fastest 4GB SD card out here, can anyone give me any advice in this matter..

Thanks,
Rich
I have both an A Data 150x 4GB card and a Transcend 150x 4GB card. They both have the same read speed, but the write speed of the Transcend if far superior to the A Data write speed. The A Data card has also been reported to be less durable. I did have to format it in my TX to get it to work whereas the Transcend card worked right from the start. If I were going to buy another 4GB card it would not be an A Data card. It would be a Transcend card or something else that has come out and be confirmed to work better than the Transcend card.

rpvinny

01-14-2007, 09:54 AM

donx, thanks for the information, I also see the Transcend 4GB cards are cheaper in price than the A Data. So if the Transcend is working that well for you I think thats the way I will go also.

Thanks again,
Rich

docinthebox

01-14-2007, 11:52 AM

I second the recommenation for Transcend 4GB SD card. It's been very fast and reliable for me. I also recommend the Transcend card reader to go with the card. This reader is the fastest I've used, much faster than my previous readers.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=83149

JAmerican

01-14-2007, 05:34 PM

I got a 4GB PQI SD card from NewEgg last year for $60. Should be cheaper now. But still was cheap then :) I love it. I am reconverting all my songs from 64kbps to 96kbps due to I have the space now. :)

JAmerican

drwho

02-22-2007, 04:12 AM

4gb MyMemory card arrived this morning. You can get one from here 4gb MyMemory Card (http://www.mymemory.co.uk/memory/MyMemory/4GB/133X/SD/Card/(Secure/Digital)) . There is a special offer of 40% off, which equals £21.94 inc postage. Seems to be a good solid build. My card reader doesn't work with it. Says card is not formatted.

Popped it in TX and it took 5 seconds to recognise it.. VFSMark figures as follows:

File Create: 483%
File Delete: 274%
File Write: 108%
File Read: 206%
File Seek: 2950%
DB Export: 87%
DB Import: 143%
Record Access: 574%
Resource Access: 662%

VFSMark: 609

CardSpeed test

Reported as good but warned to avoid recording at 22KHz PCM.
Wrt32bit: 544
Wrt8KB: 151528
Read8KB: 708497

For comparison

Transcend 4GB 150x card (the card referenced by the OP). Reported as good but warned to avoid recording at 22KHz PCM.
Wrt32bit: 91 --- 93
Wrt8KB: 141699 --- 142469
Read8KB: 2016492 --- 2016492
If I understand these results, writing is faster than Transcend (esp 32bit), but reading is slower.

Backup Programs
System reports I have 39.7 free out of 114.8mb. So I presume I have 75mb of files to backup
First backup using NVBackup took 14 minutes.
First backup using RescoBackup took 9 minutes

Pleased so far, but only had it for an hour

ntoo

02-23-2007, 05:16 PM

I just got 4Gb transcend 150x to replace my 2Gb transcend 80x

here are the vfsmark results

___________________________
transcend 4Gb 150 x

VFSMark Results

File Create: 52%
File Delete: 21%
File Write: 13%
File Read: 450%
File Seek: 2950%
DB Export: 16%
DB Import: 221%
Record Access: 1096%
Resource Access: 936%

VFSMark: 639
___________________________

transcend 2Gb 80 x

VFSMark Results

File Create: 2329%
File Delete: 2344%
File Write: 74%
File Read: 552%
File Seek: 3933%
DB Export: 268%
DB Import: 287%
Record Access: 1292%
Resource Access: 1280%

VFSMark: 1373
___________________________

strange isn't it..
if I try to delete a 700 Mb avi it's sooooo long compare to the 2 second of my 2Gb
will try to contact transcend support or to bring it back where i bought it

drwho

02-24-2007, 03:19 AM

After one day with 4gb MyMemory card it seems to work well, with one irritation. When I switch my TX on, there is a delay of about 6 seconds before the Palm responds: same delay as when I first insert the card. If, say, I am using Mobipocket, when I turn the TX on, it thinks that the file is not there, and goes back to the library. I then have to re-open the book. Some programs exit completely and return to the launcher.

Using Dimitry's patched Fat32 driver on my T3, there is the same delay when inserting the card, but only a fraction of a second delay when I switch the T3 on. (Other than being read-only, it works well)

Anyone else experience this with the TX and 4gb card? Is there a setting or tip to stop this happening?