SD card with adaptor or USB stick?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sain So
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Sain So

I am thinking of using an SD card with a USB adapter (instead of a USB
memory stick) as way of having portable data.

(Q1) Is there any significant difference between the two in terms of
function or performance?

(Q2) Could a micro-SD card (with a "size" adapter) always be used in place
of a regular sized SD card?
 
I am thinking of using an SD card with a USB adapter (instead of a USB
memory stick) as way of having portable data.

(Q1) Is there any significant difference between the two in terms of
function or performance?
Click to expand...

Function no (except technical details you don't need to care about);
performance depends on what you buy.

It's actually a lot easier to identify high-speed SD cards than
high-speed USB sticks, because they have actual speed ratings. Class 2
are slow, class 6 are fast, and class 10 are round the corner.
(Q2) Could a micro-SD card (with a "size" adapter) always be used in place
of a regular sized SD card?
Click to expand...

Yes.

There are still SD-only USB adapters out there, so if your SDHC card
doesn't work in one, that'll be why.

MicroSD to SD size adapters are universal, they're just wires and a
shell.

Cheers - Jaimie
 
I am thinking of using an SD card with a USB adapter (instead of a USB
memory stick) as way of having portable data.

(Q1) Is there any significant difference between the two in terms of
function or performance?
Click to expand...

Depends on tha Card and the adaptor. FWIW I have both USB sticks and
SD cards with an Adaptor. I couldn't tell you of any noticable
difference.
(Q2) Could a micro-SD card (with a "size" adapter) always be used in place
of a regular sized SD card?
Click to expand...

Yes, I do this also with the kids T4 DS games ;)
 
I am thinking of using an SD card with a USB adapter (instead of a USB
memory stick) as way of having portable data.

(Q1) Is there any significant difference between the two in terms of
function or performance?
Click to expand...

Yes. (Almost) all SD cards have a write protect switch.
Write protect switches on USB sticks are rare, to say the least
:-)
 
Yes. (Almost) all SD cards have a write protect switch.
Write protect switches on USB sticks are rare, to say the least
:-)
Click to expand...

Does anything honour that? It's a software setting rather than
hardware, and most of the kit I use seems to completely ignore it.

Cheers - Jaimie
 
Sain said:
I am thinking of using an SD card with a USB adapter (instead of a USB
memory stick) as way of having portable data.

(Q1) Is there any significant difference between the two in terms of
function or performance?

(Q2) Could a micro-SD card (with a "size" adapter) always be used in place
of a regular sized SD card?
Click to expand...

An adapter for a standard SD card is often bigger than a USB stick.

The weak link in a USB is the USB connector itself. Lots of leverage
when you bend on the stick can fracture internal connections. If you
break it, the reader is cheaper to
replace than the dedicated USB stick.

SD card can plug into your pda or mp3 player. USB stick has less
versatility.

Adapter has more connections to go dirty/bad/intermittent.
QUALITY adapters aren't cheap. Cheap adapters aren't QUALITY.

USB sticks are often cheaper than SD cards in the larger sizes...
especially high-speed cards.
 
An adapter for a standard SD card is often bigger than a USB stick.

The weak link in a USB is the USB connector itself. Lots of leverage
when you bend on the stick can fracture internal connections. If you
break it, the reader is cheaper to
replace than the dedicated USB stick.
Click to expand...

Micro-SD readers can be *much* better than SD cards. One of the
reasons I've switched.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9391

Cheers - Jaimie
 
Sain So said:
I am thinking of using an SD card with a USB adapter (instead of a USB
memory stick) as way of having portable data.

(Q1) Is there any significant difference between the two in terms of
function or performance?

(Q2) Could a micro-SD card (with a "size" adapter) always be used in place
of a regular sized SD card?
Click to expand...

This will all work quite well, the only issue is the more connectors you add
the less reliability you get. I have a sandisk SD card which actually has a
USB port on the flip side. It works very well but I don't think they came in
anything over 2GB.

http://pan.fotovista.com/dev/3/8/32200083/l_32200083.jpg
 
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