OCZ Direct to USB and Conclusions
Testing OCZ’s Direct to USB feature
The OCZ 80x SD card is unique to this round-up because it features a built-in USB connector on the card itself. This makes it really convenient to transfer data as you don’t need a special SD card reader to use it.
I’ve always wondered if using the built-in connector is as good as using a dedicated reader, so here’s a look at how the OCZ 80x card performs with the connector and with the reader:
Measured using SiSoft Sandra XI.
Measured using SiSoft Sandra XI.
As you can see, the USB reader has a slight edge in write performance, but a big lead in read performance.
However one of the annoyances of this feature is how the cap would slip off while trying to remove the card from a slot. I’ve actually had to use pliers to remove this card from my reader because there wasn’t enough to grip with my fingers.
Conclusions
There’s a temptation in these round-ups to recommend one product over the others, but in this case it really depends on your application. Some digital cameras don’t shoot fast enough or at a high enough resolution to merit a 150x card. But on the other hand someone with a Nikon D200 shooting continuously at 5 frames per second would want something really quick and reliable. The requirements would change as well if you’re using it mostly for a MP3 player, or for a PDA. You get the idea.
Roughly here’s how I see the different cards we’ve reviewed here in this round-up:
OCZ 150x: Consistently fast in all tests. Reliable transfer speeds.
OCZ 80x: Also a consistent performer, and sometimes as fast as the 150x. Consider the PNY 100x as a competitor. Comes with a nifty USB connector, but can sometimes get stuck inside a reader.
PNY 100x: Really fast performance, but not consistent across all tests. Some cases a slower card would come ahead.
PNY 60x: Perhaps the “gem” in this review. In a few cases we saw the PNY 60x beating higher rated cards that are in higher price points. Performance isn’t always consistent as it comes out as the slowest in the custom read test using USB.
ATP 60x: A middle of the road performer with fairly consistent results. A bit slower than then PNY 60x. Roughly in the same performance category as the Sandisk Ultra II.
Sandisk Ultra II: Best performer on the integrated reader. On the USB reader, it is a consistent but slow performer compared to the PNY 60x and ATP 60x.
Kingston 1GB 10x: Here in this round-up for comparison purposes only. It really is outclassed by the speedier cards, but is still a good choice for holding data.
Corsair 4GB: A very fast card, but is bested by the OCZ 150x in a few instances. It doesn’t have speed rating but it judging from our results it would be somewhere between 100x and 150x. It’s a SDHC card which makes it compatible with only a few devices and readers on the market. Corsair includes a USB reader with this card.
I know there’s a lot of information here to digest, but if you’re looking for a card for a particular purpose I suggest looking over our lab results and see what kind of speed you need. Comparing prices is another challenge, but luckily our PriceGrabber service will help you do just that, so be sure to use that to your advantage.
