Comparison of memory cardsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This table provides summary of comparison of various flash memory cards, as of 2011.

Contents

1 Common information2 Physical details3 Technical details4 Consumer details5 Compatibility6 References7 External links

Common information

unless otherwise indicated, all images to scale

Card family Standardsorganizations Varieties Entry

date Picture[1] Main features

CompactFlash SanDisk

I

1994

Thinner (3.3 mm), flash only, now up to 256 GB,although standard goes up to 128 PB since CF 5.0[2]

IIThicker (5.0 mm), older flash, but usuallyMicrodrives, up to 128 PiB[2]

SmartMedia Toshiba 3.3/5 V 1995Very slim (45.0×37.0×0.76 mm3), no wear levelingcontroller, up to 128 MB. This particular exampleshows the write protect sticker (the silver disc).

MultiMediaCard Siemens AG,SanDisk

MMC 1997 Slim and small (24×32×1.4 mm3), up to 16 GB

RS-MMC/MMCMobile 2003/2005 Compact (24×18×1.4 mm3), up to 16 GB

MMCplus 2005 Compact (24×32×1.4 mm3), swifter, optional DRM,up to 16 GB

MMCmicro 2005 Subcompact (14×12×1.1 mm3), optional DRM,16 MB to 4 GB

Secure DigitalPanasonic,SanDisk, Toshiba,Kodak

SD 1999Small (32×24×2.1 mm3), DRM, up to 4 GB. (2 GBand 4 GB cards use larger block sizes and may notbe compatible with some host devices. See Article)

miniSD 2003Compact (21.5×20×1.4 mm3), DRM, up to 4 GB.(2 GB and 4 GB cards use larger block sizes andmay not be compatible with some host devices. SeeArticle)

microSD 2005Subcompact (11×15×1 mm3), DRM, up to 4 GB.(2 GB and 4 GB cards use larger block sizes andmay not be compatible with some host devices. SeeArticle)

SDHC 2006Same build as SD but greater capacity and transferspeed, 4 GB to 32 GB (not compatible with olderhost devices).

miniSDHC 2008Same build as miniSD but greater capacity andtransfer speed, 4 GB to 32 GB. 8 GB is largest inearly-2011 (not compatible with older host devices).

microSDHC 2007Same build as microSD but greater capacity andtransfer speed, 4 GB to 32 GB. 32 GB is largest inmid-2011. (not compatible with older host devices)

SDXC 2009Same build as SD, but greater capacity and transferspeed, 32 GB and higher. Standard goes up to 2 TB(not compatible with older host devices).

microSDXC 2009Same build as microSD, but greater capacity andtransfer speed, 32 GB and higher. Standard goes upto 2 TB (not compatible with older host devices).

Memory Stick Sony/SanDisk

Standard 1998 Slim and narrow (50×21.5×2.8 mm3), optionalDRM, up to 128 MB

PRO 2003

(not to scale)

Slim and narrow (50×21.5×2.8 mm3), swifter,optional DRM, up to 4 GB

Duo 2003 Compact (31×20×1.6 mm3), optional DRM, up to128 MB

PRO Duo 2002-06 Compact (31×20×1.6 mm3), optional DRM, up to32 GB

PRO-HG Duo 2007-08 Compact (31×20×1.6 mm3), swifter, optional DRM,up to 32 GB

Micro (M2) 2006-02 Subcompact (15×12.5×1.2 mm3), optional DRM, upto 16 GB

XQD Sandisk, Sony,Nikon, CFA Standard 2011-12 High-capacity, high-speed standard using PCIe as

interface

xD Olympus, Fujifilm

Standard 2002-07Slim and small (20×25×1.78 mm3), electricallyidentical to SmartMedia, no wear-levelingcontroller, up to 512 MB[3]

Type M 2005Slim and small (20×25×1.78 mm3) but slowerread/write, no wear-leveling controller, up to2 GB[3]

Type H 2005 Slim and small (20×25×1.78 mm3) and swifter, nowear-leveling controller, up to 2 GB[3]

USB flash drive Various USB 1.1/2.0/3.0 2000/1(not to scale)

Universally compatible across all computerplatforms, but greater size suits them better to filetransfer/storage instead of use in portable devices,up to 1 TB.

Physical details

Note that a memory card's dimensions are determined while holding the card with contact pins upwards. The length of cards is often greater thantheir width. Most cards show a directional arrow to aid insertion; such an arrow should be upward.

Card Width (mm) Length (mm) Thickness (mm) Volume (mm³) Mass (g)[4]

CompactFlash, Type I 43.0 36.0 3.3 5,108 3.3CompactFlash, Type II 43.0 36.0 5.0 7,740SmartMedia 37.0 45.0 0.76 1,265 2.0

MMC, MMCplus 24.0 32.0 1.4 1,075 1.3[5]

RS-MMC, MMCmobile 24.0 18.0 1.4 605 1.3MMCmicro 14.0 12.0 1.1 185SD, SDHC, SDXC, SDIO 24.0 32.0 2.1 1,613 2.0miniSD, miniSDHC, miniSDIO 20.0 21.5 1.4 602 1.0microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC 11.0 15.0 1.0 165 0.27Memory Stick Standard, PRO 21.5 50.0 2.8 3,010 4.0Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo, PRO-HG, XC 20.0 31.0 1.6 992 2.0Memory Stick Micro (M2), XC 12.5 15.0 1.2 225 2.0XQD card 38.5 29.8 3.8xD 25.0 20.0 1.78 890 2.8USB varies varies varies varies varies

Technical details

Card Varieties

Actualmax.

storagecapacity

(mebibyte,or MiB)

Theoreticalmax.

capacity

Max.ReadSpeed

(MByte/s)

Max.WriteSpeed

(MByte/s)

Read/writecycles

Low-levelaccess

Operatingvoltage(V)[6]

Controllerchip[7]

CompactFlash

I 262,144 128 PiB[2] 167[8] 167[8]

NOR/NAND 3.3 and 5 YesII 12,288

128 PiB[2]

(due toLBA-48)

167[8] 167[8]

SmartMedia 128 2 1,000,000

NAND

3.3 or 5 No

MMC

MMC 8,192

128 GB

2 2

1,000,000[9]

3.3

Yes

RS-MMC 2,048 2[10] 2[10] 3.3

MMCmobile 2,048 15[11] 8[11] 1.8 and 3.3

MMCplus 4,096[12] 52[13] 52[13] 3.3

MMCmicro 2,048 1.8 and 3.3eMMC 2 TiB 104 104 1.8 and 3.3 Yes

Secure Digital

SD4 GiB

6 63.3 YesminiSD 8,192 6 6

microSD 4,096 6 6

SDHC 32,768[14]

2 TiB

12.5/25(HS) 12.5/25(HS)

1.8 and 3.3 YesminiSDHC 4,096[15] 12 12

microSDHC 32,768[16] 10 10

SDXC 262,144[17]2 TiB

104 1042.7 - 3.6 [18] Yes

microSDXC 65,536[19] 10 (UHS-I) 10 (UHS-I)

Memory Stick

Standard 128 128 MiB 2.5 1.8 3.3

Yes

PRO 4,096

2 TiB

20 20 3.3

PRO Duo 32,000[20] 20 20 3.3

PRO-HGDuo 32, 000[21]

Actual:30[22]

Theoretical:60[23]

Actual:30[22]

Theoretical:60[23]

3.3

Micro (M2) 16,384[24] 32 GiB 20 20 1.8 and 3.3

xC 2 TiB 60 60 3.3

xD

512 512 MiB 5 3

3.3 NoType M 2,048 8 GiB 4 2.5Type H 2,048 8 GiB 5 4Type M+ 2,048 8 GiB 6 3.75

XQD 65,536 > 2 TiB 168 168 5

USB

Full speed(USB 1)

131,072(2009)262,144(2010)1048576(2013)[25]

Nohardware-limit

1 1

5 YesHigh speed(USB 2.0) 40 40

Super speed(USB 3.0) 240 160

Consumer details

Card Write protection switch[26] DRMCompactFlash No NoSmartMedia Partial, sticker Partial (optional)MMC, RS-MMC

NoNo

MMCMobile Yes, secureMMC

SD Yes[27][28]

Yes, CPRMminiSD NomicroSD NoMemory Stick Standard, PRO Yes Optional, MagicGateMemory Stick Duo, PRO Duo No Optional, MagicGateMemory Stick PRO-HG Duo No Optional, MagicGateMemory Stick Micro (M2) No Optional, MagicGate

xD No Partial [29]

USB Sometimes No

Compatibility

The following chart gives details on availability of adapters to put a given card (horizontal) in a given slot or device (vertical). This table does nottake into account protocol issues in communicating with the device.

Following labels are used:

+ (native) - a slot is native for such card.D (Directly compatible) - a card may be used in such a slot directly, without any adapters. Best possible compatibility.M (requires a Mechanical adapter) - such adapter is only a physical enclosure to fit one card sized into another; all electrical pins areexactly the same.EM (requires an Electro-Mechanical adapter) - such adapter features both physical enclosure and pins re-routing as terminals aresufficiently different. No powered elements in such adapter exists, thus they're very cheap and easy to manufacture and may be supplied asa bonus for every such card.E (requires an Electronic adapter enclosure) - these adapters must have components — potentially requiring external power — thattransform signals, as well as physical enclosure and pin routing.X (requires an eXternal adapter) - technically the same as E, but such adapter usually consists of 2 parts: a pseudo-card with pin routingand physical enclosure size that perfectly match the target slot and a break-out box (a card reader) that holds a real card. Such adapter isthe least comfortable to use.XM (requires an eXternal electro-mechanical adapter) - technically the same as EM, but such adapter usually consists of 2 parts: apseudo-card with pin routing and physical enclosure size that perfectly match the target slot and a break-out box (a card reader) that holdsa real card. Such adapter is the least comfortable to use.Empty cell - card can't be used in such slot, no single adapter is known to exist. Sometimes a chain of adapters can help (for example,miniSD→CF as miniSD→SD→CF)

Cards → CF CFast SM MMC Memory Stick SDSC SDHC

↓ Slots I II MMC RS-MMC,MMCmobile Std PRO PRO

Duo Micro SDSC miniSD microSD SDHC miniSDHC microSDHC

ExpressCard E[30] E[30] E[31] E[32] E[32] E[31] E[31] E[31] E[33]

PCI ExpressMini CardmSATA XM

PC Card EM[34] EM[34] E[35] E[36] E[36] E[36] E[36]

PCMCIA EM[34] EM[34] E[35] E[36] E[36] E[36] E[36]

CF I + E E[37] E[38] E[38] E[39] E[37]

CF II + + E E[37] E[38] E[38] E[37]

CFast +

SM +

xD E[42]

XQD

MMC + M D[43]

MS X[44] + + M M X[44] X[44] E[45]

SDSC D M + EM EMminiSD + EMmicroSD +

SDHC D [46] EM EM + EM EM

miniSDHC D [46] EM + EM

microSDHC D [46] +

SDXC D [47] EM EM D [47] EM EM

microSDXC D [47] D [47

IDE PATA EM[48] EM[48] E[49][50]

Serial ATA E[51] E[51] EM

PCI Express

USB X[52] X[52] X[52] X[52] X[52] X[52] E[53] E[53] E[54] E[55]

Floppy E[56] E E + M E E

NintendoDS Slot-1 E[57]

NintendoDS Slot-2 E[58] E[58] E[58]

References

^ Pictures are given in relative scales; they're sized to be WYSIWYG when viewing using 81PPI monitor.1.^ a b c d Compact Flash Association announces CF 5.0 standard supporting up to 128 PiB of storage (http://compactflash.org/2010/cfa-announces-availability-of-cf50/)

2.

^ a b c FUJIFILM Global | xD-Picture Card and Adapters (http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/accessories/card/)3.^ Plexus Outbursts specifications (http://plex.us/outbursts/dc_memory.html)4.^ Apacer's MMC specifications (http://www.apacer.com/en/products/Multimedia_Card.htm)5.^ Voltage table at All Memory Cards (http://www.allmemorycards.com/glossary/operating-voltage.htm), note that some cards support both voltages(and), and some cards are available in distinct versions (or)

6.

^ Explanation of controller chip at All Memory Cards (http://www.allmemorycards.com/glossary/controller-chip.htm)7.^ a b c d CompactFlash Specification Rev. 6.0 (http://compactflash.org/2010/cf-6-0-introduces-industry-leading-performance-and-feature-enhancements/)8.^ ACP-EP Specifications (http://www.acp-ep.com/rs_mmc_card_specs.html)9.^ a b ACP-EP RS-MMC card features list (http://www.acp-ep.com/rs_mmc_card.html)10.^ a b ACP-EP MMCmobile card features list (http://www.acp-ep.com/mmcmobile_card.html)11.^ Transcend MMCplus 4 GiB (http://www.transcend.nl/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=77&LangNo=0)12.^ a b MMC transferred at up to 52 MiB/s (http://www.mmca.org/technology)13.^ Toshiba Adds New High Density SDHC Cards and microSDHC Card to Extensive Memory Card Line-up (http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2007_08/pr2201.htm)

14.

^ New 4 GiB miniSDHC card (http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(2318)-SDSDM-4096-SanDisk_miniSDHC_Card_4GB_miniSD_HighCapacity.aspx)

15.

^ http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2010/2010-03-22-sandisk-first-to-ship-32-gigabyte-microsdhc-card16.

^ http://www.lexar.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/lexar-announces-industry-s-first-256gb-sdxc-uhs-i-memory-card17.^ https://www.sdcard.org/developers/overview/capacity/18.^ http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2011/2011-09-14-sandisk-announces-suite-of-retail-products/19.^ Sony 32 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/21/sony-bumps-the-memory-stick-pro-duo-capacity-up-to-32gb/)20.^ http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666322869&tab=featuresTab

21.

^ a b Sony Introduces Faster MS Pro HG Duo Card (http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Sony-Introduces-Faster-MS-Pro-HG-Duo-Card-.htm)22.^ a b Sony Memory Stick PRO-HG, up to 32 GB, 8-bit parallel transfer (http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200612/06-1211E/index.html)23.^ SanDisk announces world's largest mobile phone card capacity with 16GB M2 (http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2009/2009-01-07-sandisk-mobile-ultra-microsdhc-and-memory-stick-micro-(m2)-premium-mobile-memory-cards-increase-capacity-to-16-gigabytes)

24.

^ http://www.kingston.com/us/company/press?article=648725.^ Write protection switch at All Memory Cards (http://www.allmemorycards.com/glossary/write-protection-switch.htm)26.^ Some early SD cards may not have a write protection switch.27.^ The write protect switch signals to the host, which is responsible for write protection. The write protect switch is not connected to the internalcircuitry of the card. (SD Card Simplified Physical Layer Specification (http://www.sdcard.org/developers/tech/sdcard/pls/Simplified_Physical_Layer_Spec.pdf))

28.

^ Fujifilm accessories xD-Picture Card (http://www.fujifilm.ie/digital/digital/accessories/xdcard/index.htm)29.^ a b DataFab EXP-CF (http://www.datafab.com/product/p2express_CF.asp)30.^ a b c d e f g DataFab EXP 12 in 2 (http://www.datafab.com/product/flash_card_adapter_express_12in2.asp)31.^ a b DataFab exp 12 in 1 (http://www.datafab.com/product/flash_card_adapter_express_8in1.asp)32.^ DataFab exp M2+microSD (http://www.datafab.com/product/flash_card_adapter_express_M2microSD.asp)33.^ a b c d Transcend CompactFlash-to-PC Card adapter (http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=37&LangNo=0)34.^ a b Transcend SmartMedia-to-PC Card adapter (http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=38&LangNo=0)35.^ a b c d e f g h Transcend 5-in-1 Adapter (http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=36&LangNo=0)36.^ a b c d Minolta SD-CF1 SD-to-CompactFlash adapter (http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/other-memory-adapters/minolta-sd-cf1-compactflash-card-adapter/)37.^ a b c d Transcend MemoryStick-to-CompactFlash adapter (http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/other-memory-adapters/transcend-card-adapter-memory-stick/)38.^ Sony MSAC-MCF1N and AD-MSCF1 PRO Duo to CF adapters (http://www.camerahacker.com/Forums/DisplayComments.php?file=Storage/Shortage_everywhere._Sony_MSAC-MCF1N_Memory_Stick_Duo_Adaptor_for_CompactFlash_Slot.html)

39.

^ a b c d e f Olympus MACF-10 xD-to-CompactFlash adapter (http://www.olympus-europa.com/consumer/198_MACF-10.htm)40.^ a b c Hama xD-to-SM adapter (http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/other-memory-adapters/hama-xd-sm-adapter/)41.^ In March 2008, Olympus started shipping the MASD-1 microSD-to-xD adapter along with its latest compact digital cameras, with a shape designed tofit only in those latest cameras (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/oima_microSD.asp). The physical adapter is in fact purelyelectromechanical, although the xD and SD protocols are completely incompatible. This demonstrates that the cameras themselves must understand theSD protocol, and thus the adapter is more properly termed an electronic adapter, with the electronic logic contained in the camera rather than thephysical accessory.

42.

^ SD cards are usually thicker than MMC ones, and although it uses perfectly compatible pins, not every MMC slot may allow thick SD card to beinserted

43.

^ a b c Dragon SD/miniSD/MMC to MS PRO Duo Adapter (http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Converter-Mini-SD-Card-Reader/dp/B000RODKOW)44.^ KingMax microSD to MS PRO Duo Adapter (http://www.kingmaxdigi.com/news/box/combo_b.jpg)45.^ a b c SDHC devices are backward-compatible with normal SD cards. (https://www.sdcard.org/consumers/compatibility/)46.^ a b c d SDXC devices are backward-compatible with SD and SDHC cards. (https://www.sdcard.org/consumers/compatibility/)47.^ a b PC Engines IDE to CompactFlash adapters (http://www.pcengines.ch/cflash.htm)48.^ Star Empery PT110 SD Card To ATA IDE 3.5 inch Hard Drive Adapter (http://www.shentech.com/stemptsdcato.html)49.^ 4× SD to SSD IDE Adapter (http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/19/the-do-it-yourself-ssd-adapter/)50.^ a b Accelerated Compact Flash: The Addonics SATA CF Adapter (http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/08/18/accelerated_compact_flash/)51.^ a b c d e f g h i There are many USB-connected "n-in-1" memory card readers, for example Belkin's "Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader &Writer" (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=184551).

52.

^ a b MS Duo and M2 adapters have appeared in the last 12 months which look like USB memory sticks53.^ SanDisk @ CES - SD card with built-in USB adapter (http://www.engadget.com/2005/01/06/sandisk-ces-sd-card-with-built-in-usb-adapter/)54.^ A-Data microSD to USB Adapter (http://www.adata.com.tw/adata_en/product_show.php?ProductNo=AMCSRZZZGH)55.^ DCRP Special Report: FlashPath Adapter (http://www.dcresource.com/FlashPath/index.html) by Tom Beardmore56.^ R4 microSD to NDS Slot-1 Adapter (http://www.r4ds.com/index-en.htm)57.^ a b c Supercard to NDS Slot-2 Adapter (http://eng.supercard.cn/products.htm)58.

Acekard 2 in 1 Flash Card (http://www.dscardes.com/ace-2-in-1-flash-card-for-game-p-37.html)

External links

GumstixDocsWiki Frequently Asked Questions: Are SD cards interchangeable with MMC cards? (http://docwiki.gumstix.org/index.php?title=Frequently_asked_questions/Interacting_with_the_gumstix#Are_SD_cards_interchangeable_with_MMC_cards.3F)Types of Memory Cards (http://www.camerahacker.com/CompactFlash/Types_of_Memory_Cards.shtml)USB mass storage device class: Mass Storage device class specification (http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs/usb_msc_overview_1.2.pdf) — on the site of the USB Implementers Forum.

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