BEST CF Reader? at DVinfo.net

Steve Kalle · January 29th, 2011, 07:36 PM

What is the fastest and most reliable CF reader?

At first, I thought that the Sonnet Qio Universal Media Reader would be the best because it can read SxS and CF cards simultaneously at very high speeds, but the reviews for it are horrendous. Plus, some reviewers state that it is only 32bit compatible meaning my Win 7 x64 PC would have problems. Seems rather strange that a $820 card reader cannot be as reliable as a $20 reader :( although the Qio acts as a PCI Express and CardBus extender in addition to 4 eSata ports.

I could use an Expresscard CF reader if it is substantially faster than a Firewire or USB reader. I use a Siig Expresscard to PCIe adapter for SxS cards, but I want to download footage as quickly as possible from both the SxS cards and nanoFlash CF cards. I would prefer to utilize the fast speeds of my SanDisk Extreme, Transcend 400x CF cards and new 32GB SxS-1A 1.2Gb/s cards. FYI, with my Siig adapter, I do see a noticeable increase in xfer speeds with the new SxS-1A cards.

Dan Keaton · January 30th, 2011, 12:51 AM

Dear Steve,

The fastest interface for a card reader would be the ExpressCard 34 slot devices.

A PCIe card reader would be very fast also, but I am not familar with any PCIe (PCI Express) card readers.

I do not have reliablity information.

Andy Mangrum · February 1st, 2011, 02:36 PM

Hello Everyone,

I would also keep in mind, with data transmission you are always limited by the slowest median, So If you have a USB reader ~20MB(s), Firewire 400 ~40MB(s), and Firewire 800 ~75-80MB(s), PCIe Card possibly up to 600MB(s).

But you could be limited by the Hard Drive you are copying to,any where in the range range 80MB(s)-280MB(s) (non Raid)

Or The Compact Flash Card Itself, typically if you have a CF Card that is capable of recording at 280Mb(s), You should expect At least 30MB(s) in Copying Performance,

So for Majority of all Compact Flash Cards out there, Firewire 800, May be more than Sufficient.

Best Regards

January 29th, 2011, 07:36 PM	#1
Steve Kalle Trustee Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,554	BEST CF Reader? What is the fastest and most reliable CF reader? At first, I thought that the Sonnet Qio Universal Media Reader would be the best because it can read SxS and CF cards simultaneously at very high speeds, but the reviews for it are horrendous. Plus, some reviewers state that it is only 32bit compatible meaning my Win 7 x64 PC would have problems. Seems rather strange that a $820 card reader cannot be as reliable as a $20 reader :( although the Qio acts as a PCI Express and CardBus extender in addition to 4 eSata ports. I could use an Expresscard CF reader if it is substantially faster than a Firewire or USB reader. I use a Siig Expresscard to PCIe adapter for SxS cards, but I want to download footage as quickly as possible from both the SxS cards and nanoFlash CF cards. I would prefer to utilize the fast speeds of my SanDisk Extreme, Transcend 400x CF cards and new 32GB SxS-1A 1.2Gb/s cards. FYI, with my Siig adapter, I do see a noticeable increase in xfer speeds with the new SxS-1A cards.

January 30th, 2011, 12:51 AM	#2
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Steve, The fastest interface for a card reader would be the ExpressCard 34 slot devices. A PCIe card reader would be very fast also, but I am not familar with any PCIe (PCI Express) card readers. I do not have reliablity information. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

February 1st, 2011, 02:36 PM	#3
Andy Mangrum Sponsor: Convergent Design Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Colorado Posts: 166	Speed of Compact Flash Card Reader Hello Everyone, I would also keep in mind, with data transmission you are always limited by the slowest median, So If you have a USB reader ~20MB(s), Firewire 400 ~40MB(s), and Firewire 800 ~75-80MB(s), PCIe Card possibly up to 600MB(s). But you could be limited by the Hard Drive you are copying to,any where in the range range 80MB(s)-280MB(s) (non Raid) Or The Compact Flash Card Itself, typically if you have a CF Card that is capable of recording at 280Mb(s), You should expect At least 30MB(s) in Copying Performance, So for Majority of all Compact Flash Cards out there, Firewire 800, May be more than Sufficient. Best Regards __________________ Andy Mangrum, Tech Support Convergent Design, Inc