Almost every netbook on the market includes a SD card slot built-in. These slots allow SDHC (Secure Digital High-Capacity) card to be used to expand the storage capacity and can also be useful for providing a reliable means of transferring data from the netbook to a removable storage device or another Personal Computer. They are also very popular on cameras, camcorders, mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, etc. However, before purchasing a SDHC flash memory card you must understand not all SDHC cards are the same.
SDHC Specification Version 2.00
Although identical in size to today’s standard SD card, the SDHC cards are designed differently and are only recognized by SDHC host devices. To ensure compatibility, look for the SDHC logo on cards and host devices (netbooks, cameras, camcorders, etc).
SDHC cards are based on SDA (Secure Digital Association) 2.00 specification. The basic elements of the specs are;
- Capacities: 4GB–32GB
- SDHC Dimension: 0.94″ X 1.26″ X 0.08″
- MicroSDHC Dimension: 0.43″ X 0.59″ X 0.039″
- No. of pins: 9 pins
- Voltage: 2.7 to 3.6V
- File System: FAT32
The increasing use of high-definition video, high-resolution digital photography and mobile applications demands higher storage capacity and more demanding data transfer rates. Because of this, the new SDHC cards guarantee a minimum sustained data transfer speed, not a maximum speed. This speed classification approach allows users to select card performance based on the needs of particular applications, such as HD video, and other MPEG applications, rather than just a maximum speed rating.
SDHC Flash Memory Card Speeds
The official unit of measurement is the Speed Class Rating as defined by SDA.
- Class 2 : 16 Mbit/s (2 MB/s)
- Class 4 : 32 Mbit/s (4 MB/s)
- Class 6 : 48 Mbit/s (6 MB/s)
- Class 10: 80 Mbit/s (10 MB/s)
Even though the class ratings are defined by a governing body, class speed ratings are quoted by the manufacturers but unverified by any independent evaluation process. In applications that require sustained write throughput, such as video recording, the device may not perform satisfactorily if the SDHC card’s class rating falls below a particular speed. For example, a camcorder that is designed to record to class 6 media may suffer dropouts or corrupted video on slower media. Check your device for maximum
compatibility for your intended usage patterns.
It is highly recommended that for a netbook you get a high speed SDHC card that is rated at Class 6 so that the memory reads and writes to the card will be as fast as possible. Class 4 maybe acceptable to some netbook users, but do not get anything below class 4.
SDHC Flash Memory Card Capacities
The choice of card capacity is dependent on the contents you intend to store. The following table can be used as guide.
Source: www.kingston.com
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