As I prepare to purchase a Gnex from Google (lets hope its not one of the defective ones!!) I found out that the phone does not have a micro SD card slot. As such I will be limited to the 16GB that comes on the GSM version I plan on buying. My question is related to the write speed of the internal memory, since I know there are different classes of SD cards. The higher the class the better the write speed which is very important for recording HD video at high bitrates. With regards to internal memory, what "class" is it comparable to? I would hate to buy a GNEX only to find out it struggles recording 40Mbps HD due to a limitation of the built in memory.
Records HD video fine. But theyre hacks to improve it. Large files transfer to it at a rate similar to my class 6. On my evo4g.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
When doing a benchmark I get a write speed of 8.7 MBps which is comparable to a class 9 (Doesn't actually exist) SD card. The highest class you can get is 10, so you should be fine.
Edit: This is using the Verizon (Toro) Galaxy Nexus.
Malibu,
Technically any SD card can record HD, the problems start when you get above 20Mbps. If the write speed isnt high enough you will get stuttering and choppiness. This is further amplified if you modify your camera to record at 40Mbps (obviously much better picture quality) and that is where my concern lies. You mention your other phone has similar to a class 6 write speed, would you mind testing the internal memory on your Gnex? Also, do you have a GSM or CDMA version of the Gnex?
miketoasty said:
When doing a benchmark I get a write speed of 8.7 MBps which is comparable to a class 9 (Doesn't actually exist) SD card. The highest class you can get is 10, so you should be fine.
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Ok great, this is exactly the data I am looking for! Have you modified your HD video settings, and if so, how were the results?
Related
Hi all,
I've read in a few places that if you want to run apps from your SD card that you should have a class 6 SD card. Can anyone explain why this is? I've currently got the one that came with the phone, which is class 2. Just want to understand why I need it before splashing out the cash
Thanks
It's all about speed. Class 6 is faster than Class 4 is faster than Class 2. If you are happy with the performance with your Class 2 card, no need to splash out the cash.
yeah its just about speed, the higher the class the faster the r/w speed, you dont really need a class 6 these days tho, maybe in the old days of the g1/hero but not now
There's quite a bit of discussion on this and I'm honestly quite confused over this as well.
The higher classes just means faster write speeds but same read speeds. Certainly, this shouldn't affect the performance of apps that are installed on the card; unless the card is being used for swap memory.
Anyway, I've heard some users with 32GB microSD card (only available in class 2) using app2sd with no ill-effects. I've recently purchased one myself and will be swapping it out later tonight.
newbie on Android here.....may I ask....Im currently using a 16Gb mem card....If I change it to a 32Gb, what are the files that I need to copy to the new card, so that the apps/games currently installed will still run? I noticed there are so many folders inside my memory card now.....which one should I transfer to my new card? Or should I need to re-install the apps?
thanks..
dinoalbert said:
newbie on Android here.....may I ask....Im currently using a 16Gb mem card....If I change it to a 32Gb, what are the files that I need to copy to the new card, so that the apps/games currently installed will still run? I noticed there are so many folders inside my memory card now.....which one should I transfer to my new card? Or should I need to re-install the apps?
thanks..
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are you using apps2sd? or just running a stock like rom?
9 out of 10 users on this website would not be able to tell the difference in speed by running apps on a class 4 or class 6 cards.
AndroHero said:
are you using apps2sd? or just running a stock like rom?
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I am using an OTA Froyo but already rooted....
Before the usual flamers get to write on this topic to say high-class cards are useless, it really comes down I think to the time you have available to wait for USB transfers. On a class 2 it takes AGES. I bought a class10 16gb and it's an absolute life changer (i do have a lot of public transport so I make heavy use of my phone as a video player)
phentex said:
Before the usual flamers get to write on this topic to say high-class cards are useless, it really comes down I think to the time you have available to wait for USB transfers. On a class 2 it takes AGES. I bought a class10 16gb and it's an absolute life changer (i do have a lot of public transport so I make heavy use of my phone as a video player)
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Another reason to have a class 4 or faster card in the phone is to have reliable 720p 25fps video recording. On my Class 2 with a2sd+ recording stutters.
thanks for the responses. from what i read previously, it talked about class 6 cards being less likely to be unmounted and causing problems to running applications. does this mean anything to anyone?!
Kashban said:
Another reason to have a class 4 or faster card in the phone is to have reliable 720p 25fps video recording. On my Class 2 with a2sd+ recording stutters.
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This is the reason when I eventually get the money I'll be getting a 16GB class 4 or 6 card. At the moment 720p is fairly pointless to me since I can't get smooth recordings with my SD card.
Have no issues with my 16Gb Class-2 sdcard. R/W speed enough to handle 720p recording and rockplayer playing avis perfectly.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
iLHaNroID said:
Have no issues with my 16Gb Class-2 sdcard. R/W speed enough to handle 720p recording and rockplayer playing avis perfectly.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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Are you running A2SD or a2sd+ on your phone? If not, that may be the reason.
The more apps and widgets and stuff is moved to the sd, the more r/w-access happens to the card, which has serious impact on video recording. I really wish the internal memory of the Desire wasn't so small. What the heck did HTC think by putting only 560 MByte internal storage into their android flagship? The SGS has 5 GiBytes!
jstegeman said:
It's all about speed. Class 6 is faster than Class 4 is faster than Class 2. If you are happy with the performance with your Class 2 card, no need to splash out the cash.
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Incorrect!
The class of the card doesn't tell you the speed of a card - it tells you the *minimum* sustained write speed on a card which is completely unfragmented
A good quality class 2 card can and often will be faster than a poor quality class 6 card.
The two Sandisk Class 2 card I use both write at around 7.5mb/s, which is faster than the class 6 minimums.
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
Incorrect!
The class of the card doesn't tell you the speed of a card - it tells you the *minimum* sustained write speed on a card which is completely unfragmented
A good quality class 2 card can and often will be faster than a poor quality class 6 card.
The two Sandisk Class 2 card I use both write at around 7.5mb/s, which is faster than the class 6 minimums.
Regards,
Dave
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That's interesting info! Would explain why I have far fewer problems than most people report with 720p recording onto my class2 card.
So the real answer is: Benchmark your write speed before making any big purchasing decisions on SD cards.
Kashban said:
Another reason to have a class 4 or faster card in the phone is to have reliable 720p 25fps video recording. On my Class 2 with a2sd+ recording stutters.
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so a class 4 good enough for 720p? i have a class 2 right now and the recording is just horrible.. i thought that my phone was broken and have changed many custom roms
Bought a C6 16gb to replace C2 4Gb - definitely faster as USB drive - both Sandisk
Thinking about upgrading to a 16gb sd card. I noticed that a class 2 goes for like 19 bucks while anything with a higher class is 30 bucks or more. Will I really see a perfromance boost if I get a class 4 or 10? If so, what will increase? Will photos load faster? Will the videos I record in 720p have a faster playback? Etc. What takes advantage of the class speeds?
Thanks for any input guys!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
durps said:
Thinking about upgrading to a 16gb sd card. I noticed that a class 2 goes for like 19 bucks while anything with a higher class is 30 bucks or more. Will I really see a perfromance boost if I get a class 4 or 10? If so, what will increase? Will photos load faster? Will the videos I record in 720p have a faster playback? Etc. What takes advantage of the class speeds?
Thanks for any input guys!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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If anything, for video playback the faster class sd's will/should eliminate stuttering issues etc.
Here's a good breakdown of the diffs: http://www.sdcard.org/developers/tech/speed_class/
I would say given the lack of a2ext on this phone there really isn't a need for anything higher than a class 2 on this phone. The only things it would help with are:
1. If you use linux swap (stores the cache on the sdcard)
2. If you've moved your dalvik to the sdcard
3. If you use enomthers rom which has a2ext/linux swap
4. Video playback/recording (maybe)
5. File transfers. Large files and sdcard backups will be quicker
That's really all and if you don't use most of that stuff then I'd just stick with a class 2 and suffer the slower transfer rates. You should be fine with video, I've used a class 2 and 6 - video was the same as far as I could tell but certain videos (movies) might shutter a bit with the class 2, I never tested that aspect.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Also note, the class is simply indicative of the minimum write speed, not read speed. Things like playback and load times are not affected that much (though things like 720p video recording could theoretically perform better).
Also, because the class is the minimum speed, a lot of the time the higher quality class 2 cards may still achieve class 4 of class 6 write speeds.
Ahh, I see. Thanks for the info guys!
Does anyone know the common write speed of the stock 8gb card?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I believe the stock card is class 4 so the minimum it should be able to write is 4 mb/s. Not every card is created equal. If you search on google you can find apps that help you test the read/write speed of the card.
I'm pretty sure my stock card was a class 2. I now have a 16gb class 2 card, and it seems to do everything fine... including video recording.
The stock card in my G2 was a Class 2, though for my wife's MyTouch 4G (bought on the same day) she got a Class 4.
When I had my G1 I switched from a Class 2 to a Class 6, my picture taking got noticeably faster, I used that same Class 6 in my G2 so I can't really compare it to anything there.
My stock card was a SanDisk, and they only make Class 2 cards. I use my Class 6 card in the hopes that more the Android modders sees the sense in having a /system/sd folder leading to an ext partition.
blackknightavalon said:
My stock card was a SanDisk, and they only make Class 2 cards. I use my Class 6 card in the hopes that more the Android modders sees the sense in having a /system/sd folder leading to an ext partition.
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Not sure if you've been keeping up with this thread or not, but it should make you really happy then: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=925996.
And SanDisk does make cards higher than class 2...
Ok I have an Acer Iconia a500, currently I have only a 6gb card installed. Now when i look online i see that the micro sd cards are rated by classes. What is that for?
I need a 32gb for my Iconia. I do alot of school work from it. Just want the storage for my school books. any way, can someone break it down for me?
Thank You
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
The SD card's class represents the least write speed.
Class 2: 2MB/s
class 4 : 4MB/s
and so on..
I think it's so you can copy and read files faster
ok, got it, higher the class the faster the write speed.
One more thing, now, the higher the class, does anyone know if they have more problems? like with crashing, or having to be re formatted often?
primus123 said:
ok, got it, higher the class the faster the write speed.
One more thing, now, the higher the class, does anyone know if they have more problems? like with crashing, or having to be re formatted often?
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Nope, problems/crashing etc would be down to quality not size.
Also faster write speed doesn't mean it performs faster when used as a "hard drive" like in a phone, so lower class ones can outperform higher, but you'd have to try them to see.
It's because they're designed with things like cameras in mind, where getting the image saved quickly so you can take another one is the most important thing.
In a mobile phone/tablet they're accessed more randomly, and that is where it's been found that some higher class cards don't perform as well.
Mini SD cards, so tiny for my big hands.
Those mini sd cards are SOOOOO small, I've lost a few over the past 3 years.
so which one should i get for my iconia
androidappdeveloper said:
Those mini sd cards are SOOOOO small, I've lost a few over the past 3 years.
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Tell me about it, I just reordered one after giving up the search on my current one. It's not completely lost, I'll probably come across it one day when re-organizing the room.
I keep mine in those Sd card cases and shove it in a crown royal bag....
You're probably fine with a Class 2 microSD card, as you won't have large files (or a large amount of small files) written in a short time.
Write speeds are generally the most important feature of a memory card. Write speeds determine the amount of time it takes to transfer the data, the moment you for example, click the button on your camera to ask the camera to take the image. You will probably remember that back in the early days of SD memory cards, there was an awful amount of lag time on cards, i.e from when you heard the click on the button (when you asked your camera to take the picture), to when you heard the double click (which is normally when the image has been written to the card).
Read speeds indicate the amount of time it takes for a card to transfer the data to a PC/Laptop. I.e the amount of time it takes to read the data off the card. Generally the higher the capacity of the card, this will naturally give a higher write speed. So if you have a 32GB card full of data and its only a class 2, it would take much longer than a 32GB card thats class 10, to send all the info to your pc etc.
Class 10 cards are recommended for HD video, or minimum class 6 really. You will probably find a 16GB class 4 card for example, will not work on say a Samsung HD Camcorder. It will maybe store only 1 minute of video, as for some reason the HD cannot write the data to the card fast enough it would seem.
Anyone ever lose a mini SDK card?
Plus your SD class is high, more it is fast...
jerryfranks said:
Anyone ever lose a mini SDK card?
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Yes, almost (I found it after w hile), bloody spring so strong it shot across the room!
Pity there's not some little leatherette folder with tiny slots for a few MicroSD cards, I'd buy one!.
iloveapple said:
Write speeds are generally the most important feature of a memory card. Write speeds determine the amount of time it takes to transfer the data, the moment you for example, click the button on your camera to ask the camera to take the image. You will probably remember that back in the early days of SD memory cards, there was an awful amount of lag time on cards, i.e from when you heard the click on the button (when you asked your camera to take the picture), to when you heard the double click (which is normally when the image has been written to the card).
Read speeds indicate the amount of time it takes for a card to transfer the data to a PC/Laptop. I.e the amount of time it takes to read the data off the card. Generally the higher the capacity of the card, this will naturally give a higher write speed. So if you have a 32GB card full of data and its only a class 2, it would take much longer than a 32GB card thats class 10, to send all the info to your pc etc.
Class 10 cards are recommended for HD video, or minimum class 6 really. You will probably find a 16GB class 4 card for example, will not work on say a Samsung HD Camcorder. It will maybe store only 1 minute of video, as for some reason the HD cannot write the data to the card fast enough it would seem.
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Very helpfully post,thanks.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Try to continue promoting of you site.
Hi speed cards are more efficient at presenting and recording. It's really up to you. If you buy the cheaper version and it doesn't present at the speed you think it should you'll have answered your own question.
You guys have it mostly right. The higher class your card is the faster it can write a file to its memory, the trade off is that the higher class cards have slower rapid access speeds, something to do with how it prepares files before writing. Basically, a class 10 will write a 1GB file faster, but if you try to write 15 3MB files quickly your performance will suffer. For something like a phone I recommend a class 4 or 6. For cameras I'd go higher (I don't know a whole lot about cameras).
seems like its good
Hey -
I want to upgrade to a 32gb card, what is the best brand? I know that some are faster or slower than others - how do you choose an SD card?
Thanks.
By class speed then the storage
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
I don't think I would ever see a difference in the speeds available in "classes" on my phone unless it was a defective card. I picked up this card on amazon and have been very happy.
Sure, I'd love a class 10 card but I don't think the DInc2 can even do anything with that. Nor can my bank account take it
I'm a little surprised the prices haven't come down further.
The only way you will benefit from a class 10 card is if you do photography in raw format with a requirement for rapid snapshots or 1080p video recording in a higher quality. You'd be better off saving the money by getting a good quality class 6, or even a class 4.
I'm using a Kingston Class 4 32gb card without many issues. I did have a weird issue with the 720p recording at one time, but I haven't tested with CM yet to see if it was possibly a software glitch.
Your phone will perform poorly with a class 10. Higher classes have faster sequential access times at the expense of random access lag, and the vast majority of what your phone will be doing is random access.
The only things that benefit from class 10 is things like cameras, that write huge files (sequentially) all day.
The short answer is get a class 4 or 6, Sandisk tends to have good random access stats.
Just for reference, the DINC2 comes with a a SanDisk class 4.
When using FRX7.1 what kind of speed increase can I expect when upgrading to an SDHC card?
benutne said:
When using FRX7.1 what kind of speed increase can I expect when upgrading to an SDHC card?
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None.
SD vs. SDHC is mostly about capacity. The speed boost from using a C10 or C6 card isn't realized unless you're using it in a cam shooting high-def video - where data transfer speed is required.
I guess you might see a *slight* boost, but I seriously doubt it.
Find a card that has the fastest random-read/write performance for small file sizes (8kb-256kb). Use a program like CrystalDiskMark or ATTO32 Benchmark to test it. It doesn't matter if its 2gb or 32gb, C4/C6 or C10 (in fact, most C10 cards have worse random-read/write performance than some C4/C6 cards).
C2/4/6/10 all refer to a minimum requirement for sequential-writes (2mb/4mb/6mb/10mbps). For a digital camera recording 1080p video, sequential-write performance is important. But as far as running a hacked-up OS, where we're going to be reading/writing small 32kb files anywhere in the card, you're going to want something "fast" in that sense (My Sandisk 8gb C4 performs best, then my A-Data 16gb C6)