CF cards - which brand to choose?

[netBookBabe]

I know we discuss this topic such a lot, but opinions tend to get fragmented all over the different forums. Perhaps we can use this thread as a general collection point for everyone's recent experiences with different brands and sizes of CF card. Please post brickbats and accolades!

I personally have an Integral branded 128Mb which sometimes isn't immediately recognised by the netBook, though my 64Mb of the same brand seems fine.

A PQI branded 64Mb, used in my S5 machines, has always been reliable.

Julie

[WolfUK]

I tend to use Simply cards which I have never had a problem with. I currently use two 256 MB cards in my netBook but my 5mx also seems to be happy using them.

I would recommend people to avoid Dane cards which, above 64 MB, tend to be a bit flakey in my experience.

[markdeppe]

Integral 128MB works great all the time, really fast too, though clicks with recorder (not that I ever use that app) good price.

Sandisk 48MB works well

Danelec 64MB Rubbish really slow

Armadillo 64MB works well

[brianh]

SanDisk have always worked well for me. I also use a SanDisk USB CF Reader.

Mine are used in conjunction with a Mac and have never experienced any problems. Others have experienced problems with them on a Mac, but no such luck (they have been formatted by EPOC before using on Mac).

[markdeppe]

<<<Mine are used in conjunction with a Mac and have never experienced any problems. >>>


brianh

That is music tomy ears. I have had so much trouble with CF readers and Macs when putting in cards from a psion with it writing loads of crazy file names (I can't even find the characters on my key board to show you) and folders to the CF and some of the files claiming to be Gigabytes big on 64MB cards, and loads of corrupt file stuff. I have yet to have found anyone with it working or who knows a solution. Are you running OS9 or X?
I run OS9 on an imac and have tried several CF readers and cards and formating techniques, so if you say simple tech works for you I am off to get one. The file trouble only happens with CF cards which have backups of the C:/ on them or which have had directories copied to them, in other words if I have a clean CF and put it in the mac and copy psion files to it and put it in the psion all is well, but if I copy files to the card from the psion and then put it in the MAC trouble starts.

Any help appreciated - can you be specific with the name of the reader?.

[persal]

I'm about to buy a CF card to my mc218.

The two brands i choose between at the moment are:

- Crucial Compact Flash Card 128MB Type I

- TwinMOS Compact Flash Card 128MB Type I

Anyone with experience from using them?

[brianh]

Mark,

Sorry to hear that you have had problems using your CF cards with a Mac. I use the following combinations and have experienced no problems:

SanDisk Compact Flash - 16MB
SanDisk Compact Flash - 32MB

SanDisk Comfact Flash Card Reader (w/ USB jack) - these can be found for around $30.

My iBook runs Mac OS 9.0.x and my classic iMac runs Mac OS X.1.5. The driver for os 9 comes on a CD-ROM with the reader. The driver for OS X is native - meaning that there is nothing to install - just plug in the USB with the card already in the reader and Mac automatically recognizes it.

On a side note, I do take certain cautions when using mine. If my CF card needs formatting, I do this on my Psion. I close all of my programs on my Mac before connecting. Mac's OS does install some files on the CF card. OS 9 installs a minimal amount. These are able to be deleted on the Psion with no adverse effects to the data or the CF card. OS X installs a few more files (nothing large though). Deleting them on my Psion hasn't caused any problems for me.

I hope that this helps you. This has been a real life saver to me due to my anti-Windows stance.

Good luck.

[markdeppe]

Thanks for the reply brianh this is great news my life just got a little easier. I will investigate the CF reader and card combinations and try to work out if the problem lies with the cards or the readers or both as in different card and reader make, that said I have a danelec reader and card and have the problem.

[doogald]

I currently use a SanDisk 128 MB card but have also used a Lexar 16 MB card (holds a backup of my device these days for traveling emergency). Both worked well.

I bought a CF USB reader for my desktop and it works with all CF cards that I have tried. The Lexar came with its own reader but it only works with Lexar cards. It is handy to have a USB reader though - makes it quick and painless to copy data over quickly.

[markdeppe]

Dooglad:

Is your desktop a PC or a Mac? The problem with CF readers corrupting cards as far as I know happens only with Macs

[doogald]

I have a Win PC (I've been considering a Mac but right now I'm leaning toward an XP computer replacement instead).

I do rarely use the CF reader - simply to copy the card every month or so just so that I have another offline backup. Thanks for that tip on the Mac though. Is that true of Jaguar/OSX or the older OS9?

[markdeppe]

I only use OS9 so can not vouch for OSX. I have heard of one success wwith a mac using sandisk and sandisk reader though with a mac. As i am moving soon and will be MACless I will not get round to testing it myself.