Increased storage capacity is something everyone wants nowadays. Thanks to the innumerable data, pictures, videos, etc. people have. Everyone likes to capture special moments that they want to cherish forever. Same goes for data and information, important files and folders should be saved properly to avoid any loss of information.
But, hey is the storage capacity of your smartphone, camera etc. enough for the kind of data you have want to store? No, right!
We have the perfect solution for your problem.
Must Read: How To Recover Deleted Files From A Memory Card?
Memory Cards, What Are They?
These are storage devices that are used to store data and media files. Also, known as SD cards or Flash cards, they are non-volatile and permeant storage mediums that can be used to transfer and store data from phones, cameras etc.
Some of the most famous SD card forms are:
- Secure Digital (SD) card
- CompactFlash (CF) card
- SmartMedia
- Memory Stick
- MultiMediaCard (MMC)
Why Does the Need for A Memory Card Arise?
Smart devices nowadays come with awesome internal storage capacities, however, people usually wish to extend the storage as per requirement over the time. Here arises the need for an external storage card. Almost all smartphones, cameras and other portable devices that come with an SD card slot in which users can insert the SD card.
Companies give this provision as the need for the storage capacity remains undefined till date.
Is Buying Any Memory Card a Wise Decision?
Well, if you think that any and every memory card is good for you, you are mistaken. Buying memory cards without knowing the whereabouts or just looking at the storage capacity can be waste of money at times.
Buying A Memory Card? What Do You Need to Know?
Buying a flash card can have many aspects that should be taken care of. This article mainly caters to all the attributes you should consider before making your final decision. Let’s continue reading the article to know what you need to know before buying a memory card.
- Size:
SD cards are available in a variety of sizes and depend on the type of device you want to use the SD card with.
- Full-size SD memory cards: These are the full-sized flash cards that are meant to be used with lager devices such as digital cameras, laptops, desktops etc.
- Mini SD cards: Mid-sized cards that are used with tabs/phones and are smaller in size as compared to the full-sized SD cards.
- Micro SD cards: These ones are smaller in size and are used in smartphones.
Having said that it becomes essential to look out for SD cards that are compatible with your device. Buying a Micro SD card for your PC does not make any sense, does it?
- Capacity Limit:
Capacity is the amount of storage any memory card supports. These are many storage capacities defined for flash cards, a brief about them is given below:
SD cards come in different formats like standard, high capacity, and extended capacity formats. Let’s have a look at what they are:
- SD memory card: These are the normal SD cards that have a storage capacity of almost 2 GB and are available in three different sizes. These are usually compatible with old-time devices. Recent smart devices do not support SD flash cards.
- SDHC memory card: Named as Secure Digital High Capacity memory cards are the ones with a storage capacity of 4GB to 32GB. Along with higher storage capacity, they are also high-speed SD cards.
- SDXC memory card: Named as Secure Digital Extended Capacity memory cards are the largest capacity cards. The storage capacity of these cards ranges between 32GB and 2TB and offer faster data transfer rates.
So, if you are looking for a memory card which can store a lot of data, go with SDXC memory card.
- Speed Class:
Knowing which speed class your SD cards belongs to, is an important factor that many people don’t consider while purchasing a memory card.
Speed class is something that informs you about the minimum serial data speed. It defines the read and write speeds. Mainly categorized in two categories: Speed Class and UHS speed class.
Speed Class: SD cards have namely 4 different speed classes viz. 2,4,6, and 10. While speed class 2 is the slowest of all, if you want higher speed, go for speed class 10 memory card.
UHS Speed Class: It is meant for SDHC and SDXC cards and runs at ultra-high speed. However, to match the high speeds, the device should also support UHS speed class.
File Restrictions:
File restrictions determine what kind of files SD storage cards can save:
For HD quality videos or large-sized files and data, you will need a flash card with high storage capacity as well one which offers high-speed rates. SDHC and SDXC memory cards are the best options for this.
A standard SD card is the best option if you only wish to store pictures and small-sized data.
Wi-Fi Enabled Cards:
This is another attribute that people look for, in SD cards nowadays. If you transfer data to your SD card regularly, then you should go with an external storage device that supports Wi-Fi.
A major factor that needs consideration is a good speed Wi-Fi connection and the power consumption of the device to which the SD card is attached.
This Was All!
So, guys, we hope that next time you plan to purchase an SD card, you will consider all the factors mentioned in the article. Don’t just buy any memory card and waste your hard-earned money. If you wish to store HD videos, go for SDXC cards. Also, remember SD cards can work with SDHC card slots, but vice-versa stands incorrect. Do let us know how helpful the article was by writing in the comments section below.
Must Read: How To Check Graphic Card Configuration Of Your Windows PC
