SD Benchmark: SanDisk Extreme HD Video 30MB/s 16GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card (SDSDRX3-016G-A21)

Our very first review!

Today we'll benchmark the SanDisk Extreme HD Video 30MB/s 16GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card (SDSDRX3-016G-A21)

Things to take away:

• SanDisk - a reliable brand
• Extreme - SanDisk's mid-high tier series of cards
• HD Video - says it can do 1080P "full video"
• 30MB/s - SanDisk boasts a performance of a minimum of 30mb/s sequential read and write
• Class 10 - the card will perform at a minimum of 10mb/s sequential write (yes, a little redundant)
• SDHC - Secure Digital High Capacity, SDHC cards vary in size between 4GB and 32GB

Testing Hardware / Software:

• Rosewill USB 3.0 Card Reader
• Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H-B3 - using the USB 3.0 Port
• Windows 7 x64
• ATTO Disk Benchmark (testing from 512kb to 8mb)
• CrystalDiskMark x64 (testing 5 x 100MB)

Results:

ATTO Disk Benchmark

• From around 128kb and up to 8mb, the card performs roughly @ 44.5MB/s read, and 36MB/s write

CrystalDiskMark x64

• Sequentially, the card does around 45MB/s read and 36MB/s write

Not bad for a "30MB/s" card!

Conclusion:

• Street value on this card has dropped.  I imagine it will drop even further since it is "discontinued" for the new Extreme 45MB/s Series. 
• If you could obtain this card at a decent price, it will easily outperform other brand/off brands as the Extreme Series of SanDisk tend to be overperforming

A "normal" 16GB SDHC Class 10 card will cost around ~$13-18.
A "decent" brand would cost even more.
This SanDisk Extreme HD Video 30MB/s 16GB could be purchased for around ~$25.  Is it worth it to you?
Other brand's SDHC Class 10 may or may not perform admirably.  Remember that Class 10 means "minimum sequential write of 10MB/s".  By getting this Extreme HD Video 30MB/s, you are virtually guaranteed (with the right hardware) at least 30MB/s write. 
Remember that USB 2.0 Card Readers typically max out at around ~20MB/s, read or write.

As of 4/9/2012 - Price Ratio of 16gb SD = $1.56 per gigabyte for this card, with 35MB/s write
Compare to other 16gb SD Cards, with $0.90 per gigabyte, @ 12MB/s write. 
Is the price differential worth it to you?  Would you pay extra for faster speed, or a larger card?
The choice is yours!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (4.5 out of 5)

SD Benchmarks Mission Statement

Here @ SD Benchmarks, we're here to show you the potential of (high-performing) SD cards on the market.

Manufacturers such as SanDisk, Lexar, Samsung, Kingston, and many more are producing SD cards that are beyond the limitation of current "general hardware"

I refer to "general hardware" as typical USB 2.0 Card Readers.  These readers have a typical performance limitation of about 20mb/s read and write.  New SD Cards are breaking this barrier.

By using a USB 3.0 Card Reader + USB 3.0 port (with a theoretical real-world limit of around 200mb/s), we can achieve the potential of each SD Card in its most optimal environment.

SD Card Speeds and Performance Anomalies Explained

Do you ever wonder why some SD cards perform better than others?  Or why newer SD cards are slower than older ones?  Well, you're at the right place :)  Let's get started.

When SDHC was first introduced, they brought upon a new Standard of measuring SD Card speeds: the Class specification.  There are (now) 4 Speeds available.

The Class specification only indicates a minimum sequential write speed for the card.
The Class speeds are as follows:

Class 2 = 2mb/s minimum sequential write
Class 4 = 4mb/s minimum sequential write
Class 6 = 6mb/s minimum sequential write
Class 10 = 10mb/s minimum sequential write

There is currently no Class speed rating to measure sequential reading of the card.

Class 10 came at a later time.  However, there were plenty of Class 6 cards that performed well enough to exceed Class 10 no problem.

In the past, SD card manufacturers typically overrated their cards.  It was common to see a Class 2 get 6mb/s, a Class 4 to get 10mb/s and a Class 6 to get 15mb/s.
However, it seems that manufacturers are only trying to achieve the minimum requirements to achieve their class rating.

Example: 
I had a Kingston 8gb SDHC Class 4 that performed @ 15mb/s
Recently I purchased a Kingston 8gb SDHC Class 4.  It's performance is 4mb/s.

Should I be angry?  The rational side of me says no.  However, the demanding side says yes! 
But there is no such thing as "I have a Class 4 card, it should do at least 8mb/s".  The Class ratings are there to show the absolute minimum, there is no guarantee of any extra performance.

So you should hope for the best, but expect the worse, when you purchase an SD card w/ that specific class rating ☺

SD Card Overview

What is an SD Card?

It's that little magic thing that you put into your camera, which takes stuff like pictures and videos. You can even use it to store files like word documents and MP3s!

How many kinds of SD Cards are there?

When it first started, it was just "SD" - Secure Digital - about a little thin card that's about 1" by 0.75" around.
Then it got a little smaller (mini SD, rarely used nowadays). Finally, we're up to MicroSD, which is super tiny, roughly the size of your pinky nail.

What is SD / SDHC / SDXC?

The first SD Cards produced generally run up to 2gb (or ~2000mb) in size.
Then SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) came around and increased the size limitation to 32gb.
Finally, we're at SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity), which has a theoretical limitation of 2TB (around ~2000gb or ~2,000,000mb!) So far, the biggest SDXC Card on the market is around 128gb..