Secure Digital (SD) Cards
Make sure you get the MICRO card if you do not have an SD Adapter
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Make sure you get the MICRO card if you do not have an SD Adapter
Last updated
Was this helpful?
SD standards are available in three capacities: SD standard, SDHC standard and SDXC standard.
Each of these formats has a variety of speed options, giving product developers the flexibility they need to create products for a variety of needs.
The standards have the broad interoperability and compatibility needed to ensure support between multiple devices and for future applications.
SD standards enable manufacturers to deliver high-performance products that enhance the experience of millions of people every day who listen to music, record videos, take photos, save data and use a mobile phone.
As the industry standard, the SD standard is utilised across multiple market segments of the portable storage industry,including mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, personal computers, tablets, printers, car navigation systems,electronic books, and many other consumer electronic devices.
Let’s start by breaking down the blanket term that is “SD,” short for Secure Digital, which is a memory card format developed by the SD Association.
SD memory cards have four SD standards that feature four capacities.
The four SD standards are:
Type
Capacity
SD
2GB and under
SDHC
More than 2GB, up to 32GB
SDXC
More than 32GB, up to 2TB
SDUC
More than 2TB, up to 128TB
One of the great things about SD cards is the amount of information that’s provided on the front of the card, so you can expect to find not only SD, SDHC, or SDXC, but also the card’s specific storage capacity.
There is a maximum SD card size that can be used with the Raspberry Pi 5.
Here are some user views:
User Experience
One user mentions using a 128GB SD card on the Pi 5 without issues, while another clarifies that they have successfully used 128GB cards on Pi 4 models, debunking the claim that the maximum limit for Pi 4 is 64GB.
Known Compatibility
Another contributor states that the Raspberry Pi 5 is known to work with 500GB cards and is thought to work with at least 1TB. The SDXC standard, which Raspberry Pi supports, goes up to 2TB.
Raspberry Pi Engineer's Input
A Raspberry Pi engineer suggested that the theoretical maximum SD card size is 2TB, although they personally haven't tested cards of that capacity. They confirmed that 512GB cards are known to work.
Alternative Storage Solutions
It's mentioned that while large SD cards can be used, using an SSD via a USB connection is a faster, cheaper, and more reliable storage solution for the Raspberry Pi.
Practical Advice: While Raspberry Pis can technically support very large SD cards, USB flash drives or SSDs offer better value and performance for extensive storage needs.
This design choice helps keep the Raspberry Pi's cost low.
While it's possible to boot a Raspberry Pi 4 using a USB SSD or Flash Drive, which can offer faster performance, microSD cards remain a popular, more straightforward, and cost-effective storage solution.
For Raspberry Pi users, 32GB microSD cards are recommended as they provide ample storage for most applications without being significantly more expensive than smaller capacity cards.
When selecting a microSD card for a Raspberry Pi, it's essential to consider performance and reliability, especially with the Raspberry Pi 5 supporting SDR104 microSD cards, promising improved performance.
The SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) memory card standard is a significant evolution in the storage technology used in a wide array of electronic devices.
Increased Storage Capacity
The SDXC standard extends the maximum storage capacity of SD cards from the 32GB limit seen in SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards up to a staggering 2 TB (terabytes).
This massive increase in storage allows users to store high-resolution photos, 4K and 8K videos, extensive music libraries, and other large files more comfortably, without the need to frequently swap out cards.
File System Change
SDXC cards use the exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) file system instead of the FAT32 system used in SDHC cards. The exFAT system is optimized for flash memory like SD cards, supporting larger files (over 4GB) and providing better storage efficiency and faster access to large amounts of data.
Enhanced Speed with UHS
Some SDXC cards are equipped with Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus interfaces, such as UHS-I or UHS-II, which significantly increase data transfer rates compared to non-UHS cards.
UHS-I can provide speeds up to 104 MB/s, while UHS-II can go up to 312 MB/s.
This is crucial for tasks that require quick read/write operations, such as recording 4K or 8K video, capturing burst photos in high-resolution, or transferring large files between devices.
Compatibility
SDXC cards are designed to be backward compatible with devices that support SDHC cards, although the device needs to be SDXC-compatible to utilize the full capacity and speed benefits of SDXC cards. It's important to check the device's specifications to ensure compatibility with SDXC cards, especially for older devices.
Application in Various Devices: The increased storage and speed capabilities of SDXC cards make them ideal for a range of electronic devices. For instance:
Digital Cameras and Camcorders: Store hours of high-definition video or thousands of high-resolution images without worrying about running out of space.
Tablets and Smartphones: Expand the storage for apps, games, photos, and videos, enhancing the device's usability and entertainment potential.
HDD Recorders/Players and TVs: Record and playback hours of HD or 4K content without needing frequent data offloads.
Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs): Store extensive map data and multimedia content for enhanced navigation and entertainment during travels.
Mobile Phones: Expand storage for media, apps, and other data, providing flexibility and convenience for users.
Data Management and Security
With the vast storage capacities of SDXC cards, efficient data management becomes crucial.
Users should implement regular backups and data organisation strategies to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
Additionally, the exFAT file system supports access controls and ownership, providing a layer of security for sensitive files.
In summary, SDXC memory cards offer a substantial leap in storage capacity and speed, enhancing the digital experience for consumers by enabling extensive media libraries, high-speed data transfers, and greater flexibility in how we use our electronic devices.
Our old friend, the Amazon Basics microSD card, sits at the top of yet another “Best Of” test, only falling behind on the sequential read speeds, where the Transcend (32GB) card hit an impressive 78.46MB/s. The 128GB model was very close, though I feel it’s a little unfair to put them both up here so based on value, I’ve selected the 64GB option as my number 1.
Taking an overall 2nd place thanks to great random read/write speeds, we have the Intenso (64GB) microSD card. It’s not the most well-known brand, but it’s holding its own here!
It was super close between the Transcend (32GB) and Samsung PRO Plus (128GB) for 3rd place but thanks to the Transcend’s slightly higher random write results, I’ll go with that. It was extremely close though and if you trust Samsung as a brand over Transcend, it may still be your choice.
