Do fast SD cards transfer faster than usb 2?

**barondla** · 12-31-2019, 10:16 AM

The K-1 shoots big files. They take time to load on to computer. Using usb 2.0 card reader and a Sandisk 64gb card that is 100mbs. Would an usb 3.0 card reader plugged into a 3.0 usb port be any faster? Or is usb 2.0 faster than any card?
Thanks,
barondla

**clickclick** · 12-31-2019, 10:29 AM - **2 Likes**

If you have a fast SD card, like a SandDisk Extreme Pro, I would expect an improvement to use a USB 3.0 reader and corresponding port. Here's a random hit showing USB speeds - 2.0 maxes out around 60 MB/sec, while my Extreme Pro cards are rated up to 95 MB/sec, and newer ones are even faster.

USB Connectors Specifications

bertwert · 12-31-2019, 10:32 AM - **1 Like**

USB 2 max speed is 480 Megabits per second, or 60 Megabytes per second.
USB 3.0 max speed is 5 Gigabits per second, or 625 Megabytes per second.

So, in theory, an SD card with a speed of 95 Megabytes per second, such as a Sandisk Extreme Pro card (which I currently use) would be quicker with USB 3. I don't have a USB 3 port on my computer, so unfortunately I can't test for you.

**jatrax** · 12-31-2019, 10:36 AM - **1 Like**

Theoretical speed is 60MBps for USB 2.0 and 640 MBps for USB 3.0.

My better SD cards say they will read at 95 MBps.

So (theoretically) yes a fast SD card like Sandisk Extreme Pro will perform better on a USB 3.0 reader. In practice I have used both and while I have not done any real testing there is a noticeable difference in load time using USB 3.0. However, I'm not sure it is worth going out and buying a new card reader or computer to do it. Certainly if I was buying a new reader or computer I would insist on USB 3.0 (and USB 3.1) ports.

Because those read rates are theoretical other factors may have an impact. If your computer or your storage drive is slow and cannot keep up then no matter how fast the card reader is you will not go any faster. The slowest part of the chain will be the bottleneck in your load speeds. Card speed, reader speed, bus speed, drive speed, whichever is slowest is the limiting factor.

Adam · 12-31-2019, 10:45 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by barondla

The K-1 shoots big files. They take time to load on to computer. Using usb 2.0 card reader and a Sandisk 64gb card that is 100mbs. Would an usb 3.0 card reader plugged into a 3.0 usb port be any faster? Or is usb 2.0 faster than any card?
Thanks,
barondla

Assuming your PC isn't too old, the short answer is yes. The practical speed of USB2 readers is somewhere around 30Mb/s (read) and 15Mb/s (write). Decent USB3 readers might double or triple that figure and would then be on par with the card's speed.

**barondla** · 12-31-2019, 10:59 AM

Originally posted by Adam

Assuming your PC isn't too old, the short answer is yes. The practical speed of USB2 readers is somewhere around 30Mb/s (read) and 15Mb/s (write). Decent USB3 readers might double or triple that figure and would then be on par with the card's speed.

Thanks Adam and everyone else. Laptop was purchased this year. The desktop is about 7 years old and also has a SD slot and usb 3 ports. Need to compare external 3.0 card reader speed to built in SD card slot.
Thanks,
barondla

**clickclick** · 12-31-2019, 11:16 AM - **1 Like**

This just showed up in my inbox:

https://photographylife.com/understanding-memory-cards

**Mikesul** · 12-31-2019, 01:12 PM - **1 Like**

Although Pentax cameras so not take advantage of them UHS II cards will transfer even faster with compatible card readers in most new computers

**ProfessorBuzz** · 01-01-2020, 07:50 AM - **1 Like**

The card reader itself can make a huge difference. The two best units I found on USB3.0 are the Kingston FCR-HS4 and the Unitek Y-9313D. One of my PC's has an internal reader, and the same card downloads much faster with either of these two external units. I also found updating the device driver for the internal card readers (often based on Realtek chipsets) can make a significant improvement.

**barondla** · 01-01-2020, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by ProfessorBuzz

The card reader itself can make a huge difference. The two best units I found on USB3.0 are the Kingston FCR-HS4 and the Unitek Y-9313D. One of my PC's has an internal reader, and the same card downloads much faster with either of these two external units. I also found updating the device driver for the internal card readers (often based on Realtek chipsets) can make a significant improvement.

Great info. How would one find out if they had the most current driver for a built in card reader?
thanks,
barondla

photolady95 · 01-02-2020, 08:46 AM - **1 Like**

Manufacture's website, find support, downloads, and look for card reader drivers. Most computers website can scan your computer and it will show which drivers are for your computer.

**barondla** · 01-02-2020, 10:43 AM

Originally posted by photolady95

Manufacture's website, find support, downloads, and look for card reader drivers. Most computers website can scan your computer and it will show which drivers are for your computer.

Good to know. The laptop is less than a year old and always getting Dell updates, so it should be fine. The laptop has usb 3 ports on its left side and usb 2 and SD card slot on the right. Should probably compare the built in reader to an external 3.0 to see if it achieves 3.0 transfer speed.

The desk top is older and already uses an external 3.0 reader.
Thanks,
barondla

photolady95 · 01-02-2020, 03:30 PM - **1 Like**

Usually, card slots are USB 2.0. And the reason I believe it is USB 2 is because of the two USB 2.0 ports are on the same side as the card slot. I would still check with Dell as whether they have an update on the card slot. Updates are usually security, not parts updates.

photolady95 · 01-02-2020, 03:36 PM - **1 Like**

And I can attest to USB 3.0 card reader plugged into a USB 3.9 slot on your computer is faster. My desktop has two USB 3.0 ports on top of the case and I have a 3.0 card reader, transfer is really fast.

BLanam · 01-19-2020, 08:51 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by barondla

Good to know. The laptop is less than a year old and always getting Dell updates, so it should be fine. The laptop has usb 3 ports on its left side and usb 2 and SD card slot on the right. Should probably compare the built in reader to an external 3.0 to see if it achieves 3.0 transfer speed.

The desk top is older and already uses an external 3.0 reader.
Thanks,
barondla

Unless I'm missing reading your post, it seems that you have all you need to test it yourself. Move your external usb3 reader from the desktop to the laptop and compare file transfer on the usb2 to the usb3.

I definitely see a difference in transfer times on my usb3 compared to my usb2. I have 95 MB/s U3 class 10 SD cards so they make use of the faster capability of the reader.

By the way, having the U3 cards are not necessary for the camera's write speed, as the internal camera write to memory is relatively slow. I could test no difference with 40MB/s cards in camera v. the 95 MB/s cards.

12-31-2019, 10:16 AM	#1
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	Do fast SD cards transfer faster than usb 2? The K-1 shoots big files. They take time to load on to computer. Using usb 2.0 card reader and a Sandisk 64gb card that is 100mbs. Would an usb 3.0 card reader plugged into a 3.0 usb port be any faster? Or is usb 2.0 faster than any card? Thanks, barondla

12-31-2019, 10:45 AM - 2 Likes	#5
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,594	Originally posted by barondla The K-1 shoots big files. They take time to load on to computer. Using usb 2.0 card reader and a Sandisk 64gb card that is 100mbs. Would an usb 3.0 card reader plugged into a 3.0 usb port be any faster? Or is usb 2.0 faster than any card? Thanks, barondla Assuming your PC isn't too old, the short answer is yes. The practical speed of USB2 readers is somewhere around 30Mb/s (read) and 15Mb/s (write). Decent USB3 readers might double or triple that figure and would then be on par with the card's speed. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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12-31-2019, 10:29 AM - 2 Likes	#2
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	If you have a fast SD card, like a SandDisk Extreme Pro, I would expect an improvement to use a USB 3.0 reader and corresponding port. Here's a random hit showing USB speeds - 2.0 maxes out around 60 MB/sec, while my Extreme Pro cards are rated up to 95 MB/sec, and newer ones are even faster. USB Connectors Specifications

12-31-2019, 10:32 AM - 1 Like	#3
bertwert Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Golden, BC Posts: 15,173	USB 2 max speed is 480 Megabits per second, or 60 Megabytes per second. USB 3.0 max speed is 5 Gigabits per second, or 625 Megabytes per second. So, in theory, an SD card with a speed of 95 Megabytes per second, such as a Sandisk Extreme Pro card (which I currently use) would be quicker with USB 3. I don't have a USB 3 port on my computer, so unfortunately I can't test for you.

12-31-2019, 10:36 AM - 1 Like	#4
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Theoretical speed is 60MBps for USB 2.0 and 640 MBps for USB 3.0. My better SD cards say they will read at 95 MBps. So (theoretically) yes a fast SD card like Sandisk Extreme Pro will perform better on a USB 3.0 reader. In practice I have used both and while I have not done any real testing there is a noticeable difference in load time using USB 3.0. However, I'm not sure it is worth going out and buying a new card reader or computer to do it. Certainly if I was buying a new reader or computer I would insist on USB 3.0 (and USB 3.1) ports. Because those read rates are theoretical other factors may have an impact. If your computer or your storage drive is slow and cannot keep up then no matter how fast the card reader is you will not go any faster. The slowest part of the chain will be the bottleneck in your load speeds. Card speed, reader speed, bus speed, drive speed, whichever is slowest is the limiting factor.

12-31-2019, 10:59 AM	#6
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714 Original Poster	Originally posted by Adam Assuming your PC isn't too old, the short answer is yes. The practical speed of USB2 readers is somewhere around 30Mb/s (read) and 15Mb/s (write). Decent USB3 readers might double or triple that figure and would then be on par with the card's speed. Thanks Adam and everyone else. Laptop was purchased this year. The desktop is about 7 years old and also has a SD slot and usb 3 ports. Need to compare external 3.0 card reader speed to built in SD card slot. Thanks, barondla

12-31-2019, 11:16 AM - 1 Like	#7
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	This just showed up in my inbox: https://photographylife.com/understanding-memory-cards

12-31-2019, 01:12 PM - 1 Like	#8
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	Although Pentax cameras so not take advantage of them UHS II cards will transfer even faster with compatible card readers in most new computers

01-01-2020, 07:50 AM - 1 Like	#9
ProfessorBuzz Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 1,903	The card reader itself can make a huge difference. The two best units I found on USB3.0 are the Kingston FCR-HS4 and the Unitek Y-9313D. One of my PC's has an internal reader, and the same card downloads much faster with either of these two external units. I also found updating the device driver for the internal card readers (often based on Realtek chipsets) can make a significant improvement.

01-01-2020, 11:56 AM	#10
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714 Original Poster	Originally posted by ProfessorBuzz The card reader itself can make a huge difference. The two best units I found on USB3.0 are the Kingston FCR-HS4 and the Unitek Y-9313D. One of my PC's has an internal reader, and the same card downloads much faster with either of these two external units. I also found updating the device driver for the internal card readers (often based on Realtek chipsets) can make a significant improvement. Great info. How would one find out if they had the most current driver for a built in card reader? thanks, barondla

01-02-2020, 08:46 AM - 1 Like	#11
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Manufacture's website, find support, downloads, and look for card reader drivers. Most computers website can scan your computer and it will show which drivers are for your computer.

01-02-2020, 10:43 AM	#12
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714 Original Poster	Originally posted by photolady95 Manufacture's website, find support, downloads, and look for card reader drivers. Most computers website can scan your computer and it will show which drivers are for your computer. Good to know. The laptop is less than a year old and always getting Dell updates, so it should be fine. The laptop has usb 3 ports on its left side and usb 2 and SD card slot on the right. Should probably compare the built in reader to an external 3.0 to see if it achieves 3.0 transfer speed. The desk top is older and already uses an external 3.0 reader. Thanks, barondla

01-02-2020, 03:30 PM - 1 Like	#13
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Usually, card slots are USB 2.0. And the reason I believe it is USB 2 is because of the two USB 2.0 ports are on the same side as the card slot. I would still check with Dell as whether they have an update on the card slot. Updates are usually security, not parts updates.

01-02-2020, 03:36 PM - 1 Like	#14
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	And I can attest to USB 3.0 card reader plugged into a USB 3.9 slot on your computer is faster. My desktop has two USB 3.0 ports on top of the case and I have a 3.0 card reader, transfer is really fast.

01-19-2020, 08:51 PM - 1 Like	#15
BLanam New Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Posts: 9	Originally posted by barondla Good to know. The laptop is less than a year old and always getting Dell updates, so it should be fine. The laptop has usb 3 ports on its left side and usb 2 and SD card slot on the right. Should probably compare the built in reader to an external 3.0 to see if it achieves 3.0 transfer speed. The desk top is older and already uses an external 3.0 reader. Thanks, barondla Unless I'm missing reading your post, it seems that you have all you need to test it yourself. Move your external usb3 reader from the desktop to the laptop and compare file transfer on the usb2 to the usb3. I definitely see a difference in transfer times on my usb3 compared to my usb2. I have 95 MB/s U3 class 10 SD cards so they make use of the faster capability of the reader. By the way, having the U3 cards are not necessary for the camera's write speed, as the internal camera write to memory is relatively slow. I could test no difference with 40MB/s cards in camera v. the 95 MB/s cards.

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