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07-04-2011, 04:10 AM   #1
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Pretec USB 3.0 Card reader Speed tests

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Hey guys,
I had a look around PF a couple of weeks back and I couldn't find any evidence of a USB 2.0 Vs 3.0 in real world comparison. So I bought myself a USB3.0 Card Reader based on (very limited) reviews on other web sites and I felt I should share my results with all of you.

The reason I went looking into USB 3.0 is mainly due to being frustrated by the bottleneck in speed when downloading my photos after shooting an event. I hate waiting.

The following items were purchased off fleabay to USB3.0 ready my PC:
USB 3.0 PCI-e card (AUD$ 12.50) (HERE)
Pretec P240 USB Card Multi-Card Reader (AUD$ 23.75) (HERE)
The software I used in this test was H2testw v1.4 (you can download HERE)

The following two cards (the only two types I own) were used:
  • Scandisk SDHC/Extreme Pro 16GB [Class I] (45MB/s)
  • Scandisk SDHC/Extreme 8GB [Class 6] (20MB/s)

I suppose enough of the chit-chat and on to the results.

Card Make/Model: Scandisk SDHC/Extreme Pro 16GB [Class I] (45MB/s)
Method of transfer: Camera to PC Via USB 2.0 Cable
Camera: Pentax K-7 (MSC Connection)

Only 5000 of 15185 MByte tested.
Test finished without errors.
Writing speed: 8.35 MByte/s (9:59min)
Reading speed: 10.4 MByte/s (8:02min)
Method of transfer: Pretec USB 3.0 Card Reader
Only 5000 of 15185 MByte tested.
Test finished without errors.
Writing speed: 30.2 MByte/s (2:46min)
Reading speed: 40.8 MByte/s (2:03min)
Card Make/Model: Scandisk SDHC/Extreme 8GB [Class 6] (20MB/s)
Method of transfer: Camera to PC Via USB 2.0 Cable
Camera: Pentax K-7 (MSC Connection)
Only 5000 of 7572 MByte tested.
Test finished without errors.
Writing speed: 9.47 MByte/s (8:48min)
Reading speed: 11.0 MByte/s (7:35min)
Method of transfer: Pretec USB 3.0 Card Reader
Only 5000 of 7572 MByte tested.
Writing speed: 17.2 MByte/s (4:50min)
Reading speed: 21.4 MByte/s (3:53min)
System Info
OS: Windows 7 (N) x64
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66GHz)
RAM: 4.00GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5870
HDD: -Corsair 64GB SSD
-Seagate 1.5TB
Mother Board: Asus P5Q Deluxe
USB 3.0 PCI-e board

Conclusion:
USB 3.0 is IMO defiantly the way to go. I presume that like USB2.0, this relatively new technology will continue to get faster with driver/hardware updates. And given the significant boost in transfer speed Especially for the Class I SDHC card and to a lesser extent the class 6 SDHC card you can't go wrong if your fed-up with waiting for your photos to download!

Its also interesting to note the Scandisk extreme 8GB (class 6) out performed the 16GB Extreme Pro (Class I) in the Usb 2.0 category by almost %12.

I have read (dunno where) that this pretec P240 has had SDHC/SDXC read/write speeds in the ball park of 70MB/s using other brand cards and (most likely) a more powerful Computer setup.
And CF cards are greater than that again!


***** Disclaimer: I am by no means a computer expert I just merely was comparing 2 set-ups that would achieve faster download speeds for my own personal use. You may get better or worse results depending on your set-up, so please if you feel I have stuffed up just (in a polite manner) suggest the improvements if others wish to test their transfer speeds below.

06-11-2012, 01:25 AM   #2
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I also switched to USB 3.0 and that is fantastic.
06-11-2012, 06:17 AM   #3
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Here is what my low cost ($13.99 w/free shipping) 8GB Panasonic 90mb/sec rated read SDHC card benchmarked with the Pretec USB 3.0 card reader .
06-11-2012, 03:49 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by jogiba Quote
Here is what my low cost ($13.99 w/free shipping) 8GB Panasonic 90mb/sec rated read SDHC card benchmarked with the Pretec USB 3.0 card reader .
That is excellent, I think I want a 90mb/s card just for speeding up the process of loading them to the computer. I know I will do bugger all for camera performance but hey, that's 1~1.5 photos per second faster than I have at this point so that could be a pretty big jump in performance.

Although I might see more benefit from upgrading the PC, LR 4.1 is a little laggy during the processing and photo browsing.

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