Express Card SSD vs SDHC

So,

I have an 8GB SD card I keep some files on mainly because it's very easy to move between systems and stays internal to my laptop. I have zero performance issues with it. Yes, I do make backups of my SD card. That being said I would like to replace it with:

1. A larger SD card. No big deal, I'll just grab a 32GB from Fry's next time I swing by

or

2. A 32GB ExpressCard SSD

I've never used one before. I have read some reviews of various Transcend models having slow write performance, but decent read performance. Others have said both read and write are just fine. So I am curious if anyone has ever used one and what their experiences are. I am mainly curious because I have never used an ExpressCard device before and was curious about their performance. If the SSD's are slow or prone to high failure rates, I will just slap a StarTech USB 3.0 card in there and call it a day.

Thanks in advance.

 

Get a larger SD card.

You are trying to mix up two different use scenarios. SD cards are good for conveniently moving files between different devices.... Especially between computers and digital cameras. It is not a device you want for performance in any way, shape, or form. They perform very slowly (compared to true SSDs), and do not have the write endurance of a true SSD.

If you want performance to move files between computers get a USB 3.0 flash drive. But do your homework here. Not all are created equal. There are some (like Sandisk Extremes) that are essentially SSD controllers and NAND flash packaged as a USB 3.0 device.

Do not get express card. It is a dead / dying connectivity standard.

If you just want true SSD performance for use as an OS / apps / games drive, then just buy an SSD. You can buy 500GB drives for as low as $0.30 or $0.40 per GB.

 

I am already rocking a 256GB Samsung 840 EVO as my primary drive.

Yes, the SD card is handy for moving files, but I don't use it for that all that much. I use it to store work related stuff. I was just curious if anyone had any experience with Express Card SSD's. They aren't very big, but they seem like a nice way to augment storage.

 

You can do it if you want.

My main concern is that express card is a dead end interface. If you buy an express card SSD, then realistically this will be the only laptop you will ever use it with. It will be hard to carry it over to another machine, reuse, or resell it.

Have you considered getting a 512Gb or 1tb SSD? They aren't that expensive anymore. They can be carried over / reused in future computers or laptops you buy. And even your current 256gb drive can be carried over, reused, or resold in another machine.

 

A lot of business-class laptops still use ExpressCard. My old ProBook 4430s (Sandy Bridge) had one and my ThinkPad L440 (Haswell) has one. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a dead-end.

I also happen to have a 24GB SolidGO ExpressCard SSD that reads and writes pretty quick for add-on storage. The FileMate SolidGo drives use PCI-E when they're in the ExpressCard slot. On the flip side, they aren't exactly cheap. A larger SD/microSD card would cost less, but not be as fast. I think it really depends on your use and what you need.

 

I was mainly looking for a toy. But I will just get an ExpressCard USB 3.0 adapter and one of those SanDisk Extreme USB drives mentioned earlier.