Flush sitting SD card for Dell XPS 15 9550

Hello Guys,
As a quick search did not yield any hits, I am opening a separate thread for it.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a SD card which would sit flush on the Dell XPS 15 9550?

Cheers,
Oneforall

 

You would need a microSD adapter, like this one

http://www.amazon.com/Spinido-Microsd-Adapter-Macbook-retina/dp/B013UF7BL2

But I would recommend that you DON'T do this.

1). SD memory is expensive. Price-per-GB is more expensive than SSD memory.

2). SD memory is unreliable. It has a high failure rate... Especially when people are considering using it as semi-permanent extra storage for a notebook.

3). SD memory is slow. As in, significantly slower than even USB 2.0. Most SD memory writes at 10MB/s random writes. Even the best SD memory writes at 25-30MB/s random writes. Over time, as the drive gets full and/or the drive gets used, that will slow down to around 2-5MB/s random write. Remember, SD memory doesn't have TRIM an it doesn't over-provision like a true SSD.

4). SD memory isn't portable across systems. Because you're using a shortened SD card adapter, using that microSD card in a other system would mean you need another adapter. One more piece of equipment to carry, and one more piece that could get lost.



If you're looking for semi-permanent storage, you're better off just doing a straight upgrade of your SSD. Sell what you have, and buy a new SSD with the capacity you want. If you're looking for portable storage, you're much better off with a USB 3.0 flash drive. Faster, cheaper, and useable across more systems.


Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the detailed reply, Kent1146.

I already have a 512 GB SSD and I think that it should be enough in general.
As the laptop does have a SD card slot, instead of fitting it with a plug to stop dust to get in, I thought I would actually put a flush SD card which would also act as a cheap backup's backup.

 

This is what I use: http://www.amazon.com/Spinido-micro...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s02

It is a bit too short but I used tape and tape it on its cover so it sticks out of the slot for me to remove it. I don't remove it at all. I used Micro-SD for documents. You need a reliable MicroSD. The speed is not a concern because the SD slot is USB2.0 speed, around 6MBps. So get a large Micro-SD with low speed would do. To ensure the documents' availability across all my notebooks, I used a junk computer with FreeNas and installed a OwnCloud plugin, sync the content of my SD card with owncloud. I have been using it for several years and it is very reliable and secure.

BTW, SSD is not reliable either, so backup is very important. FreeNas(or Nas4Free) and owncloud is the way to go. Very low cost and reliable.

 

Thanks for pointers, Joseph.

Is the SD reader really that slow? NotebookCheck.net has found it to be quite good actually:

"We check the performance of the card reader with our reference SD-card Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II. The maximum transfer rate is up to 194 MB/s when you copy large files, while you can expect around 71 MB/s for common JPG pictures (around 5 MB each). This is a very fast SD reader; many consumer laptops only manage between 15-20 MB/s (small files)."

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-XPS-15-2016-9550-InfinityEdge-Notebook-Review.156354.0.html
(just search for Exceria)

Am I missing something here? Otherwise I could go for a slower, cheaper card.

 

I have a PNY Elite Professional 256GB that I keep in the SD slot. Copy of large files to SD are normally 50-60MB

 

Zuffy, I am guessing the PNY SD card that you mention does not sit flush, but pokes out about 8 mm, right? Thanks for confirming the high speeds though.

 

Yeah, it sticks out. No other way to get something larger than 200gb and offer higher transfer rate than a regular size SD. I have a Samsung T3 500GB that I use for backup and large data transfer though.

 

That is an amazing speed. I used Sandisk 200GB microSD, the speed is about 12-13MBps.