Alternative Uses for SD card slot!

[MacsAreBetter\]

Hello folks!

While having an SD card slot is very exciting for photography-oriented users, for others its just another empty hole. I know you can use it as a boot-able drive, and install OS X on it. Is there anything else it can do?

thanks,
- Mike

 

[mulo]

its just another empty hole.

I laughed so hard.

if you use bootcamp use it for readyboost :0

 

[talmy]

You can use it instead of a USB memory stick for "sneaker net" or small backups.

 

[butters149]

Are there instructions on how to use iras a bootable drive? I want to ditch the optical drive all together.

 

[MacsAreBetter\]

Are there instructions on how to use iras a bootable drive? I want to ditch the optical drive all together.

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/06/28/install-os-x-on-an-sd-card/

Here you go bud, I assume its the same as installing it to a normal drive.

What about one of these:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apiotek/EC0003D/

Except inserted into the SD slot? Of course it won't be as fast as a proper express-card, but another USB port would be useful on occasion!

 

[alust2013]

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/06/28/install-os-x-on-an-sd-card/

Here you go bud, I assume its the same as installing it to a normal drive.

What about one of these:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apiotek/EC0003D/

Except inserted into the SD slot? Of course it won't be as fast as a proper express-card, but another USB port would be useful on occasion!

You can't put an ExpressCard in an SD slot, they are completely incompatible. The only thing it's actually useful for is SD cards.

 

[MacsAreBetter\]

You can't put an ExpressCard in an SD slot, they are completely incompatible. The only thing it's actually useful for is SD cards.

I know you can't put an express-card in there, it's too huge. I was asking for an equivalent, maybe a small sd-USB adapter? ...

 

[alust2013]

I know you can't put an express-card in there, it's too huge. I was asking for an equivalent, maybe a small sd-USB adapter? ...

AFAIK, there are no such devices, as the SD slot is a USB to SD adapter, and does not contain all the same data paths as a full USB port.

 

[escogido]

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/06/28/install-os-x-on-an-sd-card/

Here you go bud, I assume its the same as installing it to a normal drive.

What about one of these:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apiotek/EC0003D/

Except inserted into the SD slot? Of course it won't be as fast as a proper express-card, but another USB port would be useful on occasion!

I have an idea I want to run by you, more of a question though. Initially I wanted to run W7 off the MBP, but didn't want to have to partition the drive. Can I not just install the W7 onto the card and run it when I need to simply by sticking it in?

 

[Gabbelito]

I have an idea I want to run by you, more of a question though. Initially I wanted to run W7 off the MBP, but didn't want to have to partition the drive. Can I not just install the W7 onto the card and run it when I need to simply by sticking it in?

This would be epic. But it would also require a large SD card.
But is it possible to run Windows 7 from an external HDD?

 

[awer25]

I have an idea I want to run by you, more of a question though. Initially I wanted to run W7 off the MBP, but didn't want to have to partition the drive. Can I not just install the W7 onto the card and run it when I need to simply by sticking it in?

Yes, but it'll be so painfully slow you won't want to use it.

 

[awer25]

Hello folks!

While having an SD card slot is very exciting for photography-oriented users, for others its just another empty hole. I know you can use it as a boot-able drive, and install OS X on it. Is there anything else it can do?

thanks,
- Mike

You can always make it a 3rd USB port...

 

[cube]

Feedback to Apple that you want ExpressCard back instead of SD.

 

[blueroom]

You can always make it a 3rd USB port...

That has got to be the clunkyist design ever.

 

[Tydog07]

This would be epic. But it would also require a large SD card.
But is it possible to run Windows 7 from an external HDD?

+1, is this possible?

 

[DWBurke811]

Even a Class 10 card would be slower than slow, that's if it's even possible.

 

[escogido]

Yes, but it'll be so painfully slow you won't want to use it.

Well a 2011 MBP takes SDXC cards, http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Cla...Q0DU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1308059026&sr=8-2 has a transfer rate of 25MB/S, any HD at 5400rpm on average have a transfer rate of 300 megabyte/s from the buffer to the computer (as per wikipedia). So I guess you're right, 25 vs 300 is a huge difference...

 

[getz76]

While having an SD card slot is very exciting for photography-oriented users,

For casual users, yes, but most professional cameras use Compact Flash cards.

Since I do not have a DVD drive in my machine, I have a 16gB SD card with a bootable install of OS X as a recovery drive.

 

[awer25]

Well a 2011 MBP takes SDXC cards, http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Cla...Q0DU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1308059026&sr=8-2 has a transfer rate of 25MB/S, any HD at 5400rpm on average have a transfer rate of 300 megabyte/s from the buffer to the computer (as per wikipedia). So I guess you're right, 25 vs 300 is a huge difference...

Buffer rate isn't very realistic. You'll get closer to 50-60MB/s with an average drive. The SD will be at least half the speed, at best.