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Do you think I should buy the PNY StorEdge or the Nifty Mini Drive for MBPr?

Hieveryone

Hieveryone

macrumors 603
Original poster
Apr 11, 2014
5,632
2,347
USA
A couple nights ago I used bootcamp to install Windows 7.

I keep all my files on an external drive because I switch between Mac and Windows often, and it is a great way to access my files all in one place on EITHER Windows or Mac.

For example, if I have a Word document in Windows, I can save it to my external drive, re-boot my MBPr into Mac, and access it via Pages!

PNY StorEdge Pros/Cons - Faster read/write speeds BUT it slightly sticks out :mad:

Nifty Mini Drive Pros/Cons- Slower read/write speeds but it does not stick out at all. It is like it is built in and more permanent.
 
For what it's worth: I bought the Nifty during their kickstarter campaign. As soon as I inserted in my SD card slot I've never had to think twice about it. No weird ejection issues, no concern about speed (since I treat it as a media library, not a lot of writing going on often) and overall headache free. The PNY may be better, but I couldn't recommend the Nifty more.
 
Hieveryone said:
A couple nights ago I used bootcamp to install Windows 7.

I keep all my files on an external drive because I switch between Mac and Windows often, and it is a great way to access my files all in one place on EITHER Windows or Mac.

For example, if I have a Word document in Windows, I can save it to my external drive, re-boot my MBPr into Mac, and access it via Pages!

PNY StorEdge Pros/Cons - Faster read/write speeds BUT it slightly sticks out :mad:

Nifty Mini Drive Pros/Cons- Slower read/write speeds but it does not stick out at all. It is like it is built in and more permanent.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you're getting that the PNY is faster. The Nifty is as fast as the MicroSD you use. And as MicroSD cards are constantly improving, even a few years down the road you can use new/higher capacity microSD cards.

There's also the option to have multiple "drives" for it - just switch the MicroSD. For me that's appealing, but that may be less so for you.
 
The OP is quite correct about speed. Sandisk's new 128 microsd has quoted specs of "Up to 30MB/s read speed, write speed lower"--that's one of the best ones. The PNY or the full-size "Minidrive" are full-size SD that have speeds that are more like 80 or 90 mbps read, 60 mbps write.
 
marivaux said:
The OP is quite correct about speed. Sandisk's new 128 microsd has quoted specs of "Up to 30MB/s read speed, write speed lower"--that's one of the best ones. The PNY or the full-size "Minidrive" are full-size SD that have speeds that are more like 80 or 90 mbps read, 60 mbps write.
Click to expand...

According to PNY's own descriptions, read/write speeds match those of Sandisk's faster MicroSD cards. Those are what I was referencing, rather than their current 128GB - which is actually what I personally use with good results. They make some pretty solid faster MicroSD cards that are worth looking at.
 
1. I ordered the PNY StorEdge because of the faster read and write speeds. They around 80 read and 60 write which is like an HDD drive.

2. I ordered the 128GB.

3. This will be perfect for me because I switch between OS X and Windows multiple times a day.

4. Now I am able to use my StorEdge as my hard drive so that when I switch I will have access to all my files.

That is all :apple:
 
Hieveryone said:
1. I ordered the PNY StorEdge because of the faster read and write speeds. They around 80 read and 60 write which is like an HDD drive.

2. I ordered the 128GB.

3. This will be perfect for me because I switch between OS X and Windows multiple times a day.

4. Now I am able to use my StorEdge as my hard drive so that when I switch I will have access to all my files.

That is all :apple:
Click to expand...

Keep in mind - if you format for Mac, you'll need special drivers or a third party program to open the SD card in Windows.

Either way, congrats!
 
Saint.Icon said:
Keep in mind - if you format for Mac, you'll need special drivers or a third party program to open the SD card in Windows.

Either way, congrats!
Click to expand...

Are you serious?!?! :mad:

Right now I have SanDisk Cruzer fit that works for both. I didn't have to do anything.

EDIT: And thanks! :D
 
Hieveryone said:
Are you serious?!?! :mad:

Right now I have SanDisk Cruzer fit that works for both. I didn't have to do anything.

EDIT: And thanks! :D
Click to expand...

Your SanDisk Cruzer is formatted in FAT32 which is cross-platform compatible. If you wish to install an OS on it, you have to format it into something else which isn't cross compatible (Mac OS Extended - Journaled if you wish to install OS X on it, and NTFS if you wish to install Windows on it). Both OSes can read either formats, but they can only write natively to their own formats.
 
yjchua95 said:
Your SanDisk Cruzer is formatted in FAT32 which is cross-platform compatible. If you wish to install an OS on it, you have to format it into something else which isn't cross compatible (Mac OS Extended - Journaled if you wish to install OS X on it, and NTFS if you wish to install Windows on it). Both OSes can read either formats, but they can only write natively to their own formats.
Click to expand...

I think I sort of understood that lol. I don't want to install any OS on it. I just need to put pics, documents, etc on it.

So for example, I might write a document on Word in Windows 7, save it to my PNY StorEdge, then boot Mavericks, and re-open the document in Pages.

That's what I need to be able to do.
 
Hieveryone said:
I think I sort of understood that lol. I don't want to install any OS on it. I just need to put pics, documents, etc on it.

So for example, I might write a document on Word in Windows 7, save it to my PNY StorEdge, then boot Mavericks, and re-open the document in Pages.

That's what I need to be able to do.
Click to expand...

I believe you can do that with the proper formatting, though there have been various complaints about speed issues with non-mac os journaled SD cards. I haven't tried it myself, yet:

https://niftydrives.zendesk.com/entries/26285851-What-is-the-best-format-for-my-microSD-card-
 
Hieveryone said:
I think I sort of understood that lol. I don't want to install any OS on it. I just need to put pics, documents, etc on it.

So for example, I might write a document on Word in Windows 7, save it to my PNY StorEdge, then boot Mavericks, and re-open the document in Pages.

That's what I need to be able to do.
Click to expand...

Looks like your best formatting option is to use FAT32.
 
Wow I am super P.O'd right now. The StorEdge does NOT fit. It sticks out a mile out of the MacBook. How can they advertise one thing and give you something else? If it's for the Air, they should say, WILL NOT FIT MBPr!
 
Hieveryone said:
Wow I am super P.O'd right now. The StorEdge does NOT fit. It sticks out a mile out of the MacBook. How can they advertise one thing and give you something else? If it's for the Air, they should say, WILL NOT FIT MBPr!
Click to expand...

Hence why I said go with the Nifty - which fits flush and works great. ;)

Keep in mind, a higher speed Micro SD card will match the PNY's speeds.
 
Hieveryone said:
Where can I find a higher speed Micro SD?
Click to expand...

Sandisk makes a pile of them, but they top off at 64GB right now. They released a 128GB Class 10 MicroSD in January, so I'd expect a high speed 128GB in the near future.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extre...400202811&sr=8-11&keywords=Micro+SD+card+64gb

I believe that matches the PNY's speeds, but will get you the smaller size to fit flush.

And I can also confirm that the Nifty matches perfectly. It looks like it's part of the MBP. Depending on your rMBP's size, you can get the Nifty to fit perfect. It includes a 4GB card by default, but it's a slow class 4, so basically just a bonus.
 
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Saint.Icon said:
Sandisk makes a pile of them, but they top off at 64GB right now. They released a 128GB Class 10 MicroSD in January, so I'd expect a high speed 128GB in the near future.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extre...400202811&sr=8-11&keywords=Micro+SD+card+64gb

I believe that matches the PNY's speeds, but will get you the smaller size to fit flush.

And I can also confirm that the Nifty matches perfectly. It looks like it's part of the MBP. Depending on your rMBP's size, you can get the Nifty to fit perfect. It includes a 4GB card by default, but it's a slow class 4, so basically just a bonus.
Click to expand...


EDIT: I ordered the Nifty. It comes with 2GB which I will use until I need more. Then I'll get a Sony 64GB for around 38 bucks. 40mpbs read.
 
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Hieveryone said:
EDIT: I ordered the Nifty. It comes with 2GB which I will use until I need more. Then I'll get a Sony 64GB for around 38 bucks. 40mpbs read.
Click to expand...

The 4GB it'll come with is only a class 4 card, and pretty slow. It'll be fast enough to stream media from, but it'll take time to write to it.

I'd recommend at least getting a cheap Class 10 card. 16 and 32GB cards aren't that much, and will let you use it frustration-free. :)
 
Hieveryone said:
Wow I am super P.O'd right now. The StorEdge does NOT fit. It sticks out a mile out of the MacBook. How can they advertise one thing and give you something else? If it's for the Air, they should say, WILL NOT FIT MBPr!
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, PNY doesn't recommend it for the 13" rmbp:

https://www3.pny.com/128GB-StorEDGE...serID=83996491&SessionID=mpJNESfnln5WvVcBRixV

And it's not a device that's flush, anyway--I'm personally waiting to see if "The Minidrive" produces its promised flush SD device for the 13" rmbp. Enjoy your Nifty adaptor, though!
 
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None of these are the for the 13" Retina right?
 
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