expressCard/34 compact flash

[allanibanez]

I'm looking into getting an expressCard/34 compact flash adapter for my uniMBP. However, I have heard a few accounts of people not being able to get these to work with their machines. Any advice on which ones I should look at?

Thanks

 

[azharc]

Oh you mean CF Card reader right? Haven't tried one myself but a few of the fellow photo majors of mine have them, haven't heard any complaints.

But if you're unsure just get a card reader instead. Its always fun to use that dang ExpressCard slot for something though. I don't know which one they have since most of it sits in the slot and I haven't seen it removed. It juts out a bit though, kinda irritating I'd say.

 

[Tosser]

I picked up a Lexar 8GB from NewEgg when it was on sale. Works fine.

He's talking about the expresscard adaptor, not the Lexar 8GB compact flash card.

 

[allanibanez]

yeah not a compact flash card, a reader for the expresscard/34 slot.

 

[snowmoon]

Why expresscard/34 anyways? Most simple cards just use the USB interface.

 

[allanibanez]

it was for the transfer speed more than anything. I'll be taking about 4Gb of .raw files from the card which itself has very quick read/write speeds so i thought i may as well make use of the expresscard/34 interface rather than a usb.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

This one DOES work in the latest 15 unibody and with the latest UDMA cards. I have it myself http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apiotek/ECCF3Q/

 

[snowmoon]

it was for the transfer speed more than anything. I'll be taking about 4Gb of .raw files from the card which itself has very quick read/write speeds so i thought i may as well make use of the expresscard/34 interface rather than a usb.

USB 2.0 has a theoretical transfer rate of 80mb/s so I doubt you will see much difference in speed between a good USB reader and expresscard/34 and you will have a little more flexibility with the USB reader.

 

[Tosser]

USB 2.0 has a theoretical transfer rate of 80mb/s

No it doesn't.

It has a theoretical transfer rate of 480 mb/s (megabit, not megabyte) – that would be 60MB (MegaByte) per second. Theoretically.

In practice you will get nowhere even close to that, and especially not if you do any large file transfers (i.e. the sustained transfer speed is way below because USB has a huge overhead).

This one DOES work in the latest 15 unibody and with the latest UDMA cards. I have it myself http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apiotek/ECCF3Q/

Good card. It uses the PCI-E interface in the slot too. I'll back that recommendation for sure.

 

[snowmoon]

No it doesn't.

It has a theoretical transfer rate of 480 mb/s (megabit, not megabyte) – that would be 60MB (MegaByte) per second. Theoretically.

/me needs remedial math...

Yes, 60MB/s. Being a hub based tech I would presume that you can get half of that on a sustained basis assuming you have no other devices on the same chain.