Patriot Memory Intros New Performance EP SD Cards

Fremont, CA.-based American memory manufacturer Patriot Memory, has sent out a press release presenting its new Extreme Performance SDHC/SDXC UHS-I flash storage line of products.

The Patriot Memory EP Series SDHC/SDXC cards feature ultra-fast transfer rates and expanded storage capacities. They need SDHC/SDXH capable devices, but once these requirements are met, they’ll deliver top-of-the-line data recording performance.

The problem with most of the HD video recording devices is the fact that the writing speed of most of the SD cards on the market is well below the required specifications for HD filming. The average buyer tends to enjoy the HD sticker on his/her new digital photo or video camera and will most likely buy the cheapest SD card available.

More knowledgeable buyers will probably search for the best price/capacity ratio, but the majority of them won’t take into account the write speed certifications of the SD card they’re buying.

By introducing the “class” parameter, characterizing the write speed certification of an SD card, SD card manufacturers are still able to get away with selling cards with lackluster performance, and also charge more for models that meet or exceed higher “class” certifications. But now we, at least, have the right specification detailed on the box.

Back in the 2000s, when the first SD cards were launched, the speed rating of the card was measured in multiples of “x”, x being the standard CD-ROM drive speed of about 150 KB/s.

There were cards rated anywhere between 6x and 600x, while the manufacturers were free to report anything they’d like: the best case read speed, the average read speed, the write speed etc.

Some well-known companies such as Transcend or Kingston were reporting the card’s write speed as that’s the most important aspect in the speed equation: you can wait one hour to slowly copy the contents of your SD card on your computer, but you can’t film a 720p video if the card’s writing speed is not at least 5.5 MB/s.

Now, the “class” rating exclusively refers to the write speed of the card.

Patriot’s new SD cards are designed to provide two times the transfer speeds of previous Class 10 solutions, when used with UHS-I compatible devices. At the 128 GB capacity, the Patriot Memory EP Series SDHC/SDXC card is capable of storing up to 2,560 minutes of 1080p video and more than 26,000 high definition photos.

The official specifications state a maximum of 50 MB/s read speed and a 35 MB/s write speed and the cards come with a 5-year warranty.

Pricing information has not yet been revealed.

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