just picked up a usb 2.0 lexar compact flash reader for $5

[macStuff]

plugged it into win7 32bit system - works fine
plugged it into quicksilver running os9 - works fine! shows all the contents of the CF
(which already has a mac-formatted partition from using it in a g4 via IDE/CF adapter)

if only it was the firewire equivelant!
i dont even want to try to drag files out to test the speed lol we all know usb1,1 sucks in os9

does the firewire one that DH used to reccommend support all these different formats aswell? or is it only for CF?

[Astroman]

Compact Flash is (mostly) a rather slow medium, it's not just the transmission speed.
(some of my cards are labeled 244x, but don't impress at all)
I'd rather stick with an SSD drive in a compact case.

[macStuff]

its definately hit + miss depending on which CF you get your hands on.. i have a bumch that sucks and a few that are really speedy .. there are many different speed ratings of CompactFlash cards.. anyway.. they are handy when it comes to certain things.. for me, i use them alot to run win9x systems + system 7 / os 8.x / they work nicely for what i use them for

[Astroman]

I've used such cards for the same purpose or as small, bootable OS backups - handy indeed.
But to give some impression:
I just checked a 440 MB copy from that 244x CF (Transcend) to MacMini: 37 seconds
same file from my standard Buffalo pendrive: 13 seconds
(I admit that the Buffalo most likely was the fastest pen around that time and very expensive)

[mrhappy]

does the firewire one that DH used to reccommend support all these different formats aswell? or is it only for CF?

CF only... It comes in handy for me all the time and I'll probably grab another at some point!

[macStuff]

I just checked a 440 MB copy from that 244x CF (Transcend) to MacMini: 37 seconds
same file from my standard Buffalo pendrive: 13 seconds
(I admit that the Buffalo most likely was the fastest pen around that time and very expensive)

hmm; mine is a 266x Kingston 16gb card; i used it for a short time as my boot drive in an MDD with a CF/IDE adapter and it seemed to perform better than i expected -- i havent tested its speed with a transfer like that in awhile

also; astroman; just to be clear??
is your "pendrive" a firewire pendrive? or usb?
are u comparing an IDE/CF transfer with 244x transcend media to a USB 2.0 thumbdrive transfer speed in OSX?
because usb2.0 as u know is impossible in os9 ; so im a little confused!

anyway
i just happened across the card reader and decided it might be worth 5$ to drop to be able to access my CF cards to figure out which card is which without mucking around with the stupid IDE/CF adapters..

i do know that CF cards go alot higher then 244x or 266x (up to 1066x? UDMA6/7?)

heres an article that popped up in fast google search:

The Fastest CompactFlash Cards - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/computers/buying-guide/the-fastest-memory-cards-money-can-buy

Because the maximum speed of CompactFlash cards has been capped at 167 MB/s, for a while almost all card manufacturers offer cards capable of peak read and write performance at that speed. The fastest cards will be UDMA 7 and advertised as having maximum read speeds between 160-165 MB/s. Lexar’s fastest line of CompactFlash cards is the Lexar Professional, available in 32GB capacity. This card has a 160 MB/s maximum write speed and a minimum write speed of 65 MB/s, with a maximum write speed of 155 MB/s. SanDisk’s Extreme Pro line of cards also offers similar performance of up to 160 MB/s read and 150 MB/s write speeds, while the Transcend Ultimate and Delkin Devices Cinema CompactFlash card lines also offer similar maximum read speeds at 160 MB/s, though their write speeds, at maximum of 120 MB/s, are a bit slower than the Lexar and SanDisk cards. These cards are as fast as CompactFlash cards are going to get—if you want something faster, you will need a different type of memory card.

[mrhappy]

I have a USB reader similar to the one pictured but it doesn't read higher capacity cards... maybe up to 1 or 2GB or so.

[Astroman]

I used pendrive as a synonym for USB stick. It's USB2 and I used the MacMini for storage/controller speed comparison (wouldn't make sense in OS9's low speed transmission).
There's a lot of difference in internal controllers of such storage cards, which I learned when searching one for a Roland SP808 sampler. All failed, with a wide variance of errors.

Those Buffalo sticks were only produced for a short period (4 and 8GB SLC memory) and cost $80 per 4GB.

[macStuff]

I have a USB reader similar to the one pictured but it doesn't read higher capacity cards... maybe up to 1 or 2GB or so.

mine worked fine for a 16gb Kingston CF card

[mrhappy]

That's great!... I must have a early version... case looks the same but different graphics.