Corsair 1GB SD 133x & 2GB SD 60x

Examination:

The cards look exactly like the previously reviewed CMFSD133-512. On the front of the Secure Digital card is a sticker that shows the Corsair logo along with the speed rating and memory capacity. On the side of the card is the read-only switch, which is also another Secure Digital feature. Neither of the Corsair SD cards have claims to water, dust, or temperature proofing.

Performance:

On the paper insert for Corsair's Secure Digital products they mention the card is compatible with Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. While we do not need to worry about Linux compatibility with SD cards like we do motherboards and other peripherals, Corsair does earn recognition for stating this Linux compatibility on their product packaging. Corsair SD cards are among the few products that we have seen where Linux is prominently displayed on the packaging.

For testing we had used the Corsair 1GB 133x SD, Corsair 2GB 60x SD, and the previously reviewed Corsair 512MB 133x SD cards in conjunction with a LINKSKEY LKA-CR84B card reader. When using hdparm -t, the average read speed for the 512MB 133x card was 6.25 MB/s while with the 1GB 133x its average was 6.22 MB/s and with the 2GB 60x card that had dropped to about 6.02MB/s. When it came to the write speeds, the Corsair 60x SD card was slower than the 133x versions but the 60x still was suitable for transferring many pictures from a digital camera to a computer. The test system used was a Lenovo ThinkPad T60 notebook with Fedora Core 6. We also had no problems with any of the Corsair flash cards when using them in a variety of Secure Digital devices.

Conclusion:

We were very pleased when reviewing the Corsair SD 133x 512MB card at the start of last year, and we remain pleased today after trying out Corsair's 133x 1GB and 60x 2GB products. We had run into no problems with either of the cards and they had both worked great. When we had reviewed the Corsair 512MB 133x card its price was $30 and $70 for the 1GB version. However, today the 1GB 133x SD card from Corsair can be found for about $15 USD. The 2GB 60x version can also be found for around the same price. If you are in need of even more space, Corsair has a growing line of Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards.