The megapixel count on digital cameras continues to increase and more digital camcorders are coming to rely on flash memory cards for storage. The tried and true Secure Digital (SD) format is reaching the end of its lifespan, because it just doesn’t offer enough capacity anymore. In case you didn’t know, it is not possible to get an SD card that carries more than 2 gigabytes of memory. That’s where the revitalized SDHC format has come into play, offering tons more storage in a form factor that is no larger than a standard SD card. In fact, the SDHC format has a theoretical limit of 32GB. That’s a lot more than 2GB, wouldn’t you say?
We had the opportunity to the take the 4GB ATP ProMax SDHC memory card for a test drive and our overall impressions are quite positive. Because the SDHC format isn’t backwards compatible with SD devices, you’ll need a special SDHC card reader if you hope to use this card with your computer. Thankfully, ATP has included one such reader for free as part of the package. What a deal!
Speed and Space
Compared to most conventional SD cards, the ATP ProMax SDHC card is not only more capacious, but it is also faster. This is even true when you compare this card against SD cards that are marketed as being “high-speed”. On the packaging and on the card itself, you’ll see am emblem that tells you that this SDHC card is Class 6. What this means is that ATP guarantees a minimum data transfer rate of 6MB/sec. Putting it through its paces in HD Tune, we found that it not only met this expectation, it far surpassed it.
As you can see through the screenshot above, the minimum data transfer rate was 19.3 MB/sec. This is over three times as fast as the guaranteed minimum. The maximum wasn’t much faster at 19.9MB/sec with the average clocking in at 19.8MB/sec. Access time was equally speedy at 1.1ms.
But that’s a benchmark. How did this card perform in a real world test? Well, to see how it fared, we dumped a 700MB video file onto and out of the card using the provided card reader, connected to a standard high-speed USB 2.0 port. When transferring the file onto the SDHC card, it took 45.937 seconds. When transferring the file out of the card (and onto the hard drive), it took 37.875 seconds. This works out to data transfer rates of 15.3MB/sec and 18.5MB/sec, respectively.
On a side note, although the card is being billed as a 4-gigger, actual usable space rings in at 3934MB. Of course, that slight deficit can be expected with just about any memory device.
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Build Quality
Not much can be said about the card itself. It feels like any conventional SD memory card, except this ProMax SDHC card boasts a heck of a lot more storage inside. The build quality is up to par with gold plated connectors and a small “lock” switch on side for write protection.
According to the back of the package, the ATP memory card is also waterproof, shockproof, and resistant to extreme temperatures. They claim that it’ll survive temperatures as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 Celsius) and as high as 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 Celsius). Pretty tough.
Free Card Reader
It’s surprising that most other SDHC cards on the market don’t come with a free card reader, given that most computers and laptops are still lacking in a proper reader for this format. Sure, you can use your compatible digital camera or camcorder and connect it to your computer, but who wants to do that?
The plus side is certainly the fact that this card is free. I also like the unique sliding mechanism that retracts the USB connector when not in use and swallows up the SDHC card when in use. The design is quite smart and makes for a resonably compact reader.
Unfortunately, there are several build quality issues with the reader. The slot where you insert the SDHC card can be a little difficult to navigate, the slider mechanism isn’t the smoothest in the world, and the plastic housing feels very cheap to the touch. The seals are quite poor. It should also be noted that because of its thickness, you may have some difficulty inserting the card reader into an available USB port, especially if said port is recessed or flanked on either side by other USB cables.
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Conclusion
ATP has a solid product here with the SDHC ProMax memory card. The performance, particularly speed, is quite impressive and will easily hold its own against other, more expensive SDHC cards on the market. The included card reader, although poorly built, is well designed and an excellent bonus. It’s also good insurance that users will have a great experience because not all card readers are compatible with such large memory cards.
I would have liked to have used one of the higher capacity cards — 4GB is at the lowest end of the SDHC spectrum — just to see if performance begins to deteriorate with storage increases. Currently, 8 GB cards are on the market, but it would be interesting to check out a larger one, if not for bragging rights. Overall, ATP gets the nod for putting together a convenient bundle that should please users hungry for more memory without any compatibility issues out of the box.
Pros
- Free card reader
- Lots of storage space
- Speedy performance
- Relatively inexpensive
Cons
- Poor card reader build quality
- Currently limited to 4GB
Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
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