The introduction of SD cards in 1999 made the use of floppy disks, and CDs obsolete. Gone were the days, where you had to spend ourselves on your computer burning data on to a CD that could easily scratch and contaminate data if not taken care of immaculately.
SD cards offered a much more practical solution to storing information of various types including text, pictures, videos and more. SD cards were smaller much more durable and immensely practical which made them instantly popular.
The rise in popularity and demand meant that tech companies started spending million on research and development to manufacture SD cards that were more powerful and could hold large quantities of data while still being small and practical.
What Is An SD Card?
SD is short for “Secure Digital”. An SD card is exactly what its name signifies. It is a secure digital card that helps store and process data in a safer more practical way than alternatives before it.
SD cards are lighter, more compact, smaller in size, and can hold vast amounts of data that can be transferred to and fro from many electronic devices including computers, digital video camcorders, cell phones, digital cameras, gaming consoles, mp3 players, and digital picture frames.
Questions To Ask When Buying Individual Or Bulk SD Cards
Before purchasing an SD card ask yourself a few very important questions. Some good questions to ask include:
- Are you going to be using your SD card for internal or external storage?
- What type of data are you going to be storing (text, videos, pictures, etc.)?
- What storage size would like your SD card to ideally be?
- What is your budget?
- Do you have any brand preferences?
- What type of device is the SD card for?
- What performance specs would you like your SD card to have?
- What write speed or SD card class are you looking for?
Knowing what you need an SD card for can be greatly beneficial in choosing one that best suits your desired needs. As there are many manufacturers and SD cards available not knowing answers to these questions can make the selection process quite difficult.
The Most Popular SD Card Manufacturers
The most recognized and popular brands for SD cards include Kingston, PNY, SanDisk and Delkin. SD cards can come in various qualities depending on the manufacturer. Many cheaper versions can often become easily corrupted or damaged so it is always best to purchase recognized brand names and manufacturers that offer at least a 1-year warranty on the card.
If you are looking to purchase high-quality individual SD cards or are looking for bulk ordering sd cards online sources can often by your best bet. Reputable online wholesalers like Everything But Stromboli offer amazing discounted rates on all types of SD cards both for individual and bulk purchases from top manufacturers.
What To Look For When Purchasing SD Cards Online
Several things need to be considered to ensure that you get the best SD card for your desired use. These factors include:
Size & Performance
In the past few years, innovation and technology have allowed SD cards to hold a lot more information without compromising speed and performance. Not so long ago the larger the size of the SD card or the greater its storage capacity, the longer it took for your computer to read through its contents.
Most modern SD cards made from reputable manufacturers have a write speed of 80 MB per second which is almost twice as much as what SD cards of the same size had in the past. Class 10 SD cards can have write speeds of up to 95 MB per second and can hold up to 256 GB of data in a chip that is no more than an inch in size.
The introduction of sleeker and smaller cell phones have introduced a new type of SD card size referred to as micro SD. These micro SD cards are tiny yet offer sufficient performance and storage capacity for most mobile applications.
Durability
An SD card is a vital piece of kit without which many of your electronic devices can become pretty much useless. Without the ability to store any data digital cameras and camcorders essentially turn into expensive paperweights.
That is why you should always carry more than one SD card and buy SD cards that are made from durable material that can withstand small impacts and general wear and tear.
Individual Vs. Bulk Buying
When it comes to SD cards smart shoppers always tend to buy them in bulk. This is because even though SD cards have become more robust and safer over the years they can still be easily corrupted, lost, or damaged. It is always best to store vital data on multiple storage devices in case one of them fails and with SD cards this is easy and affordable to do.
In most cases, buying SD cards in bulk, in turn, would account for greater cost-savings per unit. If you are a photographer, filmmaker, run a digital agency, or simply have a lot of data that you require to be on hand buying SD cards in bulk is definitely the wiser and more cost-effective solution.
However, if you just need an SD card for your phone or one to have just in case buying them individually is also possible online. As SD cards hardly weigh anything at all shipping them is cheap and without the need for an expensive retail front, online wholesalers can offer SD cards at more cost-effective rates.
Specs
As SD cards have become increasingly common the introduction of classes has made it easier to identify ones that are more powerful and made of higher quality materials than others. When determining the class of an SD card things like write speed, storage size, and material quality are all taken into account. SD cards can be found as Class 2, Class 4, Class 6 and Class 10. The higher the class the better the specs.
