Hi Friends,

I just purchased an 8GB MicroSD Class 6 (Transcend).

I browsed through the Internet to find out if there's a way to check/verify that I really purchased a Class 6 device. I found some tools that can do such:

Linux: F3 version 1.1.3 (a.k.a. Fight Flash Fraud) - used this in Ubuntu 10.10
Microsoft: h2testw version 1.4 - used this in Windows 7 32-bit Ultimate

I was unsatisfied with what I saw and thought that I purchased a "fake" MicroSD. So I tried to do an actual data transfer by copying a huge file over to the N900.

Here's a screenshot. At the left is the benchmarking tool; at the right is a screenshot of actual data transfer (tried to copy a 2GB-ish movie file. The N900 is attached to the computer in Mass Storage Mode, copied the file directly to the MicroSD).




I also checked the Transcend website to verify the details of the card. I used the Taiwan site (left side) and the Philippines site (right side). Both results seem consistent.



I'm confused and maybe someone can give me advice.

1. Which screenshot reflects the actual/correct transfer rate so I can say whether I got a genuine card or not?
2. Is the benchmarking tool "inaccurate"? I tried the Linux counterpart of the tool and got the same results (sorry I wasn't able to take the screenshot).

Your advice matters. It will help me determine whether I should return the MicroSD.Thanks!

EDIT: When I tried the benchmark test at first attempt, I did it by using the MicroSD adapter (so it would be the size of a regular SD Card) which is included in the product I purchased, then plugged it into my computer's card reader. I'm currently booted into Linux (Ubuntu 10.10) and this time, I'm doing the benchmark from where the MicroSD is directly plugged into the N900 instead. Currently in progress...I observe the transfer rate to be faster, so I think it could be either the card reader or the adapter that slowed it down. I'll let this finish and will update this post.

UPDATE 01: I just finished running the benchmark test for "write" speed. With this test, the MicroSD is inserted into the N900, and then the N900 is plugged into my desktop computer in Mass Storage Mode. Results were favorable.



Currently running the "read" speed benchmark. If the results will still be good, I may have to mark this thread as solved (keeping fingers crossed).

UPDATE 02: Here are the results. 4MB/s "read" speed. Hm...? That means my questions will have to stay as they are (unfortunately).



In Wikipedia, it says here though that a Class 6 would give about 6MBytes/s read/write: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_...#.C3.97_rating. I guess I have to run some more tests, for now I have to sleep. Perhaps someone can interpret this information better? Thanks in advance.

UPDATE 03: I just did another test today in Linux (Ubuntu 10.10) with the MicroSD in the N900, and then plugged the N900 to my desktop computer in Mass Storage Mode. Results are still the same as with Update 02 (9Mb/s read, 4Mb/s write). So I tried with Windows again (MicroSD in N900 then plug N900 to computer). Here are the results. I got 8.61Mb/a read, 9.09Mb/s write.



CONCLUSION/OBSERVATIONS:

1. Was able to verify the authenticity of the Transcend MicroSD card (Class 6, 8GB) I purchased by looking it up at the product's official website, as well as some speed benchmarking tools available for download.
2. Reported benchmarks/speeds of MicroSD seemed to differ based on application used, Operating System used, as well as how the MicroSD is plugged in for use (e.g. via adapter+card reader versus via direct attachment/plug to a device).
3. Summary of my test results:

Microsoft Windows

1. Plugged in to MicroSD-to-SD adapter+plugged in to Card Reader: 3.80 Mb/s Write; 4.42 Mb/s Read using H2testw application
2. Actual data copy/transfer (using a 2.48 GB video file): 9.70 Mb/s
3. MicroSD inserted to a device (N900), and then device plugged directly to computer (USB port at back of computer) via Mass Storage Mode:

Linux (Ubuntu 10.10)

MicroSD inserted to a device (N900), and then device plugged directly to computer (USB port at back of computer) via Mass Storage Mode: 9.12Mb/s write; 4.12Mb/s read

At this point I can finally mark this thread as "Solved (or closed)". The important thing is that I was able to share my experience and hope that this may help others as well.