[Q] Does it matter what kind of SD card you use? - Nook Color General

So I only have one right now that's in my phone so I'm thinking of buying one for the NC. Obviously I want to root so does the class matter?

I'm using a class 4 and it's fine for watching videos at 1000+ kbps.
Most seem to be Class 4 at the moment.

Also keep in mind that the class doesn't mean much, depending on who you buy it from. Class 2 cards from reputable companies like Sandisk and Kingston tend to perform much faster in benchmark testing and real-world usage than so-called Class 6 or even Class 10 cards from eBay specials.

Also, does the SD card have to be inserted at all times for the NC to be rooted?

No. The directions under rooting tell you to remove the SD card after rooting.
But I recommend a Class 4 card or better from any of the major brands. You can check NewEgg.com reviews for particular ones.
Bobb_o said:
Also, does the SD card have to be inserted at all times for the NC to be rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks! I didn't read through the instructions all the way yet since I don't have my NC yet.

Related

Can the HD2 benefit from class 6 SD? Or is it a bottleneck >Class 2?

I ordered a class 6 16gb card to replace the slow-ass class 2 8GB card I had in my HD2.
First of all I couldnt find the format sd tool in my energy rom (1st July) so I had to format the card using vista while the HD2 was connected in disk drive mode. THAT TOOK OVER 1 HOUR.
(Is there a cab file to install the "Format SD Card" tool for the newer energyroms?)
Anyways after formatting (Fat 32, 16KB cluster), I started to copy my 1.4GB sd backup file to the card using the same method as above (disk drive mode)....
My maximum write speed was 2.7MB/sec. Average 2MB/sec.
Class 2 speeds????
After restoring the backup, which took forever, I ran spb benchmark on the card and was gutted to get slightly lower results than the old class 2 I was replacing.
Can the HD2 make use of anything faster than a class 2 card?
Has anyone here tested a class 6 or even 4 card and found good write speeds (~6MB/sec, or ~4MB/sec)?
Does it sound like I have bought a lemon (class 2 labelled as class 6)?
I have spoken to the seller and he is adamant that they ARE genuine class 6. Reckons he tested some of the batch in TrueHD cameras which will not accept <Class6. Seems genuine and some of his feedback states that the cards are Genuine class 6. Which leads me to think that the bottleneck could be the HD2... Does that sound likely?
I'm waiting for a microsd USB reader to arrive so I can test the card outside of the HD2, but Until I can do that... can anyone tell me if a class 6 is wasted in a HD2?
The strange thing is that when browsing photos/wallpapers etc, the thumbnails ARE loading maybe 3x quicker than my old class 2. So I'm pretty confused about this one.
Can anyone shed any light here? Feel free to post benchmark results/screenshots etc.
Thanks in advance.
can anyone PLEASE answer this ^^^?
Is there any point having a class 6 card in the HD2 instead of a class 2 or 4 card?
there is a thread in the accessories section have a gander in there, I no this is Q&A's but lots of talk about mem cards in the accessories section mate
Cheers mate, I'll take a look.
I will move this thread there. I also recently bought a Class 6 card and and have seen a huge improvement in media reading and over all performence.
I get 4-5MB/s both for reads writes with my 16GB class 6 card in disk drive mode.
Thanks zelendel and kilrah.
kilrah said:
I get 4-5MB/s both for reads writes with my 16GB class 6 card in disk drive mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly the kind of data I'm looking to compare.
Whith my 'class 6' Im getting just under 3MB/S WRITE and under 6MB/S READ when using the HD2 in disk drive mode.
If I use the card in a USB 2.0 reader I can get around 5.5MB/S Write and ~11-13MB/S read.
Based on this alone would you say my card is a class 6 or not. I'm beginning to think it may be a class 4 re-labelled.
Picture browsing etc is faster with my class 6 but all benchmarks indicate it is identical speed to my genuine Kingston Class 2.
What do you guys reckon, Should I send this card back for a refund???
Well if you're getting 5.5 and over 11MB per second with a card reader then we can safely assume it's class 6. The bottleneck is something to do with the phone, rom, cable or simply the phone doesn't like this particular card etc...
EDIT: Test your class 2 card with the memory card reader and see if you get similar results.
ez2remember said:
Well if you're getting 5.5 and over 11MB per second with a card reader then we can safely assume it's class 6. The bottleneck is something to do with the phone, rom, cable or simply the phone doesn't like this particular card etc...
EDIT: Test your class 2 card with the memory card reader and see if you get similar results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for helping me clear things up.
Comparing the 'class 6' and the 'class 2' transfer speeds is where I really get confused here.
Transferring a ~700MB .Avi to and from SD using a reader:
Kingston Class 2 8GB:
Read 12.5MB/s
Write 5.4MB/s
Unbranded Class 6 16GB:
Read 12.5MB/s
Write 6MB/s
So, from this, would you say its safe to assume:
1. The class 2 card is a good one, performing at almost class 6 speeds.
2. The class 6 card is 'Genuine' and shouldnt be returned.
3. There is a bottleneck when using the HD2 as a card reader/disk drive. I should be getting more than 2.5mb/s write speeds in this mode.
4? Does 12.5MB/sec sound close to USB 1.1 speeds? could my reader or even USB port (Vista laptop) be another bottleneck?
Once again thank you for helping me make sense of all this.
At least I now know that the 16gb card doesnt really need to be returned.
Can you give me your oppinions on the above?
Well class 2 means you should be getting a minimum 2MB/s speeds and class 6 means you should be getting a minimum 6MB/s.
Seems like you have a very good class 2 card.
More info here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital
Your class 6 is performing to spec.
Personally I would never buy an unbranded card but that's me. A branded card may perform better than there class rating e.g. Your Kingston brand I've always used Sandisk personally...
I've just managed to drum up enough funds to get myself a HD2 and now looking to upgrade my HCSD card to 16GB. To get the "right" class I tried to find the spec on the SD interface but I cannot find anything and the best data I can find is that I shouldn't waste my money on unbranded devices, I would always buy a SANDISK device for something I relied on! For data and communication!
People seem to get appropriate speeds for the class of device they have, if they are branded and sometimes if unbranded. However, there doesn't seem to be anything better than class 6 results debated or given. Is it a VERY rash assumption that the fastest the HD2 interface can go is Class 6?
Chris
Does this mean its not worth getting 32gb cos its a class2
& theat would make the phone slower cos lot more stuff on it
& will take more loading time & play Videos lagy ?
anyone useing 32gb ?
Thanks
My experience was positive with higher class micro SD.
At first, I used 8GB micro SD bundled with my HD2 and didn't notice improved loading speed. Later, I changed it with higher class one, same 8GB, with same manufacturer, Sandisk. Higher class one has name "Ultra" on it. Now with changed SD, loading became WAY faster. "Wow" I realized the higher speed of CPU of HD2.
My 2 pennies.
NEVER EVER buy unbranded memory cards!
Keep an eye on Sandisk cards only and even prefer them to Transcend and Kingston.

Difference between Sandisk Ultra microsd card and normal card?

I'm going to buy a 16GB microsd card from sandisk. I've been finding on Amazon and found these two products:
Sandisk 16GB Mobile Ultra MicroSD Card : £36.00
SanDisk 16GB microSDHC Memory Card : £15.99
I've also noticed they're all class 2 (can't find a class 4 or class 6 sandisk). So what is the difference between them? I'm using the card for Windows Phone 7, so which one should I buy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Memory_Card#SDHC_cards_with_greater_than_32.C2.A0GB_capacity
as I understand it the only advantage of SDHC is an increased card storage. And im not sure if an SDHC card works in the HD2.
uxu said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Memory_Card#SDHC_cards_with_greater_than_32.C2.A0GB_capacity
as I understand it the only advantage of SDHC is an increased card storage. And im not sure if an SDHC card works in the HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of them should be SDHC (>2GB). I'm asking about the Ultra thing.
Zell Dinch said:
Both of them should be SDHC (>2GB). I'm asking about the Ultra thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, got it wrong
They're the same thing. One has an adapter however
Ultra means it has higher transfer speeds.
There's also Ultra and Extreme in the regular SDs.
Ultra=15 mb/s
Extreme=30 mb/s
So it's all about speed.
@apallohadas: they have different model number, one is SDSDQY-016G-E11M and one is SDSDQ-016G-FFP. And I suspect that just a card reader will make that difference in price.
@joooe: but they're both class 2?
I've tried several different class cards in my HD2, and regardless of advertised 'class' r/w speeds only changed noticeably if I took it out of my phone and used a card reader or adapter like shown in the "ultra" listing you have.
apallohadas said:
I've tried several different class cards in my HD2, and regardless of advertised 'class' r/w speeds only changed noticeably if I took it out of my phone and used a card reader or adapter like shown in the "ultra" listing you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello apallohadas
can you confirm or any one without any doubt that there is no difference in R/W speed between class 2 or class 4 or class 6 inside HD2 with Windows 6.5 or Android
thanks
secoseco said:
Hello apallohadas
can you confirm or any one without any doubt that there is no difference in R/W speed between class 2 or class 4 or class 6 inside HD2 with Windows 6.5 or Android
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have Winmo installed on my phone anymore, so I can't rerun that test and I didn't keep the numbers last time that I did it.
But if you'd like to try testing cards yourself, I used a program called H2test and a card adapter. My Class 2 Sandisk 32GB card gave numbers comparable to a class 6 Transcend 16GB.
Inside of the HD2 however, while on Android the tests take too long (setting read/write file sizes of 1GB+.) I've read in several places that the hardware limits performance as though they were all class 2 cards.
There are reviews where a class 4 card is superior to a class 6 card.
Sandisk cards are just great.
In the sandisk website there is no info about the class of both cards. Don't believe they have the same class.
apallohadas said:
I I've read in several places that the hardware limits performance as though they were all class 2 cards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you apallohadas for replay
I think so, hardware limitation to Class 2 with HD2 although I read in several places that there is more performance with Class 6 or 10 card in Android especially SD Android
I have Sandisk 16G class 2 and want to upgrade to 32G and I don't want to wast my money in useless class 6 or 10 with my EU HD2,
any one use Sandisk class2 then upgrade to class4 or 6 with EU HD2 and get faster performance in read and write inside HD2 not as disk drive ??
thanks

microSD Card classes

Hi guys. I was wondering if there are any issues making bootable SD cards for honeycomb or froyo and etc.
I am thinking of buying an micro sd card for the nook color.
which one of you guys would recommend?
16GB class10? 8GB class10?
I have seen all mostly using 8gb or 4gb at most. is there any issue using 16gb class10? please advice. thanks!
should be fine.
waiteck said:
Hi guys. I was wondering if there are any issues making bootable SD cards for honeycomb or froyo and etc.
I am thinking of buying an micro sd card for the nook color.
which one of you guys would recommend?
16GB class10? 8GB class10?
I have seen all mostly using 8gb or 4gb at most. is there any issue using 16gb class10? please advice. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they are same class then you should get about the same speed off either and all your looking at is size... if you want 8gb of space get the 8gb if you want 16gb of space get that one instead.....
I would not recommend using anything lower than a Class 6 card however.
I've run HC on a 8gb class 4 card for a while. No real problems. Maybe lags a little time to time, but that may also just be the rom.
i see... initially i thought there were issues with class10 16gb cards.
thanks all for the input!
I purchased two 8GB Class 10 cards. I use one for storage and the other for Honeycomb and it runs great.
Can the Nook actually even use the speed of a class 10? I know many phones can only fully use 4 or 6, with the only benefit of 10 being faster transfer while connected directly to PC. Class 2 is just slow on everything, of course .
waiteck said:
i see... initially i thought there were issues with class10 16gb cards.
thanks all for the input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried class 10 and class 4 16gb cards because I really wanted the space. I had all sorts of problems running on the class 10 once v04 honeycomb came out and the class 4 would run froyo and HC but it was so slow it couldn't be used. Some people seem to be using them but when I relaced it with a 8gb class 10 Patriot card, it runs great.
As to whether the nook can use a class 10, I don't know. I certainly know it MUCH faster with a class 10 than a class 4. I also bought a class 6 AData card but I have not tried it as a speed comparison. I was just tired of running back to the store to return them and test another so I bought two and started with the fastest one.
16gb might work with future versions but for now, I am sticking with 8gb cards.
I recommend the Patriot 8gb Class 10. The model I bought was the LX Signature Series: PSF8GMCSDHC10
therealguppy said:
If they are same class then you should get about the same speed off either and all your looking at is size... if you want 8gb of space get the 8gb if you want 16gb of space get that one instead.....
I would not recommend using anything lower than a Class 6 card however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not necessarily. Class only implies a guaranteed minimum WRITE throughput, e.g. class 4 = 4MB/s, class 6 = 6MB/s, etc. that a particular class of card is capable of supporting. There is no guarantee that the tablet, camera, etc. is actually capable of achieving/sustaining that throughput rate though.
Read throughput can be anything, but are usually close to write speed, and another factor not as important most of the time with tablets is the latency of r/w accesses.
In the pre-SDHC days Japanese made(Toshiba - only Japanese maker) uSDs were the best in terms of speed and latency, followed by most Taiwan(various) made cards. Chinese(various) made cards were the worst by FAR. Also the pre-SDHC uSDs had varying r/w throughput and latency depending upon how "full" they were with the same general rule as above applying as to where manufactured. Presumably this is not the case with SDHC as the class implies that regardless of how full a card is that it WILL maintain that minimum write throughput.
8 v. 16: From the pricing that I've seen 2 8GB cards are cheaper than a single 16GB -> 8GB a better deal IMO. e.g. class 6 8GB are <$15 while 16GB class 10 are >$35 at least on newegg...
Another factor to consider is that you likely don't need a class 10 card unless you happen to have a very high performance/high resolution digital video recorder... i.e. class 2 is likely even good enough for most tablet video and other applications, but since class 6 cards can be had at reasonable prices(online, b&m are profiteeringly insane in their markups) those would probably be the best choice.
[EDIT]
I'll let you know about class 4 4GB uSDs as a local b&M unbelievably has an approximately reasonable price on PNY(probably Taiwan) class 4 4GB uSDs, $10 which is cheap enough to pitch them if they're junk or use them for applications that don't require high throughput.
(On a side note most class 4 and class 6 uSDs work great with Nintendo DSes, which I'd suspect are MUCH more sensitive to throughput and access latencies... or so I've read...)
[/EDIT]
I see Stevr had posted which Patriot he had success with in Post #8 of this thread, and in the HC Preview v4 thread there have been a few negative posts about certain cards not livinig up to their class ratings... so I have to ask...
Is there a single thread recommending or comparing the various MicroSD cards, how they've worked for Froyo or HC booting/running off them? (i.e. a central posting of "this one works great..." or "this one is too slow"?)
EDIT: I found this talking about cards for Froyo from SD -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=946896 which has some makers, size and class.. no specific model numbers.
KidJoe said:
I see Stevr had posted which Patriot he had success with in Post #8 of this thread, and in the HC Preview v4 thread there have been a few negative posts about certain cards not livinig up to their class ratings... so I have to ask...
Is there a single thread recommending or comparing the various MicroSD cards, how they've worked for Froyo or HC booting/running off them? (i.e. a central posting of "this one works great..." or "this one is too slow"?)
EDIT: I found this talking about cards for Froyo from SD -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=946896 which has some makers, size and class.. no specific model numbers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems like alot of 16gb class 10 are having issues with running froyo off memory cards.
might get a 8gb class 10 instead. and a spare 16gb class 10.

[Q] I'm buying a Nook, what else do i need?

I'm buying a nook color as a quick entry into the world of tablets. I plan on using it for reading on the bus etc. But I'm also interested in rooting so I can customize it as well. So I'm planning to dual boot CM7 from the SD card but leave it stock otherwise. With that in mind, what do I need to purchase as a first time Nook buyer interested in modding?
Here's my list:
- Nook Color (of course)
- Aegis Series Enclosure System
- rooCASE (would the nook fit in cases like these with the body armor on?)
- Transcend 8 GB microSDHC Class 6 (read that the class is important when modifying)
- Kingston Flash Memory Reader (to read/write to the SD card)
if your flashing to the emmc class isnt as important, ive been using a plain old class 2 from wallyworld for about a month with no issues.
I have a Sandisk 8GB class 2 form walmart which works fine since I installed the ROM on EMMC.
The speed of the memory card can be a factor with things like video playback, transferring data too and from, etc. Honestly, I would recommend just getting a class 10. The price difference is so nominal that you may as well get something with a little speed. Also, a 16gb isn't much more than an 8gb. So my recommendation...16gb class 10. Something I'm picking up today myself to replace my 8gb class 6 card.
16GB Class 10 for $27.99
16GB Class 6 for $29.99
8GB Class 10 for $19.75
8GB Class 6 for $15.50
I thought about that, but the reviews for larger cards weren't that good so I suck with the 8GB.
The bigger issue is, should I buy it now or wait for B&N announcement later this month?
1) The announcement from B&N about a new Nook on the 24th didn't mention if it was color or not; personally, I'm betting on an update to the original, since the color's only been out for 6 months.
2) Please please *PLEASE* heed my advice on this - if you're planning on running off the μSD card, do NOT buy a class 6 or class 10 card unless you've seen small-block write speed benchmarks. Card Class refers to large-block, sequential R/W speeds, which is good when you're transferring big files on and off of the card, but doesn't factor in quick access or small R/W like you need when you're running an OS from it. I bought a Kingston 8GB class 6 the same day as my NC, 10 days ago, and I almost got to the point of wanting to return the device because of how disappointed I was in it. Then I found this thread -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1005633
and learned about the various card speed tests. I switched to a Sandisk 16GB class 4, and it was like a whole new device. I couldn't be happier with it now.
So, yeah, this is seriously important - read through that thread. And if you live near a RadioShack, they're running a 50% off sale on the good Sandisk cards for the rest of the week.
chinly43 said:
2) Please please *PLEASE* heed my advice on this - if you're planning on running off the μSD card, do NOT buy a class 6 or class 10 card unless you've seen small-block write speed benchmarks. Card Class refers to large-block, sequential R/W speeds, which is good when you're transferring big files on and off of the card, but doesn't factor in quick access or small R/W like you need when you're running an OS from it. I bought a Kingston 8GB class 6 the same day as my NC, 10 days ago, and I almost got to the point of wanting to return the device because of how disappointed I was in it. Then I found this thread -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1005633
and learned about the various card speed tests. I switched to a Sandisk 16GB class 4, and it was like a whole new device. I couldn't be happier with it now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strongly agree with this. I got the Transcend C6/8Gb, and had a huge amount of problems (forced closes, and erratic launcher behavior) when running cm7 off of the SD that have completely disappeared since switching to the Sandisk C4/8GB on sale at the Shack. Some radioshacks seem to carry the C2 cards, and some the C4 cards. They are the same price, so it might be worth checking out a few stores if there are several in your area.
If you are just using this as a normal SD card and will be running CM7, froyo, nooter, whatever off of the emmc, then the Transcend is perfectly fine.
hoteladriano said:
Strongly agree with this. I got the Transcend C6/8Gb, and had a huge amount of problems (forced closes, and erratic launcher behavior) when running cm7 off of the SD that have completely disappeared since switching to the Sandisk C4/8GB on sale at the Shack. Some radioshacks seem to carry the C2 cards, and some the C4 cards. They are the same price, so it might be worth checking out a few stores if there are several in your area.
If you are just using this as a normal SD card and will be running CM7, froyo, nooter, whatever off of the emmc, then the Transcend is perfectly fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also strongly agree about SD cards. I just bought NC, used a PNY 4gb class 4 to boot off CM7 and it worked but not well, just like hoteladriano - forced closes, erratic behavoir. Will try again with the recommended Sandisks.
I've been using a Patriot 8GB class 10 for a month or so without any problems. Must have gotten lucky. Bought mine at Newegg after being told that a lot of the SD cards at Amazon are fakes, for whatever that's worth.
I"m using a 16 gig class 2 with no issues
I'm using a C6 8 GB Transcend. Saw lots of people rave about them. I'm running the Phiremod/Honeycomb dualboot and see pretty good success with it. Certain apps don't work right and cause force closes (Android Comic Viewer, Pulse) and once those crash I need to reboot to get everything work again. Other than that, its worked fine for me.
That being said, I would agree with everyone here that the Sandisk is your best bet. I may run out to radioshack tomorrow to grab myself another card, just to see how improved my experience would be!
chinly43 said:
1) The announcement from B&N about a new Nook on the 24th didn't mention if it was color or not; personally, I'm betting on an update to the original, since the color's only been out for 6 months.
2) Please please *PLEASE* heed my advice on this - if you're planning on running off the μSD card, do NOT buy a class 6 or class 10 card unless you've seen small-block write speed benchmarks. Card Class refers to large-block, sequential R/W speeds, which is good when you're transferring big files on and off of the card, but doesn't factor in quick access or small R/W like you need when you're running an OS from it. I bought a Kingston 8GB class 6 the same day as my NC, 10 days ago, and I almost got to the point of wanting to return the device because of how disappointed I was in it. Then I found this thread -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1005633
and learned about the various card speed tests. I switched to a Sandisk 16GB class 4, and it was like a whole new device. I couldn't be happier with it now.
So, yeah, this is seriously important - read through that thread. And if you live near a RadioShack, they're running a 50% off sale on the good Sandisk cards for the rest of the week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After reading what you suggested and hearing from others I think I'll take your advice. Question is, is it the lower the class the better the performance when running an OS? I'm look at a SanDisk 16 GB Class 2. What do you think?
If I recall, from everything I've read a class 2 Sandisk should be okay, but a class 4 Sandisk would be ideal. If you try radioshack, look through the cards to find a class 4 one. They're not very careful, so they mix the class 2 and class 4 together.
rnp614 said:
I"m using a 16 gig class 2 with no issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
I have a 16gb Sansisk uSD class 2 and everything is good. No FC with apps installed on uSD. I don't store movies on it because I can stream it with CifsManagers and MoboPlayer. I recommend 16gb over 8gb. A lot of games required extra downloads which can range up to 100MB+. Backups can take up space as well.
Midgets... and lots of them
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
For_the_moves said:
Question is, is it the lower the class the better the performance when running an OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That ends up really generally being true, because the small-block write speed is precisely what's sacrificed to get better large-block speed, but things can vary so much that I'd stick with either something that's been tested or something from a store with a good return policy.
Without extra details or benchmarks, I would buy a class 2 before I bought a 6 or 10.
ebubar said:
I'm using a C6 8 GB Transcend. Saw lots of people rave about them. I'm running the Phiremod/Honeycomb dualboot and see pretty good success with it. Certain apps don't work right and cause force closes (Android Comic Viewer, Pulse) and once those crash I need to reboot to get everything work again. Other than that, its worked fine for me.
That being said, I would agree with everyone here that the Sandisk is your best bet. I may run out to radioshack tomorrow to grab myself another card, just to see how improved my experience would be!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll love to hear your experience with the new card once you test it.
Yeah, this thread schooled me. I bought a Patriot class 10 card 16gb and OMFG the speed was dismal. It's going back and I think I'm going to order a cheaper Sandisk class 2 for close to half the cost.
For_the_moves said:
After reading what you suggested and hearing from others I think I'll take your advice. Question is, is it the lower the class the better the performance when running an OS? I'm look at a SanDisk 16 GB Class 2. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the linked thread and you'll learn all you need to know. It's the small-block random writes that are important for running an OS, and while it's generally poor in higher-class cards, it varies considerably between models at the class 2/4 level. Also, be sure you're not buying from Joe Blow in Beijing--there are a lot of counterfeit cards out there.
For_the_moves said:
I'm buying a nook color as a quick entry into the world of tablets. I plan on using it for reading on the bus etc. But I'm also interested in rooting so I can customize it as well. So I'm planning to dual boot CM7 from the SD card but leave it stock otherwise. With that in mind, what do I need to purchase as a first time Nook buyer interested in modding?
Here's my list:
- Nook Color (of course)
- Aegis Series Enclosure System
- rooCASE (would the nook fit in cases like these with the body armor on?)
- Transcend 8 GB microSDHC Class 6 (read that the class is important when modifying)
- Kingston Flash Memory Reader (to read/write to the SD card)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Aegis case for Nook Color, and it's awesome. I've never taken mine off as you have access to all ports including the SD slot, and I've heard that repeatedly taking it off and putting it on again stretches it out and results in a poorer fit. Unfortunately, I bought an Aalto case from B&N thinking it would fit with the Aegis still on, and it doesn't. I don't know about the rooCases, but I've been told that the Rocketfish "Case for Most eReaders" will fit the NC inside the Aegis case, and have ordered one from ebay for $6.99 after shipping.
It's been well covered in general, and you should read the SD card thread everyone's mentioning, but in particular, if you're booting from SD, buy a SanDisk card with a good general rep for fast random small-block writes, then benchmark it yourself with CrystalDiskMark before using it.

[Q] SDHC 32 gig class 6

Just got NC for early Father's Day! I luv ma fam!
Everything I been finding here talks about 2,4, or 8 gigs SD cards.
NC says it can use up to 32gig.
Anyone tried this? I figure SDHC 32 G class 6 would work.
MrGeek said:
Just got NC for early Father's Day! I luv ma fam!
Everything I been finding here talks about 2,4, or 8 gigs SD cards.
NC says it can use up to 32gig.
Anyone tried this? I figure SDHC 32 G class 6 would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything I've read states the higher capacity cards don't do well running ROMs. Like you I'm new to the nook so I"m sure someone else with more experience will chime in.
I have a 32 gig card installed right now. Works just fine as a data card.
If you want to run custom ROMS off the card, make sure its a sandisk. That flapping sound about larger sized card being bad for Roms is a buncha crap in my opinion (and I have the benchmarks on this card to prove it), but the BRAND of card makes a huge difference when running Roms. Avoid transcend and PNY like the plague.
That said, if you just want the card for data, then yes, the NC can handle them just fine.
skwalas said:
I have a 32 gig card installed right now. Works just fine as a data card.
If you want to run custom ROMS off the card, make sure its a sandisk. That flapping sound about larger sized card being bad for Roms is a buncha crap in my opinion (and I have the benchmarks on this card to prove it), but the BRAND of card makes a huge difference when running Roms. Avoid transcend and PNY like the plague.
That said, if you just want the card for data, then yes, the NC can handle them just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What size Sandisk card do you recommend for running custom ROMs? I've read 8 but I really would like to run a 16.
With a sandisk, I can't see any reason why a 16 or even 32 gig card would give you trouble on roms.
Using the card to run your "operating system" seems to require a higher small-block read/write speed than most cards have. Two things seem to affect it: 1) brand (sandisk is currently the only way to go), and 2)it seems that higher classed cards sacrifice the small block performance a bit. This makes sense to me, since the classification related to large block sequential read/writes (iirc), so some trade-iffs are always expected.
See this thread for useful things.
And I think most people are buying the smaller card mostly because of price, and partly due to a herd mentality on threads like the above.
Sandisk 16gb is just fine for running the Rom off the sd card; that is my current setup.
LBN1 said:
Sandisk 16gb is just fine for running the Rom off the sd card; that is my current setup.
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Click to collapse
What class? I'm having a hard time finding class 4.
skwalas said:
I have a 32 gig card installed right now. Works just fine as a data card.
If you want to run custom ROMS off the card, make sure its a sandisk. That flapping sound about larger sized card being bad for Roms is a buncha crap in my opinion (and I have the benchmarks on this card to prove it), but the BRAND of card makes a huge difference when running Roms. Avoid transcend and PNY like the plague.
That said, if you just want the card for data, then yes, the NC can handle them just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny how all the Transcend cards in all 3 Nooks in my house are brilliant. I've used Transcend for years and have never had a problem, be it in my cameras to my phones.
Nburnes said:
Funny how all the Transcend cards in all 3 Nooks in my house are brilliant. I've used Transcend for years and have never had a problem, be it in my cameras to my phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was referring to the specific instance of using transcend for running cm7 for example. I understand transcend and patriot are decent when used for data, and I have PNY cards in our cameras, so they seem to work fine for data.
I have a wintec SDCH 16g class 4 and it works fine, but I only use it for data.
I've been looking into this, and here's what it boils down to:
Most MicroSD cards are set up for data transfer aimed at large files, such as video or high resolution pictures. The majority of the market these cards are manufactured for are digital camcorders, cameras, and smart phones with cameras.
They've gotten great at streaming media to and from the cards, and using them as storage mediums.
Running an operating system from the card requires a whole lot of small data transfers, which is not a specification that manufacterers pay much attention to. Most people would never notice improvement in this area of the manufacturing process, so the companies don't waste money on it.
Different manufacturers have different ideas of what their product should be capable of.
SanDisk is the brand that has consistently tested better for small data transfer then other card makers.
Running programs/operating systems from a MicroSD card is a new animal, something that hasn't really been done before now, and the tablet market is still in it's infancy.
I'm sure this issue will be addressed by the hardware makers of memory cards over the next year or so, but for now we are stuck with the task of trying to figure out what works for our purpose given what's available on the market right now.
All this being said, out of a handful of cards I own, my 16 gig SanDisk class 2 MicroSD card is my highest performing card - more then twice as fast as even 4 out of 5 of the 8 gig SanDisk cards I have.
Here is the link to the software we are using to test the cards: Crystal Disk Mark
Post 5 in this thread has a link that takes you to the one that has become our communal benchmark thread, and has a lot of info on this topic.
I would surmise that a 32 gig SanDisk brand card would probably be pretty good given that:
-Sandisk 8 gig cards (in class 2 and 4) are the general recommendation
-SanDisk 16 gig cards consistently test to a higher performance level then the 8 gig cards.
If this is the beginning of a pattern, and the larger capacity SanDisk cards are inherently manufactered to a higher small data standard, then theoretically the 32 gig card would be better.
But, this is only a theory. A 32 gig card is more then just a couple of bucks, and I don't think we have enough benchmarks on them yet to say one way or another.
Even with the SanDisk 8 gig cards, there is a wide range of what you could end up with on small data transfer speed. It's kind of pot luck. Even the slowest ones are many orders of magnitude faster then most other manufacturers, though.
This would be a good thread for people who do have 32 gig cards of any brand to chime in on, so we could keep the discussion about the largest supported capacity card on the Nook seperate from the other threads on this topic.
I saw a thread a week or so ago regarding testing class 4 cards and which were better. I just ordered a NC the other day. Anyone know the thread?
Blue6IX said:
I've been looking into this, and here's what it boils down to:
Most MicroSD cards are set up for data transfer aimed at large files, such as video or high resolution pictures. The majority of the market these cards are manufactured for are digital camcorders, cameras, and smart phones with cameras.
They've gotten great at streaming media to and from the cards, and using them as storage mediums.
Running an operating system from the card requires a whole lot of small data transfers, which is not a specification that manufacterers pay much attention to. Most people would never notice improvement in this area of the manufacturing process, so the companies don't waste money on it.
Different manufacturers have different ideas of what their product should be capable of.
SanDisk is the brand that has consistently tested better for small data transfer then other card makers.
Running programs/operating systems from a MicroSD card is a new animal, something that hasn't really been done before now, and the tablet market is still in it's infancy.
I'm sure this issue will be addressed by the hardware makers of memory cards over the next year or so, but for now we are stuck with the task of trying to figure out what works for our purpose given what's available on the market right now.
All this being said, out of a handful of cards I own, my 16 gig SanDisk class 2 MicroSD card is my highest performing card - more then twice as fast as even 4 out of 5 of the 8 gig SanDisk cards I have.
Here is the link to the software we are using to test the cards: Crystal Disk Mark
Post 5 in this thread has a link that takes you to the one that has become our communal benchmark thread, and has a lot of info on this topic.
I would surmise that a 32 gig SanDisk brand card would probably be pretty good given that:
-Sandisk 8 gig cards (in class 2 and 4) are the general recommendation
-SanDisk 16 gig cards consistently test to a higher performance level then the 8 gig cards.
If this is the beginning of a pattern, and the larger capacity SanDisk cards are inherently manufactered to a higher small data standard, then theoretically the 32 gig card would be better.
But, this is only a theory. A 32 gig card is more then just a couple of bucks, and I don't think we have enough benchmarks on them yet to say one way or another.
Even with the SanDisk 8 gig cards, there is a wide range of what you could end up with on small data transfer speed. It's kind of pot luck. Even the slowest ones are many orders of magnitude faster then most other manufacturers, though.
This would be a good thread for people who do have 32 gig cards of any brand to chime in on, so we could keep the discussion about the largest supported capacity card on the Nook seperate from the other threads on this topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for a very informative post. As I mentioned earlier I'm new to the NC and your post has helped me considerably.
androidmonkey said:
I saw a thread a week or so ago regarding testing class 4 cards and which were better. I just ordered a NC the other day. Anyone know the thread?
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Click to collapse
You might mean my thread on comparing speed results between different readers using the benchmark software.
It's more a look at the testing software and methods of doing so then the actual cards themselves.
The more people who post benchmark results in the thread skwalas linked to back in post 5, the better of an idea we'll have of what works for us.
The amount of information we've collected so far in such a short time is astonishing - this is a great community.
harpo1 said:
What class? I'm having a hard time finding class 4.
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Click to collapse
Sandisk 16gb, Class 4; Got it from Radio Shack a month or so ago on sale for like $25.
32 Gig
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G7D0IW
Bought this one about a month ago. Transferred my 16G class 2 from Radio Shack to the 32G then expanded the partition. I run CM7 off the SD. Works GREAT!. I run movies, apps from the card with tons of room.
Thanks for all the replies! They been very helpful!
However...
Here is the link to the software we are using to test the cards: Crystal Disk Mark
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried downloading that and it got flagged as malware by Microsoft Security Essentials.
Rocking a 32 Lexar Class 10 here. Just download SD Tools from the market and its running 11 MB/s write and 25 MB/s read.
lucas993 said:
Rocking a 32 Lexar Class 10 here. Just download SD Tools from the market and its running 11 MB/s write and 25 MB/s read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC, Lexar splits their Class X cards into two more classifications, a regular and an Ultra class. Which one was yours?
Also, Radio Shack currently has 8gb Sandisk C4 cards for sale at 14.99. Perfect for playing with an SD install. With Crystal mark and a cheapie USB reader I got 2.5mb/s read, 1.5 mb/s write (both of the small block ones). I believe these are the important ones for an SD card based ROM?
I suspect the main reason there's not much info out there on 32GB cards is that people are less willing to drop $50-80 on something that may not work (IF they're trying to run a custom ROM from the card). If you're not trying to set up a custom ROM install on the SD, get any card you want--you may appreciate that higher sequential read/write in the higher class cards when you're moving multiple GB of movies or music to and from the card.
From everything I've read, the size of the card makes no difference whatsoever. The only reason people harp on the 8GB and 16GB Sandisk cards is because those specific models (both class 2 and 4 in those sizes) have been tested many times and return both reliably high small-block random writes and positive anecdotal reports for running ROMs. The size, manufacturer and class are irrelevant in and of themselves: they just let us identify specific models identified as most consistently working well.
Also, CrystalDiskMark is not malware: just do a custom install and choose not to install whatever is bundled with it (do this always for all software, I'd say). It's whatever program they use to suggest other software that triggers the false positives in security programs.

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