yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
Random thoughts in celebration of hardware aquisition victory.

I am a curious one by nature. The desire to know first-hand drives me. Sometimes you just have to see it happen, and i'm having a blast with this. A whole string of goals working towards a larger objective is really rewarding to me.

I kept trying different cards until I found the CM7 SD Speed thread and realized what I needed to look for.

By the time I got what I needed, I had enough parts and pieces to put this test together. I think I did pretty good for a first try, but while I was sitting here doing it I was thinking of what would be best.

Same card in each adapter is a better comparison, and if you have more of the same you increase the range of reliability. A certain level of sampling is necessary to make the test worth running.

Found a great sale on SanDisk C4 8G. 12.99 each at Office Max. I had intended to get them one at a time over time, but it seemed like too good of a deal to walk away from.

I now have 5 of them. This is the magic number for testing, starting with Crystal averaging 5 results in the 5x50MB test.

5 duplicate cards is about variable control and quality of results. The SanDisk class 4, 8 gig MicroSD card seems like the best blend of performance/cost/usability out of the SanDisk cards recommended.

I chose this as my ideal card for the benchmark results for a couple of reasons. If this is the ideal card to have at the moment, having backup cards at the very least. Also in an effort to relate the results to as many people as possible. If this is where someone is most likely to end up, then this is what I should test. The "luck of the draw" factor helped this happen too.

Bonus: After getting all the card reader data in, i'll already be set up to stress-test those cards on the OS. This will relate the card speed test results to a real-world performance level.(another thread for another day)

Ideal for testing would be to have 5 of the same memory card, and test in 5 of each reader. Getting the 5 test memory cards is a sounder investment from the start because that allows me to hit the accuracy i'm willing to settle on for each test run. The rest can follow.

So now I can say I have a solid test platform, the biggest variables now should be the readers themselves, which is the point in the first place. Is there anything I could be doing better? Let me know!
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Hello Blue6IX,

Thank you for your efforts! This seems to be the elusive key to a smooth MicroSD resident OS.

I plan to buy the Nook Color very soon, perhaps Friday. I want to boot CM7 and later releases from the MicroSD so I do not loose a couple key B&N feature, namely the free hour of in store reading of the majority of their digital books and daily deals in the cafe. I suppose that would not be possible within Gingerbread or Honeycomb.

Also I am a bit concerned that a auto update from B&N would scramble a SD boot system and data card in use?

All right now that I have my noobie questions out of the way I thought I would post my fools errand along the Sandisk trail.

I instituted a support chat with Sandisk this morning and I will paste below the results.

CC:

Busyworked: Hello, I will be booting Android from a microsd in a Nook Color. It has been found small random write speed is the key to success. Would you please tell me the fastest such or best model # Sandisk for 8GB, 16GB & 32GB?

TECH: Hello, thank you for contacting SanDisk. My name is Matt S.. Please give me a moment while I look into your question.

Busyworked: I see you are listening still did you respond?

TECH: We used to manufacture microSD/SDHC cards in Class 2. Recently we started manufacturing them in Class 4. Class ratings measure the minimum sustained speed required for recording an even rate of video onto the card.

Busyworked: Folks have had quite differing results even with Sandisk cards. Do you have any idea where I could get a small kb random write comparison of the models you have manufactured so far?

TECH: The comparison chart for the Class 2 microSD/SDHC and Class 4 microSD/SDHC cards is not available.

Blobber: I see. Well I suppose that is all for now. Good day to you.

End.
[Nook Color General] Awats:
That would imply the higher the class, the faster the writes but our testing doesn't appear to support that.

As a side question, I have seen many people comment that running from eMMC is much faster than SD card. There are also people that have claimed/inferred that the memory in the Nook is a Sandisk SD chip. I suspect it's not quite that identical but what makes it run faster from eMMC vs a fast uSD card?

1. They aren't the same?

2. The bus speed?

3. Some other system overhead?

4. They really don't run faster?

Just curious.
[Nook Color General] psychoace:
I've discussed this at length in this post here last year but from what my understanding is that card ratings is only valid if proper voltage is given. There is no standard for voltage on microsd cards as you can see here . It can vary per card depending on size and speed. Typically the larger the micro sd card the higher voltage you will need. Now because phones are tested and optimized for heat and battery life I am assuming most phone manufactures will only allow a conservative amount of voltage for that slot. This is most likely the average voltage that most microsd cards are set to. By not allowing a higher voltage it's only a small percentage of cards that will have performance issues so it's easy to assume that phone manufactures would rather have a safe phone with a long battery life then to allow peak performance for a hand full of microsd cards. This isn't exclusive to phones/androids either though. I have a Canon Rebel Xt dslr with a 8 gig 133x compact flash card. When I plug the card into my media card reader it transfers RAW pictures quick. If I use the camera to transfer pictures it's a slow slow mess. Now a days newer camera's are allowing higher voltage and so typically speeds are more acceptable (they most likely upped the voltage because they needed the speed for 1080p video, so battery life wasn't a bigger concern over transfer rate). So what seems like the best option for people who want to buy a 16gig microsd card for the nook is to just get a class 2 because you will be wasting money with anything higher.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
This fella tested two 2GB Kingston MSD with identical packaging accept one stating assembled in Taiwan and the other in Japan. The Japan version he shows performing FAR better In Crystal Disk (seen at the 2 minute mark of the video) and playing Final Fantasy on portable gaming devices.

Youtube - Search title as I am too new in these forums to post links:

Kingston microSD Card Performance Test Comparison - Japan or Taiwan?

Blue6IX's new test with 5 identical cards of the same model numbers should perform with little % difference in performance. But then again there might be a surprise as QA might be sloppy especially with small writes.

I would be curious if; same brand, same class, same size, but different model # performed much different, I imagine they would and that the latest would not necessarily be the greatest.

Blue if you could confirm your sample cards each say where assemble in, and are of the same model # and post what that is asap that would be helpful.

Also if you already had a card of the same make, size and class but different M# you might like to add it to your trials. Just a thought:rolleyes:
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
"(on all 4 packages)

-Above rear UPC code: SDSDQ-008G-A11M

-Printed on package: Card made in China."

Super, thanks BlueIX for taking the time to throw down the ID info. I actually have that model MicroSD in my Amazon saved for later cart, but will be patient about pulling the trigger.

Trying to match as close the fastest in your test I had planned on the

Model: SDSDQ-8192-E11M for my Nook but also the other as at least a couple cards is likely wise.

I realize you have a life other than your current obsession, so when ever you get time is all gravy for us. Most important enjoy your vacation time! The Sun is shinning here in Tacoma.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Along those lines if one wants to see the internal memory Google the following, it will lead to the tear down on TechRepublic or ZDnet:

SanDisk SDIN4C1 8GB Flash memory module

The full labeling on chip is:

SanDisk

SDIN4C1-8G

CHINA

0381DHK04P
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
checking in from vacation at a local coffee shop with wifi.

thanks for the update on the memory chip in the nook, happy info to have in the thread.

150 of the 250 tests are done so far, should have the rest done in the next 3 days.

I'll probably wait until i get back before posting up the results, the laptop is a pain to lug around.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Hey guys and gals,

I bought my shiny new Nook Color on the 3rd and stayed up far too late with it the next couple nights.

The two top performers from BuleIX's previous thread caught my eye so I did a little rooting around in the mud. I might not have his same reader but I will test them nonetheless once they arrive and hopefully the speed and sourcing links will be of use to folks. I have not tested these yet as they have not arrived. But here are the sources.

I didn't have access to Costco like swoozle so I did some digging and matched his zippy Class 2 8GB pretty darn close and ordered it.

swoozle SanDisk 2 8 1.791

Model: SDSQ-8192-AC11M

busyworked:

Manufacturer Part# SDSDQ-8192-A11M

Maybe the missing "C" stands for Costco.

http://www.provantage.com/sandisk-sd...m~7SNDK2Q9.htm

--------------

I also bought a card a.fenderson was nice enough to answer my PM sourcing query about. He didn't have a model # but pointed me to a bulk listing where he found it and then to eTech as the actual vendor.

a.fenderson SanDisk 4 16 1.660

SanDisk C4 16GB 1 of 2 cards

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A3QF16EH69HELL

------------

For readers I grabbed these two:

Sandisk MobileMate Micro SD & M2 Reader (SDDR-121, Bulk Package)

Not lasting long for a some folks.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012Y02CE

Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1

Rated 4.5 stars out of 5, from 450 Amazon reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00109Y2DQ

Should all be here by Friday the 10th.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Test Results of the closest I could fined to Swoozles fast 8GB.

His 1.79

Mine 1.45

June 9th, 2011

In short, rather good. Relevant number 1.45

Sandisk 8GB Class 4

Source http://www.provantage.com/sandisk-sd...m~7SNDK2Q9.htm

Expensive for a 8GB but seems pretty speedy, 292 in stock June 9th 2011

Made in China

From ISBN Label on the back:

SDSDQ-8192-A11M

6 19659 04022 2

80-56-10002-008G

From the Card its self:

SanDisk

8 GB (4)

1105506015C8A9

B1 MADE IN CHINA

Micro SD HC

Nothing written on the back.

Readers:

Dismissed:

MobileMate Micro SD & M2 Reader (SDDR-121, Bulk Package)

Thumb drive recognizable to Windows 7 but not to CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1a x64 software.

Using:

Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1

Rated 4.5 stars out of 5, from 450 Amazon reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00109Y2DQ

Test Software

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1a x64 software.

http://crystalmark.info/?lang=en

Results:

Small Random Writes 1.45

Windows 7 64 bit, year old install, closed misc running programs.

10 test of 50mb averaged.

Sequential Read 10.43 Write 6.42

Random-512 Read 10.32 Write 1.77

4kb QD--1 Read 2.765 Write 1.42

4kb QD-32 Read 2.83 Write 1.46

End of my single 8 GB test. Will test the 16 GB after it arrives fairly soon.
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
Bump - Test 2 (post 06) results uploaded.

I'll edit this thread over the next few days when I get home to clean it up a bit, but the results are in.

Also, the spreadsheets from this test are formatted with color, color coded to make it easier to see what's going on.

Green is SD Adapter, Orange is USB Reader.

Have fun!

p.s. - many other comparisons can be made with the data available from this testing, such as comparing the memory cards directly and such. Wasn't my focus at the time, but it's laid out neatly enough where others can do so if they wish.

I may yet at some point when I have the time, if no one else has.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Sorry for the late results on my 16 GB referenced and sourced above in post # 23.

Actually did 54 cycles total and below is the inserted averages.

Both this 16GB and the 8GB referenced in my earlier post are performing excellently with Racks dual boot ROMs.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=13092402#post13092402

NOTE: These test are separate from Blues test and not as thorough, not tested over clean installs. Yet they might be of use to some.

NOTE: Some listings referred to the class 2 as 4 because of good performance. This can confuse.

NOTE: I vinal gloves when handeling the SD cards to avoid contaminating the comtacts with skin oils, acids, etc.

NOTE: Ya, I did a double take too. It writes darn fast!

This is my final daily use card.

SanDisk C2 16GB 1 of 2 cards

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F7AJKI

SDSDQM-016G-B35

Bulk Packaging from eTECH

Printed on the card.

SanDisk

16GB (2)

Micro SD HC

1026404530DCY

BL MADE IN CHINA

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo

Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 12.573 MB/s

Sequential Write : 5.745 MB/s

Random Read 512KB : 11.822 MB/s

Random Write 512KB : 4.690 MB/s

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 1.181 MB/s [ 288.2 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 2.531 MB/s [ 618.0 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 1.243 MB/s [ 303.4 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 2.699 MB/s [ 659.1 IOPS]

Test : 50 MB [I: 0.0% (0.0/14.8 GB)] (x5)

Date : 2011/06/10 17:49:02

OS : Windows 7 Home Premium Edition SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

Using:

Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1

Rated 4.5 stars out of 5, from 450 Amazon reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00109Y2DQ

A big thanks to BlueIX for compiling the test and a.fenderson pointing me to his vendor. This helped me big time to buy cards that perform particularly well in the Nook Color.
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
I just ordered 2 from that link, same vendor. When they come in i'll run 'em through the ringer. Hopefully i'll get results as good as yours.

I'll compare them to my current use 16 gig class 2 SanDisk card and keep the best one as a daily use. Week or two on shipping maybe.

When these come in is when i'll run all the tests through the Nook to get a result to compare against the other card reading methods I used.

I'm not expecting anything better then what I already have, but the possibility is there.

Thanks for sharing.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
You are most welcome Blue. I hope you have the same luck.

I installed the work around this afternoon and played a nVidiaTergra game, Pinball HD. All three tables run silky smooth. Without nudging the CPU at all.

Instructions about the driver and app link.

Application that makes it possible. Free ver did the trick for me, but here is the paid ver too.

XDA thread about this.

Pinball HD.
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
You know I was thinking you have thrown more doe at this faster card search than anyone. I recon you could burn some roms to any you have left over and some happy gents or gals would buy them via eBay. I only have the one 8GB extra so it might come in handy as Honeycomb gets closer to final. Amazing to see applications open and close with such rock solid and wicked fast performance.

I still couldn't do without Photoshop but the days of bloat ware are looking numbered.
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
Relatively speaking, it isn't a lot of cash...something less then $200. To me, it was/is worth it. Beyond the learning experience it's granting me and something to do with my insomnia...I hope that by sharing my results I spare someone from what I went through:

- I got a Nook color, played with it for a few weeks before I started messing with it.

-When the bug bit me, it was getting to be night time. Not wanting to risk a 16 gig on the experiment, my next size card down was too small for the image to fit.

-At (10:15) in the evening, options are severely limited for purchasing a memory card. Target was the only solution, and I got a horrible memory card out of the deal. (didn't realize this yet)

-Rooted the Nook from the sdcard, and all the images I played with had force close issues, apps not working, etc...

-Worked my way through the forums here, thought I traced the problem to my low-class card. Bought a new PNY class 10 8 gig card, and it didn't run any better. Then I found the benchmark thread.

At that point, I started my pot-luck SanDisk 8 gig grab when cards were on sale, trying to find one better then my SanDisk 16 gig.

One of the factors that went into the decision to buy a few more cards for testing was being able to share the results as i'm starting to in the thread above. Once the benchmarks are made, someone else can sift through the data and use it how they want.

I would try to raise awareness of this issue as much as I can, to hopefully get people to read these two threads first, before spending money on something.

That $30 I spent on a class 10 PNY which is essentially useless to me, could have been spent on something else more productively if I was an educated consumer up front instead of after the fact.

It's too late for me, so at least I can serve as a warning for others. Since i'm already in that deep, it's worth the investment to keep going.

I'm learning a lot, we're learning a lot together, and i'd much rather spend my money on learning something then something frivolous.

Having this place to lay it out is pushing me on too, since I can get constructive feedback, pointers and input from others to do what i'm trying to do better.

I don't have any interest in the ebay thing: ethical, moral and logistical roadblocks in the way.

I usually end up giving away things like this to people who can use them. I'll keep the best ones, and a few for archival/storage purposes. Most of these cards will probably find their way into my friends' small electronics as needed.

The cost of entry was worth being able to say "yep, I saw it happen. That's accurate."
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
That Class 10 Pny might do great in one of your cameras or a friends.

Indeed the learning is the most fun. Just getting a game or gaget working its best is more intense and lasting an experience for me than using or playing it. I have only finished a few PC games but spend probably hundreds of hours reading up on them. Pinball caught my eye a while back. Although I have yet to spend much quality time with any of them since I was a kid.
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
Just got those two 16 gig class 4 SanDisk cards in from the link busyworked provided above.

I'll do more in-depth testing of the cards when I speed test the 8 gigs in my Nook. Sometime in the next week or two, still catching up on work missed during my vacation. I'll need some time to reset the laptop and prep it for testing.

Quick preliminary test results using a USB reader from my previous testing:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo

Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 11.703 MB/s

Sequential Write : 6.022 MB/s

Random Read 512KB : 11.210 MB/s

Random Write 512KB : 5.262 MB/s

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 1.039 MB/s [ 253.8 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 2.480 MB/s [ 605.6 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 1.097 MB/s [ 267.8 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 1.985 MB/s [ 484.7 IOPS]

Test : 50 MB [G: 0.0% (0.0/14.8 GB)] (x5)

Date : 2011/06/20 13:18:22

OS : Windows XP Professional SP3 [5.1 Build 2600] (x86)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo

Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 11.784 MB/s

Sequential Write : 5.686 MB/s

Random Read 512KB : 11.215 MB/s

Random Write 512KB : 4.502 MB/s

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 1.106 MB/s [ 270.1 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 2.501 MB/s [ 610.6 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 1.209 MB/s [ 295.2 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 2.675 MB/s [ 653.2 IOPS]

Test : 50 MB [G: 0.0% (0.0/14.8 GB)] (x5)

Date : 2011/06/20 13:11:05

OS : Windows XP Professional SP3 [5.1 Build 2600] (x86)

These two cards are now my highest performing cards, on random write que depth 32.

More in-depth testing will probably skew the numbers a bit, but these results are close to what it'll end up being.

That link busyworked put forth above gave me two cards faster then anything i've bought at a handful of retail stores. If anyone else uses that vendor, could they post their results too?
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Rocking, now that is team work. Great news.

Last night I pointed another fella on another thread back here as he was frustrated with his sparkly new class 10.
[Nook Color General] ApokrifX:
Guys,

Just bought 2 8Gb SanDisk class 2 (SDSDQ-8192-A11M) from Costco and bench-marked them:

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo

#1 80-56-09035-008G

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.922 MB/s [ 225.2 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.338 MB/s [ 326.7 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.950 MB/s [ 231.8 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 1.344 MB/s [ 328.1 IOPS]

#2 80-56-10002-008G

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 1.439 MB/s [ 351.4 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.554 MB/s [ 135.1 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 1.516 MB/s [ 370.1 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.560 MB/s [ 136.8 IOPS]

Simplest question: which one is better? :confused:
[Nook Color General] busyworked:
Card one looks like it would perform the best. Higher small random writes is what is important with the CM7 etc on the Nook.
[Nook Color General] Blue6IX:
Hey guys, just checking in.

Haven't abandoned this, but my workload has been insane recently and my free time has been ... well, limited would be too generous.

Looks like in a few weeks most of my obligations will drop off for a while (life comes and goes in cycles for me) so i'll be able to swing my attention back to this.

Next step is still to run a series of tests using the Nook Color itself as my reader to test, so we can compare the results of the SD Adapter, USB Adapter, and Nook itself to see how the numbers fluctuate.

The unfortunate thing about being so particular with the testing regimen is that I need more then 15 or 20 minutes at a time. It's not worth it unless I can knock out a significant chunk in one sitting, I worry about the integrity of the data I gather.

Another thread popped up approaching this issue from a different angle [url="http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=15780884#post15780884]Here[/url].

I'll be putting that link back in post 1 as well.

I think all 3 of these threads should be linked together so this issue in it's entirety can be more properly addressed.
[Nook Color General] jasongw:
I'm impressed with your methodology and thoroughness! As a n00b to the Nook flashing scene, let me just say that I am SUPER impressed by all your hard work. And that you're a ****ing lunatic, but I love you :)
[Nook Color General] rebthor:
I want to thank you for this thread. I had installed Cyanogen on a 16 GB class 10 card that I bought and it was basically unusable. Force closes everywhere.

After reading this thread, I went out and got a 16 GB Sandisk card at Radioshack (it was on sale for a reasonable price) and now it's super smooth.

I was almost about to wipe the internal memory for Cyanogen, but now I get the best of both worlds.