Memory Cards, Part 1: CompactFlash From 8GB To 64GB

Silicon Power 600x (16GB)

Silicon Power offers 600x CompactFlash Type I cards at capacities of 8, 16, and 32GB. We received the 16GB model, which mopped up the competition in our benchmark runs.

Silicon Power's 91.6 MB/s interface performance is an all-time high result. The card doesn’t deliver maximum performance on sequential writes though, scoring between 50 and 82.4 MB/s. However, the read performance was really stunning. This was the only product to pass the 90 MB/s mark. A 91 MB/s minimum and 91.6 MB/s maximum speak loud and clear. Read performance was very fast and consistent, allowing copying of data from the card to a computer at the highest possible speed.

The 600x card also provided the highest Web server I/O performance in this review. File server and workstation I/O test results were more average. Interestingly, the operating temperature specs are a bit different here than on other memory cards. Silicon Power specs 0°C to 70°C, while other products may run in between -25°C and 85 °C. Like most other brands, Silicon Power provides a lifetime warranty.