![]() Overall the XQD flash card format shows a lot of potential in both transfer speeds and capacity as market demands grow to demand them. This surpassed what we’ve seen from both the CF and SDHC samples we’ve reviewed to date, although one area this card did fall behind in was large-block random write transfers compared to a leading CF comparable. When it came down to transfer speeds the Professional 1100x XQD was no slouch, topping the charts with sequential speeds measuring 171MB/s read and 128MB/s write. At the moment the biggest problem in terms of adoption is the lack of physical device support and the fact that the cards are still very expensive comparatively, but both adoption and price should continue to progress mainstream over time. With increasing IO demands for HD recording, there will definitely be a battle to capture the professional and high-end enthusiast when it comes to their camera’s recording and storage needs. XQD obviously isn’t for everyone today, but in the coming years new form factors need to take over to pick up for the limitations of what can be done today in small portable flash cards. For 2MB random transfers we saw 124.2MB/s read and 52.8MB/s write. To put those speeds in comparison, the 1000x KomputerBay CF Professional measured 121.3MB/s, while write activity hit 101.6MB/s. Random read performance dipped to 170.1MB/s while random write performance dropped much further down to 9.2MB/s. With that said, we noted strong read performance using IOMeter with a 2MB sequential transfer size measuring 171.3MB/s and writes measuring 128.6MB/s. It should be noted that performance in Windows 7 with stock drivers won’t perform as high as it will with stock drivers in Windows 8. Using our Lenovo ThinkStation D30 with Windows 8 and Lexar’s Professional Workflow Reader, we measured the performance of the Professional 1100x XQD card over USB 3.0. Lexar provided us with a USB 3.0 XQD card reader which we’ll use in the testing below. The bottom of the card is featureless, but the top provides the connector which enables the card to be loaded into a camera or into a XQD card reader. The reverse side of the card also features a metal plate, providing not only a premium appearance but also a rigid body that feels lasting. Looking at the Lexar Professional 1100x XQD card, the top of it features the Lexar branding we’re familiar with, but its set in a metal inlay. Depth or thickness is also almost the same as with the CF card. It’s also a bit wider than the SD card, but the CF card is about 1.5x the width. The XQD card is just about the exact same height as the CF card, making it taller than the SD card.
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