Faster SD read/write options?

[peteypab2133]

Currently have a late 2017 imac 27" 5k with the 4.2 in it. I do photo/video work and often hate the wait times to unload cards to my desktop or external ssd.

Cards I use are Lexar Professional 64GB 150 MB/s UHS-II

If i run a thunderbolt 3 dock and use that card reader will I have faster transfer speeds, or am I currently at the mercy of the native reader?

I used to have XQD cards with 440+ MB/s transfer speeds with my nikon cameras, but recently switched to sony.

Currently 58-64gb takes 16-20 minutes. Would like to find a way to get that down to 8-10 minutes

 

[Fishrrman]

USB3 card reader?

 

[chrfr]

Currently have a late 2017 imac 27" 5k with the 4.2 in it. I do photo/video work and often hate the wait times to unload cards to my desktop or external ssd.

Cards I use are Lexar Professional 64GB 150 MB/s UHS-II

If i run a thunderbolt 3 dock and use that card reader will I have faster transfer speeds, or am I currently at the mercy of the native reader?

I used to have XQD cards with 440+ MB/s transfer speeds with my nikon cameras, but recently switched to sony.

Currently 58-64gb takes 16-20 minutes. Would like to find a way to get that down to 8-10 minutes

The internal SD card reader is as fast as anything you'd get externally. This really comes down to the performance of the SD card.

 

[jerwin]

apple says that uhs-ii is a iMac Pro feature.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204384

and it does make a difference.

https://9to5mac.com/2018/02/01/imac-pro-uhs-2-sd-card-workflow-video/

While that may not seem like a huge file, when transferring that sort of data from slower UHS-I cards, the time it takes to complete the transfer can quickly add up. For example, it takes around 4 minutes 51 seconds to transfer that 19.64GB file from my PNY Elite Performance (95 MB/s rated) SDXC Class 10 SD Card to my Mac via Final Cut Pro X. That’s the equivalent of roughly 69MB/s. Transferring that same file via Final Cut Pro X using the UHS-II card yielded a total transfer time of 1 minute 50 seconds, or 183 MB/s.

In the Final Cut Pro X comparison above, If you import 5 files of a similar size every week, you’d be saving roughly 15 minutes a week on import times. When you scale that up for the whole year, you’re looking at nearly 13 hours of time saved on imports, a not so insignificant number.

UHS-I is 104 Mb/s theoretical, UHS-II is 312 MB/s theoretical--- the "advantages" of PCIe are swamped by the difference in card types.

 

[peteypab2133]

Thanks for the info everyone, it appears I am at the max on the card then. Next step up is $$ for 64 gig cards. makes me miss my XQD cards, though my 64 gig was $250.00

Going to buy more ram tonight as im sure with lightroom CC, photoshop CC and FCPX normally opened at the same time doing things that cant be helpful. As I see times go up and down depending on current processes.

 

[jerwin]

The card is rated at 150 MB/s.
The imac's built in reader has a maximum theoretical read speed of 104 MB/s.

Given that a UHS-II reader is $30-$40, it may be worth it.

 

[peteypab2133]

The card is rated at 150 MB/s.
The imac's built in reader has a maximum theoretical read speed of 104 MB/s.

Given that a UHS-II reader is $30-$40, it may be worth it.

technically speaking it makes sense. I pick up almost 50% speed (150+ over the 104) thanks to a little adapter...

will look into that option now. Thanks for chiming in.