Buying SD media direct from manufacturer from now on.

[second exodous]

Ok, so I got 16GB Samsung SD card from Amazon today, and it was sold directly by Amazon btw, not through a third party. Where I can get 46 to 48 MB/s from the exact same card I got from Samsung.com I can only get about 20 MB/s on the one from Amazon.

I AM NEVER GOING TO GET MEDIA FROM A SOURCE OTHER THAN THE MANUFACTURER AGAIN!!!!

The sad thing is I saved around $4.99 I think. The money saved wasn't really the reason I got it off of Amazon but quick shipping, Samsung takes a while to get things to me.

In the end it doesn't matter that much, I just got the card to put in a pie3 for retropie, so speed isn't that big of a deal. Anyone else fed up to the point that they don't trust anyone other than the actual manufacturer to buy media from?

 

[comradekingu]

The actual manufacturer might even be just anyone.
I trust politics more than SD-cards.

 

[levi]

Interesting. I'd kind of trusted Amazon (non-marketplace) when combined with a manufacturer who makes their own controllers and flash, i.e. Samsung or Sandisk.

 

[Grench]

Ok, so I got 16GB Samsung SD card from Amazon today, and it was sold directly by Amazon btw, not through a third party. Where I can get 46 to 48 MB/s from the exact same card I got from Samsung.com I can only get about 20 MB/s on the one from Amazon.

I AM NEVER GOING TO GET MEDIA FROM A SOURCE OTHER THAN THE MANUFACTURER AGAIN!!!!

The sad thing is I saved around $4.99 I think. The money saved wasn't really the reason I got it off of Amazon but quick shipping, Samsung takes a while to get things to me.

In the end it doesn't matter that much, I just got the card to put in a pie3 for retropie, so speed isn't that big of a deal. Anyone else fed up to the point that they don't trust anyone other than the actual manufacturer to buy media from?

Samsung makes and has made more than a dozen different 16GB SD cards - many with very similar labels. You probably got what you ordereed, but there was likely variations within that product line that you weren't aware of.

I've seen some binning too. In this case a higher speed card can get labeled and sold as and within the general supply of a lower speed card - the speed ratings are 'minimum'. You get a card that meets the advertised specs - or occasionally more.

If you're looking at higher end cards 256 GB or very high speed cards, there will be less variation in the product lines.

How about a side-by-side picture of the two cards front & back? It might give a clue as to what the differences are. My brain isn't working at the moment, but isn't there a command that will ask a card to report back it's onboard identification information?

 

[directive0]

https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?page_id=1022

I always thought this was an interesting read.

 

[levi]

Yeah, that's why I consider a big retailer who hopefully buys directly from the manufacturer, combined with a manufacturer who makes all their own parts rather than buying bits and pieces on the open market to be pretty safe. Of course, there's no regarding what they'll resort to at the most price sensitive ends of the market when a glut of orders come in, but if you need a card at the best price, that's something you have to live with.

FWIW, Kingston is not a brand I trust.

 

[rygD]

If you got it through Amazon, and it doesn't meet advertised specs, they will replace or refund. If it does meet those specs I don't see what the problem is.

 

[second exodous]

Like I said I don't need it to be fast since the pi reads slowly anyway. Unfortunately the other card that went at full speed is in another pi I made my parent's to watch cartoons for my nephews so I can't make a visual comparison. When I order for something that needs the speed it is directly to the manufacturer's website though.

 

[rygD]

As @Grench was saying, the source probably won't matter, as what you get will meet the listed minimums. If you want something faster order something that is faster, don't just hope you get a fast one then be upset that it isn't.

 

[_jr_]

The problem is that the actually relevant details (controller/flash chip make, model and production date) are never part of the listed specs. Hope is the only thing available when buying flash media.

 

[levi]

Yeah, but those details aren't shown on the manufacturer's pages either, to reference the thread title again. You're right in isolation though - anything above the class/uhs spec can only be viewed as a bonus, and may well vary even between cards bought on the same day from the same supplier.