Which CF Express type B card readers are able to use the faster speeds in the newer cards

[wotan1]

I was thinking of picking up another card reader. I understand there are newer cards that are capable of enhanced speeds. I understand no camera currently handles those enhanced speeds but I wonder if there is a new type card reader that is capable of greater transfer rate into the computer. If I bought another reader I might as well get the faster one.

By way of background I shoot exclusively with Delkin Black and Prograde Cobalt cards. I originally had a Prograde card reader it died on me and I went with Delkin which has been working fine.

I also use Apple Studio and MacBook Pro for photo processing. Both are recent model M series processors.

 

[wotan1]

I did some research and think I was able to answer my own question.

The new faster card readers can operate on either thunderbolt 4 or USB 4 connections. Those connections allow 40 gbps transfer speed as opposed to USB C 3.2 which allows up to 5 gbps. You of course have to have a computer compatible with Thunderbolt 4/ USB 4, Newer MACS come that way.

My computers both have USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 connections so yes those should work faster.

I ordered a Prograde USB 4 card reader from my local shop and will pick it up later today.

 

[JAJohnson]

I ordered a Prograde USB 4 card reader from my local shop and will pick it up later today.

I think you'll need the ProGrade card reader to update ProGrade card firmware and to run Prograde's card maintenance app.

 

[wotan1]

I got prograde.

 

[Whiskeyman]

This thread has made me realize the benefits of the faster cards, even if my camera can't utilize the increased card speed. The enhanced download speeds possible with card readers and computers up to the task (Thunderbolt 4/possible Thunderbolt 3) are a reason to have them.

Although the card readers I've seen online have a 40 Gb/s interface, they are touted as having a 5 Gb/s data transfer rate.

 

[Mal Paso]

Even with USB 3.2 on my Delkin reader by the time my MacBook Pro figures the download time the transfer is complete and the window is closing.

Delkin PCI 4 maxes at 3.5 GB/S and consecutive reads as much as 1/3 slower. Wouldn't USB 3.2 be fine until PCI 5 or 6?

 

[John Navitsky]

Delkin PCI 4 maxes at 3.5 GB/S and consecutive reads as much as 1/3 slower. Wouldn't USB 3.2 be fine until PCI 5 or 6?

note there is usb 3.2 2x1 (10Gb/s) and 3.2 2x2 (20Gb/s). the latter is very rare, both for computers and for card readers, although there is at least one card reader (i have one in a drawer somewhere, and i had to buy a pci card to drive it).

if you truly have a 2x2 port on your computer and a cfe-e 2x2 reader, then yah, you’re going to be pulling pretty decent speeds, especially if all the cfe components are v4.

however it’s very rare to find 2x2 (20Gb/s) ports. the most common high speed usb us 3.2 2x1, 10Gb/s. which is decent, but you are not able to push the card hard, relatively speaking.

generally speaking i would try very hard to get a 10Gb connection, not at all to get a 20Gb connection, as they will never be common i think - the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze and the high speed trend is going to be usb4 (40Gb/s).

and i very much think usb4 is going to be where it’s at for external ssd drives.

 

[arbitrage]

I use culling programs that are designed to cull on the card and then ingest only the picks. I typically pick 5-10% of my daily shots and typically take around 2000 shots in a morning. So in the end I maybe download 200 shots. Doesn't matter if I'm on a slow SD card, that doesn't take very long. Certainly no benefit to having the fastest CFExpress interfaces.
I'd be happy to see support in camera for these card speeds. But we have a long way to go. The current top cameras are barely doing 1/2 the CFexpress B 2.0 speeds....likely being limited by in camera data flow/processing. We need big improvements for the in camera pipeline before we even start to max out the writing speeds to CFexpress B 2.0 let alone even start to touch the speeds possible to a CFExpress B 4.0 card.
CFexpress A cameras are likely going to benefit from 4.0 cards sooner than Type B as Type A 4.0 is about the same as Type B 2.0 and CFexpress A 2.0 is close to being maxed out right now in Sony cameras. Currently the cameras writing to CFexpress A are writing about the same speed as those to Type B.

Now if one has a different workflow and are downloading 1000s of shots to the HD then for sure having Type 4 compatible USB/TB would be nice.

 

[Calson]

My Prograde reader can work with USB 4.0 but that is only implemented at this time for Windows users with the computers made by Asus. The major PC companies are still not adopting USB 4 with their motherboards.