Make a SSD out of SD cards.

[chromeboy42]

The basic premise of this device is to create a SSD out of 4 micro SD cards.

The limitations to the device are:

1. You are limited to 4 SD cards
2. They must be microSD
3. They can not be over 32gb
4. Max of 128gb of storage
5. Speed is dependent on the SD cards speed so you really want a class 10 card

So if you happen to have 4 unused microSD cards then this might be a great device for you...

...if it weren't for the fact that this costs $80, for that price you are better off just saving up a extra 20 and getting a 120gb EVO

 

Still a pretty cool idea though. Maybe gen 2 or 3 will be more practical. 

 

Original Article: http://gizmodo.com/recycle-your-old-microsd-cards-into-an-ssd-drive-1404467902

[TopWargamer]

Wouldn't a hard drive still be faster though? Because SD cards for the most part get up to 30 mb/s. 

[UselessBread]

By the time that thing gets practical SSDs have probably way overtaken that and there will be no more point in getting one of those things as savings will be marginal.

Also that thing is probably incredibly slow and I wouldn't trust the cards to last as long.

[origx36]

sd cards are really slow, nice idea.

not a doable thing

[Lord Pantaloons]

Clever but it's cheaper to just get a normal SSD that will last longer

[Yoinkerman]

$80?  That's like $6 worth of parts.

[pit5000]

Wouldn't a hard drive still be faster though? Because SD cards for the most part get up to 30 mb/s. 

 

there are a very few SD cards out there that can do 95mb/s, but they only come in large capacity can cost a whole lot. The next gen of this device would be nice, maybe raid 0 with 4x 95mb/s 256GB SD cards?

[Mixzzz]

 

 

Instead of giving your unwanted memory cards away to your parents, or putting them someplace safe where they'll inevitably get lost, this easy-to-build kit lets you turn a bunch of unused microSD cards into a far more useful SSD drive.

And this thing costs 80$ - http://www.geekstuff4u.com/microsd-ssd-creator-kit.html#.UkTFRIbIb9V This is the most useless thing i have ever seen even though i have few mem cards lying around

[Mixzzz]

there are a very few SD cards out there that can do 95mb/s, but they only come in large capacity can cost a whole lot. The next gen of this device would be nice, maybe raid 0 with 4x 95mb/s 256GB SD cards?

For that price you could buy a real SSD

[TopWargamer]

there are a very few SD cards out there that can do 95mb/s, but they only come in large capacity can cost a whole lot. The next gen of this device would be nice, maybe raid 0 with 4x 95mb/s 256GB SD cards?

Even at that, a 5400 rom hard drive is still faster (correct me if I'm wrong), and I know for sure that a 7200 rpm hard drive is. It would be better to just buy a 7200 rpm hard drive, which will give you faster speeds than this makeshift SSD and a much larger capacity. 

[ChrisxIxCross]

i'd rather just get a real 128 gb ssd -__-  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239049

[mgsstar]

But its pretty expensive. Would rather get a 128GB Samsung 840 EVO ssd than this but it is a pretty cool thing to do imo.

[ALXAndy]

I think many have missed the point here. The thing runs your memory cards in RAID. So 30mb r/w whatever will not come into it.

[Peopie]

I think many have missed the point here. The thing runs your memory cards in RAID. So 30mb r/w whatever will not come into it.

it sort of does though, because each card can only be written/read at 30 mb/s

 

so even if we assume that it scales evenly, which it probably doesn't, it'll get 120 mb/s

 

and IIRC, hard drives have somewhere around 80 mb/s, but they are way cheaper and hold much more space

 

Please correct me if I am wrong though

[SkilledRebuilds]

It needed to be IDE/SATA for it to be successful.

Not for our sake, but the grandma's...... with no gen1/2/3 sata ports, only 33/66/100/133 IDE, much like a lot of IDE HDD system users still in operation.

An IDE 133Mb/s capable device like this, would have worked better.

Milling machines my brother uses, ,hooked up to 486 DX66's!!!! Still in operation, using SDcards at the moment instead of IDE.

I mean hey...it could have been done, how many IDE/SATA combo devices are there already...

 

They shot themselves in the foot, this thing plugs into a Sata port or USB port... looks like both maybe?

If its a Sata capable, then people will buy an SSD anyways, even gen1 Sata speeds with an Sata3 SSD is much more responsive than traditional drives.

[TheProfosist]

Interesting but the endurance on flash storage isnt so hot, especially so on microSD.

[LordTumnas]

Even at that, a 5400 rom hard drive is still faster (correct me if I'm wrong), and I know for sure that a 7200 rpm hard drive is. It would be better to just buy a 7200 rpm hard drive, which will give you faster speeds than this makeshift SSD and a much larger capacity.

If four cards that each ran at 95mbps were in raid 0 you would get almost quadriple 95mbps. A normal 7200rpm harddrive gets around 100mbps

[TheProfosist]

If four cards that each ran at 95mbps were in raid 0 you would get almost quadriple 95mbps. A normal 7200rpm harddrive gets around 100mbps

 

you can get near 100mbps on a old Samsung F4 newer 1TB/platter driver are like 150mbps+ (talking desktop drives here not laptop). I think I have a 1TB Hitachi (now sold as Toshiba) thats around that and has been out for quite some time. I think the newish Seagate SV35's are comparable to better.

[Mooshi]

I have a 32GB flash drive that is under a 1yr old and it already reached it's writing limit..it just magically becomes read only and corrupts files. What you wanna do will probably stress the flash so bad that you'd kill it without even trying...:V

[TheProfosist]

It needed to be IDE/SATA for it to be successful.

Not for our sake, but the grandma's...... with no gen1/2/3 sata ports, only 33/66/100/133 IDE, much like a lot of IDE HDD system users still in operation.

An IDE 133Mb/s capable device like this, would have worked better.

Milling machines my brother uses, ,hooked up to 486 DX66's!!!! Still in operation, using SDcards at the moment instead of IDE.

I mean hey...it could have been done, how many IDE/SATA combo devices are there already...

 

They shot themselves in the foot, this thing plugs into a Sata port or USB port... looks like both maybe?

If its a Sata capable, then people will buy an SSD anyways, even gen1 Sata speeds with an Sata3 SSD is much more responsive than traditional drives.

 

They make industrial IDE SSDs

[TheProfosist]

I have a 32GB flash drive that is under a 1yr old and it already reached it's writing limit..it just magically becomes read only and corrupts files. What you wanna do will probably stress the flash so bad that you'd kill it without even trying...:V

 

Wow man what did you do to it? You might want to look into a SLC based one or one of the ones based on a SSD.