First up, we will look at test results using HD Tune 2.53. With the synthetic benchmarks, I will be comparing the OCZ SDHC card to the Corsair 2GB (133x) card pictured on the previous page. This should give us a good idea of how a Class 6 SDHC card compares to something we are all familiar with. All tests were performed on my laptop (I don't have a SDHC USB card reader); the built-in card reader is SDHC compatible. Each card was formatted between every test to ensure a clean playing field.


OCZ 8GB SDHC


Corsair 2GB SD

Test results under HD Tune show both cards being very similar in speed. Let's see how things stack up in SiSoft Sandra Lite XI.SP2. I used the Removable Storage benchmark on both cards.


OCZ 8GB SDHC


Corsair 2GB SD

SiSoft Sandra gives the edge to the SDHC card by a nice margin. Let's see how well the SDHC card can handle some real life data.

To conduct the real-world test, I timed how long (in minutes) it took to copy 7.48GB of MP3s (1,271 files in 96 folders) to the SDHC card, then again timed how long it took to write the data back to the computer. Each test was conducted three times and the average of those times is used as the result.



The SDHC card turned in a time of 18 min. 42 seconds when writing data to the card from the computer, and nearly half that time (9 min. 1 second) to copy the data back to the computer's hard drive.

Usage, Findings and Conclusion

I have been using the OCZ 8GB SDHC card for a few days now and have had absolutely no problems out of it. The card is getting the most attention from my Nikon D80 DSLR camera. After a few days of snapping photos, I have gathered just over 600 pictures on the card. The camera is reporting an estimated 737 photos left until card capacity is reached. This may not sound like many pictures considering the 8GB capacity, but factor in that I shoot at the maximum .JPG image quality (Fine - 3872 x 2592 resolution - 10.2 MP) and things soon fall into perspective.

The only "negative" I can find with this card is not really a problem with the card itself, but the "newness" of SDHC technology. There are only a limited number of devices that currently support SDHC technology. Fortunately, this is changing as each day passes and more devices are released with SDHC compatibility. Also, keep in mind that regular SD card readers are not compatible with newer SDHC cards, so if you need a card reader, you might be spending some money to replace your existing one. Many devices, however, come with their own USB transfer cable (cameras, MP3 players) so you may not even need a card reader at all.

As of writing, the OCZ 8GB SDHC card retails for $77.99 at a popular online reseller.

OCIA.net has awarded the OCZ 8GB SDHC Card our seal of approval.