2023-08-02 18:16:00
microSD have evolved over the years, leading to the creation of classifications to identify capabilities and uses. Some specifications became irrelevant, others emerged to facilitate consumer choice. However, many still have doubts regarding which microSD to use for different applications. This article sheds light on that issue.
Why use different microSD cards for listening to music and playing games?
Best microSD card for music and gaming. Source: Unsplash (Photo by Samsung Memory)
Depending on the type of device that uses microSD cards, for example a DAP (Digital Audio Player) or a Nintendo Switch, there will be a certain need for performance. This is not only regarding read and write speed, but also the write and random read capacity of the memory card.
For running applications and games, it is important to analyze write and read IOPS. In case you didn’t know, IOPS stands for “input/output operations per second”, which is used to measure random read and write speed. To make it easier to identify microSD performance to provide good performance for apps, the SD Association created a classification in 2016 that uses the letter “A” followed by a number.
Currently, there is an A1 and A1 rating, where cards denoted with A1 have a minimum random write of 500 IOPS and a minimum random read of 1500 IOPS. The cards indicated with A2, on the other hand, are capable of reaching 2000 random write IOPS and 4000 random read IOPS.
Application performance rating specifications. Source: SD Association
When the application does not have a large data transfer flow, which is the case with music streaming applications, an A1 rated microSD card is enough to get the best possible experience. But when we go to games, which require more reading and recording speed constantly, it is indicated to use the microSD classified as A2.
Which microSD cards should I buy?
In order to avoid errors and have a good experience when using microSD cards on your device, the ideal is to use models manufactured by well-known brands such as SanDisk and Samsung. Check below the ideal microSD cards for games on smartphones and Nintendo Switch and cards suitable for use in DAPs (Digital Audio Players) with music streaming.
Brand
Model
Capacity
Identification
Performance em apps
ideal for games
ideal for songs
Samsung
Evo Plus 128GB MB-MC128KA/EU A2 Yes Yes
Samsung
Evo Plus
256GB
MB-MC256KA/EU
A2
Sim
Sim
Samsung
Evo Plus
512GB
MB-MC512KA/EU
A2
Sim
Sim
SanDisk
Ultra 128GB SDSQUAB-128G-GN6MA A1 No Yes
SanDisk
Ultra
256GB
SDSQUAC-256G-GN6MA
A1
Não
Sim
SanDisk
Ultra 512GB SDSQUAC-512G-GN6MA A1 No Yes
SanDisk
Ultra 1TB SDSQUAC-1T00-GN6MA A1 No Yes
SanDisk
Extreme
128GB
SDSQXA1-128G-GN6MA
A2
Sim
Sim
SanDisk
Extreme
400GB
SDSQXA1-400G-GN6MA
A2
Sim
Sim
SanDisk
Extreme
512GB
SDSQXA1-512G-GN6MA
A2
Sim
Sim
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