Patriot 256GB LX Series microSDXC Memory Card

Model: Patriot 256GB LX Series microSDXC Memory Card
Manufacturer: Patriot Memory
Provided By: Patriot Memory

Among computer enthusiasts the name Patriot is synonymous with quality and value. Founded in 1985, this California-based company has established itself as a leader in the industry by delivering high quality memory solutions powered by the latest technology. Along with a full range of memory modules for desktops, laptops and servers, Patriot offers an assortment of flash-based data storage products including memory cards, solid state drives (SSDs) and USB flash drives.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Patriot unveiled its new 256GB LX Series microSDXC memory card. Equipped with the latest 3D NAND technology, this dime-sized card gives smartphone, drone and action camera users the capacity they need to capture hours of 4K Ultra HD video and thousands of high-resolution images. The 256GB LX Series microSDXC card is also Class 10, U3 qualified, allowing for sequential speeds of up to 90MB/s read and up to 80MB/s write for the quick capture of images and speedy transfer of data from camera to computer.  To top it all off, the card is backed by Patriot’s award winning customer service and a 2-year warranty.

Needless to say, this is only a taste of what the 256 LX Series microSDXC card has to offer. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take a closer look at Patriot's new memory card and then see how well it performs. Does the 256GB LX Series have what it takes? Keep reading as we find out.

Packaging:

Like most memory cards, Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC card comes packaged in a cardboard blister pack. The packaging advertises many of the card's key features including its capacity, speed class ratings and transfer speeds.

In addition to the microSDXC card, Patriot has included an SD adapter as well as a case to keep them both in when they're not being used.

Physical Features:

As you'd expect, Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC card is quite small. It measures 0.1 x 1.5 x 1.1 cm and weighs in at about 0.02g. The card is constructed out of black plastic with white printing on the top. Along with the Patriot logo, the card shows the capacity and speed class ratings.

On the back of the card, you can see a row of connectors as well as the model number, production batch/serial numbers and the country in origin. In this case, Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC card is made in Korea.

As I mentioned above, Patriot's new microSDXC card ships with an SD adapter. Simply insert the card into the adapter and you can use it with SD-enabled devices such as digital cameras, laptops, printers etc. This especially comes in handy if you ever need to transfer photos, music and video content from a mobile device to a PC or device with an SD slot.

Performance:

The test system used in this review is equipped with an Intel Core i7-6700K CPU, GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-UD3 motherboard, 32GB (16GB x 2) of Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4 memory, Samsung 960 PRO 512GB SSD, GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 WINDFORCE OC 6G graphics card and a Transcend TS-RDF5K USB 3.0 card reader. For the operating system, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 10 Enterprise.

To test the performance of Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC card, I ran a series of benchmarks using CrystalDiskMark and ATTO Disk Benchmark. To get a feel for the "real world" performance, I also copied and pasted 1GB of random files and directories as well as a single 4GB ISO file in Windows Explorer.

CrystalDiskMark 5.1.2:

First, I ran a few quick tests using CrystalDiskMark. This benchmark tool measures the performance of a storage device by testing its sequential read and write speeds as well as its random read and write speeds using blocks 512K and 4K in size.

Patriot LX Series 256GB microSDXC

Samsung PRO 32GB microSDHC

According to Patriot, the 256GB version of their LX Series microSDXC card is capable of reading at 90 MB/s and writing at 80 MB/s. Looking at the screenshots above, you can see that it had no problems reaching these numbers in CrystalDiskMark's sequential read and write speed tests.

ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:

I also used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the 256GB LX Series microSDXC card's sequential read and write speeds. The test was run using blocks ranging in size from 0.5KB to 8192KB and the total length set to 256MB.

Patriot LX Series 256GB microSDXC

Samsung PRO 32GB microSDHC

When tested with ATTO, the 256GB LX Series microSDXC card's read speeds topped out at about 96 MB/s and its write speeds at 81 MB/s.

"Real World" Benchmark:

To test the "real world" performance of Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC memory card, I copied and pasted 1GB worth of randomly generated files and directories. All of the files are between 1KB and 95MB in size and no more than five directories deep. To see how well the card handled large files, I also copied and pasted a 4GB ISO file.

Patriot's new card performed very well here, taking 34 seconds to write 1GB worth of test data and 14 seconds to read it back.

Final Thoughts:

Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC card is a great addition to the company's already impressive line of flash memory cards. Thanks to its use of 3D NAND, the 256GB LX Series card provides the capacity that smartphone, drone and action camera users need to capture hours worth of 4K Ultra HD video. Patriot's new microSDXC card is also Class 10, U3 rated and is capable of delivering some impressive performance numbers. In our tests, the 256GB LX Series card was able to read at speeds as high as 96 MB/s and write at more than 81 MB/s.

Aside from its considerable price tag, the only real issue I have with Patriot's 256GB LX Series microSDXC card is the length of the warranty. Where similar cards from SanDisk and Samsung are backed by generous 10 year warranties, Patriot's LX Series cards are covered for only two years.

Patriot's LX Series microSD cards are available now in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 200GB and 256GB capacities. Prices on Amazon.com currently range from $8 up to $175 for the 256GB version reviewed here.

Highs:

• Large storage capacity
• Excellent read and write speeds
• Includes SD adapter and case

Lows:

• Only a two year warranty
• Pricey