Performance:
The test system used in this review was an HP 8200 Elite. The computer is equipped with an Intel Core i5-2400 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz memory, Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3250312AS 250GB SATA 6 Gb/s hard drive, NVIDIA Quadro FX580 512MB PCIe graphics card, Intel 82567LM-3 gigabit network card, Patriot SuperSpeed USB PCIe host card and a Transcend TS-RDF5K USB 3.0 card reader. For the operating system, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 Enterprise.
To test the performance of Samsung's EVO and PRO microSD cards, I ran a series of benchmarks using CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 and ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46.
CrystalDiskMark 3.0:
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.
 Samsung PRO 32GB microSD |
 Samsung EVO 16GB microSD |
According to Samsung, the PRO microSD card is capable of reading at 90MB/s and writing at 80MB/s. While the card performed very well when reading, it came up a bit short of its rated speed in CrystalDiskMark's sequential write test. As you'd expect, Samsung's EVO microSD card wasn't nearly as fast. Looking at the screenshot above, you can see that it was able to read at 47.24 MB/s and write at 22.37 MB/s
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:
I also used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the EVO and PRO microSD cards' 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.
 Samsung PRO 32GB microSD |
 Samsung EVO 16GB microSD |
When tested with ATTO, the PRO microSD card's read speeds topped out at about 90 MB/s and its write speeds at 80 MB/s. Once again, the EVO wasn't nearly as fast. This time around, it was able to read at about 47 MB/s and write at 22 MB/s.
Final Thoughts:
Samsung's EVO and PRO microSD cards are a great addition to the company's already impressive line of flash-based storage products. Ideal for digital imaging and mobile devices, these consumer friendly cards are available in a wide range of capacities and are color-coded to represent the performance level and features of each card. The Samsung's EVO and PRO microSD cards are also designed them to be waterproof, temperature proof, X-ray proof and magnet proof and are covered by a generous 10 year warranty.
The biggest difference between Samsung's EVO and PRO microSD cards is the performance. The PRO is aimed at enthusiasts and professionals and, with transfer speeds in excess of 80 MB/s, it's well suited for full HD camcorders and DSLR cameras. The EVO isn't as fast, especially when writing data. However, with a maximum read speed of more than 47 MB/s, it's a great choice for smart phones, tablets and digital cameras.
Samsung's EVO and PRO microSD cards are available now in a wide range of capacities. Prices on Amazon range from $9 (8GB) to $100 (128GB) for the EVO and $18 (16GB) to $60 (64GB) for the PRO series cards.
