[SOLVED] Is there a difference in performance between USB Drive vs. SD Card?

@Fuse Promote > USB sticks are available in higher capacities than SD cards. I think you meant SDHC though because those are available in higher capacities than plain SD cards as well.

USB 2.0 sticks still come in higher capacities as SDHC cards, but they are generally the same for writing speeds. I've heard USB sticks are faster at read speeds than SDHC, but in the CDJ-2000's there shouldn't be a noticeable difference unless you purposely buy a fast USB stick and a slow SDHC card. A quick Google could probably sort it out as well. ;)

The one major difference between the 2 is USB sticks can pretty much be used with everything nowadays while SDHC cards aren't as popular and are usually product specific in a lot of cases.

I would go for a USB stick over an SDHC card because it's compatible with more devices I use, but there really isn't much difference between them other than the things I mentioned.

Thanks,

Foster

Thanks for the reply.  I had figured there probably wasn't much difference, but was still curious.  What you say makes perfect sense, though.

@Fuse > Some DJs do prefer to use the SD cards as they are in an enclosed slot and find them safer.

The obvious benefit of USB sticks is that everyone has them. I've so many I dare count them, ranging in value from a $250 USB stick to a cheapo promotion stick. You'll rarely find any difference when using with the CDJs - the difference is, however, notable when using with Rekordbox (due to transferring files etc).

Yes, thanks for that Gavin! I forgot the SD cards are nicely secured in the player. I use Micro USB drives mostly and they are so small I forget they are sticking out.

I would say it's just down to your option for size, accessibility, and placement on the CDJ. In a year or more SD card slots on computers could be history, meanwhile USB's will always be universal. ;)

Foster

Which one writes faster via rekordbox?

@Fuse Promote:  "Which one writes faster via rekordbox?"

 If the USB and SD cards are rated at the same speed, then the read/write speed of your computer along with its built-in USB or SD/SDHC ports will now be the determining factor.

Well, there is a different.   i never saw any problem whit SD card and had a lot problems with USB sticks. Can u imagine a dj`s face, when hes trying to play next track and cdj displays LOADING ?  , its loading tracks library, and its happening during playback :) and only helps powering of and back, imagine that u need to power of the device which have usb stick but another cdj is playing from it ?:)

Here is a very nice table http://usbspeed.nirsoft.net/ In this page, you can find the speed test results of USB flash drives, made by  USBDeview utility. USBDeview make this test by writing a large file into the USB flash drive, and then reading back the same file to getting the read speed. The speed is calculated and displayed in Megabytes per second (MB/Sec). Be aware that all these tests are made by making a sequential read and write operations of a single file. When you use multiple small files, you'll probably get much lower read/write performances.

I notice no difference at all either loading or playing...

I know this is an older post but I am also researching and instead of a new post on the samething....

I purchased a top speed USB 2 months ago. Googled what is the fastest USB stick, found a 64GB one that had great reviews. Yes, that darn thing is blazing fast.  Today I formatted it to Fat and was done quickly however today I also picked up a SD card, it says it is fast but I didn't do my reviews... :-( 

That dang thing is so slow I can leave the house, pick up my son from school and come back and it's almost done. Ok maybe a little faster but I now know, not that I didn't know but I guess I am reminded, you get what you pay for. If you buy a slow USB or SD card, that's what you will get. 

I'm returning the SD card. My point in buying it was that it didn't stick out but I will look at a mini USB stick...

Anyone have a super fast mini stick they like?

I really like my Supertalent Pico sticks. They are tiny, fast, shiny and haven't missed a beat in three years.

I personally prefer SD cards. I don't notice any speed difference. And they are nice and secure in the cdj.

I agree with Arwelthemonk...  SD cards are much more secure...  if you buy the ultra speed ones they load fast and are out of sight from potential removal by those that think it would be fun to see what happens...!!!  Most USB sticks have a light flashing away while in use. Its like a beacon signaling for someone to grab it... I have been using SD  with out any problems. 

Like Henric Maneuver said, Supertalent Picos are small and fast and reliable.

A fat 32 sdxc works well for me

128 GB aswell

I have always used SDHC cards.

Now Im up for buying a larger one like SDXC,

But I would like to know is there any difference in the performance of SD Cards (both sdhc & sdxc) when used in a 2000mk1 vs. 2000NXS ?

Just want to know for future update.

@Fredrik > The differences between SDXC and SDHC on the CDJ are fairly negligible - the differences you'd likely notice is on the transfer side on your computer. As it is, I don't believe the CDJ officially supports SDXC.