Belkin ExpressCard Multimedia Reader/Writer Hands On



If I wasn't such a nerd I'd end this story here, but this is where the fun begins! I was curious how the transfer rate of the ExpressCard compares to using the DSC-N1 usb cable. I decided to run two different tests. The first test would entail transfering a 1gb file using the ExpressCard and then just the usb cable. For the second test I'll transfer 100 5mb files with the usb cable and ExpressCard.
I wrote the following ksh script to help with the experiment...
#!/bin/ksh
# This script creates n number of files whos sizes are in
# x megabytes
# Usage ./createfiles [filecount] [filesize in megabytes] [output file name]
if [ "$3" = "" ]
then
Echo "Usage: ./createfiles [filecount] [filesize in megabytes] [output file name]"
exit -1
fi
FILECOUNT=$1; # The amount of files you want to create
FILESIZE=$2; # The file size in megabytes
FILENAME="$3"; # The name of the output files
bc |& # Use bc to convert mb to bytes
print -p "$FILESIZE * 1024"
read -p FILESIZE
FILESIZE=${FILESIZE/.*} # Remove the decimal place
# Create as many files as FILECOUNT specifies of
# the size FILESIZE
for ((i=1; i<=FILECOUNT; i+=1)) do
dd if=/dev/zero of="$FILENAME""$i" bs=1024 count="$FILESIZE";
done
Basically this allowed me to create the 1gb and the 5mb files needed to run the tests. Gotta love the unix aspect of OS X :) Once I had all the files created an on my Memory Stick I tested the transfers individualy using terminal and the following commands
neyoung$ time cp 5mbfile* ~/speedtest/
neyoung$ time cp 1gbfile ~/speedtest/
And here are the transfer times...
1gbx1 USB: 267.38 sec.
1gbx1 ExpressCard: 217.15 sec.
5mbx100 USB: 135.42 sec.
5mbx100 ExpressCard: 54.20 sec.
As you can see, the ExpressCard was faster in both tests. But, you'll notice a much bigger gap between the USB/ExpressCard test on the 5x100 test than the 1gb. As is the case with trying to time your computer there can always be factors that will affect the outcome. If I had more time I'd run the tests multiple times and take the average, but its getting late. I suspect that with multiple tests the USB cable times would be more in line with the ExpressCard. If anyone has the time to do this I'd be interested in the outcome :)
Anyways, overall I'm pleased with the Belkin ExpressCard Reader/Writer. It works with no hassle and the speed is impressive. Another bonus is that I don't have to carry my camera cable around with me! For $27 I couldn't be happier.
Labels: 2007, apple, peripherals
2 Comments:
Hey, thanks for taking pictures of how it looks plugged in and working. I have searched all over the internet to see if the card would actually fit flush with my macbook pro and your site has the only pics I can find.
Great, I'm glad that I could help! I posted the pictures because that was something I was a bit worried about when I ordered the reader/writer. I was a little bummed that the memory stick itself wouldn't sit in the reader/writer flush. But honestly, the reader/writer is so small I don't think that it would be physically possible.
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