SanDisk Extreme 90MB/s UHS-I U3 128GB SDXC Card Review

Introduction

The Extreme 90MB/s is the latest version of SanDisk's performance-oriented SD card. First available in September 2015, the new 90MB/s Extreme cards are a new line that replaces the previous Extreme 60MB/s and Extreme 80MB/s cards. The 16, 32 and 64GB Extreme 90MB/s cards are rated at 90MB/s read and 40 MB/s write (previously rated 60MB/s read and 40MB/s write). The 128 and 256GB capacity cards are rated 90MB/s read and 60 MB/s write (previously 80MB/s read and 60MB/s write).

This review focuses on the Extreme 90MB/s 128GB UHS-I U3 SDXC card. The card is rated UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) which means it can sustain at least 30MB/s continuous write speed for recording 4K video. The gold label has a similar appearance to the Extreme 60MB/s and 80MB/s cards.

Performance

The SanDisk Extreme 90MB/s 128GB SDXC card was benchmarked in several card readers. The highest sequential read was 85.970 MB/s, nearly the same as the previous Extreme 80MB/s 128GB card that was tested at 85.2 MB/s read. This is close, but not quite up to the 90MB/s read speed quoted by SanDisk. Sequential write speed hit 78.657 MB/s, not quite the 80.4 MB/s provided the previous sample of the Extreme 80MB/s card, but well above the 60MB/s write speed advertised by SanDisk. It would appear the Extreme 90MB/s and 80MB/s are virtually the same cards.

Card: SanDisk Extreme 90MB/s U3 128GB
Benchmark: CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64
Program settings: 1000 MB, 5 passes, random test data
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K @ 4.40GHz
RAM: 32GB DDR3 1600

The 128GB Extreme 90MB/s will be included in upcoming camera tests. The table below is automatically updated with write speed results when new cameras are tested.

Cameras tested with this card: Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon 80D, Fuji X-Pro2, Fuji X-T10, Nikon D500, Nikon D5600, Olympus E-M1 II, Olympus PEN-F, Sony A7R II, Sony A6300

The following table contains information encoded in the SD card.

Available sizes and prices

Compare prices on the SanDisk Extreme 90MB/s card. The lowest prices are highlighted in the table below. Prices are updated daily.