Transcend Ultimate UHS-II U3 64GB SDXC Card Review (285MB/s Read 180MB/s Write)

Introduction

The new Transcend Ultimate UHS-II U3 SD cards are capable of outstanding read and write performance. These Secure Digital cards take advantage the UHS-II interface to deliver up to 285MB/s read and 180MB/s write speeds, according to Transcend. The cards also meet UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) specification and are suitable for recording 4K video. They are available in 32 and 64 GB capacities. The 64 GB SDXC version (TS64GSD2U3) is tested for this review.

UHS-II cards are backwards compatible and will work in UHS-I and standard SD devices, but the highest level of performance will only be realized in devices that support the UHS-II interface. The back of the card reveals two rows of contacts. The top row provides the standard SD interface that offers UHS-I support including SDR104 at up to 104MB/s bus speed. The bottom row of contacts provide the UHS-II bus interface that operates up to 312MB/s bus speed (HD312).

The Transcend Ultimate UHS-II U3 card has an understated matte black label with gold lettering. Internally the cards use MLC NAND flash memory that offers both high performance and durability. The card is made in Taiwan and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty from Transcend.

Performance

The Transcend UHS-II U3 64GB SDXC card was tested in a variety of card readers, including several that support UHS-II. In benchmark tests the sequential read speed reached 305.6 MB/s, while write speed peaked at 183.1 MB/s. Both read and write speeds exceed the ratings on the label. These speeds are only reached in devices with the UHS-II interface. When tested in UHS-I card readers the card revealed its performance in UHS-I mode and provided up to 93.2MB/s read and 91.2MB/s write speed. When used in cameras that support UHS-I only, the card will be limited to the lower UHS-I speeds, at best.

Card: Transcend Ultimate UHS-II U3 64GB
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

This memory card will be included in upcoming camera tests. When results are available they will be added to the table below.

Cameras tested with this card: Canon EOS R, Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon 77D, Canon 80D, Canon EOS M5, Canon Rebel T7i, Fuji X-T3, Fuji X-Pro2, Fuji X-T10, Nikon D500, Nikon D7500, Nikon D5600, Nikon Coolpix P1000, Olympus E-M1 II, Olympus PEN-F, Panasonic GH5, Sony A9, Sony A6300

The following table contains information encoded in the SD card.

Available sizes and prices

Compare prices on the Transcend Ultimate UHS-II card. The lowest prices are highlighted in the table below. Prices are updated daily.

The Transcend UHS-II U3 64GB card (TS64GSD2U3) was recently released, and may not be widely available. In addition to the above links, it may be purchased from the following retailer:

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