SanDisk Extreme Pro 200MB/s 256GB SDXC Card Review

Introduction

SanDisk has long used the Extreme Pro name on their top-level memory cards and the latest iteration is the Extreme Pro 200MB/s UHS-I SD card. The 200MB/s enumeration denotes the read speed and requires the proper card reader to reach that speed. SanDisk touts the Professional PRO-READER SD card reader as the preferred device to attain that speed. SanDisk coined the term QuickFlow for the technology that increases the clock speed beyond the typical 104MB/s to achieve higher bus rate. The technology is not proprietary and other makers have begun to include it in their cards and readers. The technial term for pushing the bus speed to 200MB/s is DDR200 mode, and SanDisk is probably pushing a bit farther to DDR208. The increased speed is only supported in the most recent card readers. In older SD devices, including existing cameras, the card will operate at slower speeds, and in the best case this would be DR104 mode which has a maximum speed of 104MB/s.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 200MB/s cards carry a Video Speed Class V30 rating, which is the highest available for a UHS-I card (V60 and V90 are limited to UHS-II/UHS-III cards by SD Association specification). The V30 rating means the card can record at 30MB/s continuously for shooting 4K video. The Extreme Pro 200MB/s card is offered in 64, 128, 256, 512GB and 1TB capacities. SanDisk still offers a 32GB Extreme Pro SDHC card which is rated at 100MB/s read and 90MB/s write speed. The write speeds of the other capacity cards varies by size. The 64 and 128GB cards offer 90MB/s write, while 256GB and larger capacities are 140MB/s write speed, according to SanDisk, and dependent on the card reader or device used.

The card reiewed here is the 256GB SDXC card. The model name is SDSDXXD-256G-GN4IN and the product code (UPC) is 619659188658. SanDisk memory cards are covered by a lifetime waranty. The card tested is made in Malaysia.

Performance

The 256GB Extreme Pro 200MB/s card was benchmarked in several memory card readers. The highest sequential read speed was 201.2 MB/s and proves the card is capable of operating above the 200MB/s read speed noted on the label. The write speed was also better than advertised, reaching 143.5 MB/s sequential write speed in benchmark tests. As mentioned before, not all card readers and very few other devices support SDR200 and the memory card speed will be limited to 104MB/s or lower speed. Outside of a few SanDisk, Lexar and Kingston readers, the remainder of card readers tested show transfer speeds similar to most other UHS-I cards: around 95MB/s read and 90MB/s write.

Card: SanDisk Extreme Pro 200MB/s 256GB
Benchmark: CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 x64
Program settings: 1000 MB, 5 passes, random test data
Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4
Processor: Intel Core i5 @ 3.30GHz
RAM: 32GB DDR4 3200

The SanDisk Extreme Pro 200MB/s 256GB card will be tested in cameras in the near future. This page will be updated to include camera test restults when available.

Packaging

The following table contains information encoded in the SD card.

The card register contains a production date of May 2022. As expected, the Manufacturer ID 0x000003 and OEM ID "SD" are what one would expect to to find on a SanDisk card. It is interesting to note that the Product Revision 8.6 seems to indicate the updated 200MB/s card. Earlier Extreme Pro 170MB/s cards that were tested were version 8.0, except for one card, the Extreme Pro 170MB/s 512GB card, produced in January 2022 which was revision 8.6. That card benchmarked at speeds similar to the 200MB/s card; apparently updated cards were produced and sold before labeling and marketing caught up.

Available sizes and prices

Compare prices on the SanDisk Extreme Pro 200MB/s card. The lowest prices are highlighted in the table below. Prices are updated daily.