CF Card Life Expectancy

[JeffreyVB]

Is there an expected life span of CF cards? Number of read/write operations? Amount of data transferred? Age? I currently use Sandisk Ultra II cards.

[Jon]

IIRC it's something like 100,000 read/write operations per cell but the controller firmware has wear-averaging algorithms included in the design. You'll probably replace your cards because they're too small/slow before you wear them out.

[ipood]

do sandisk have lifetime warranty?

[Jon]

Depends on the model. The basic "blue" regular ones have a couple of years. Extremes are lifetime; I don't remember where the Ultra IIs fall in there.

[Richard_Miami]

I just checked the Sandisk website - both the Ultras and the Extremes are covered by a "Limited Lifetime Warranty (except Europe). I have no idea what "except Europe" means.

The standards (blue) by a 5 year warranty. I can NOT find the warranty terms anywhere! However, I would assume its the normal manufacturing defect sort of thing given proper use of the card (in an authorized device).

[calicokat]

You'll probably replace your cards because they're too small/slow before you wear them out.

Ain't that the truth

[Jon]

Ain't that the truth
Tell me! 50 GB and counting . . .
(includes some microdrives and a bunch of SD cards as well as dinky CF down to 16 MB)

[calicokat]

Tell me! 50 GB and counting . . .
(includes some microdrives and a bunch of SD cards as well as dinky CF down to 16 MB)

I just ordered 16 more gigs from Adorama, can't pass up rebates :eek: