New To Photography:Memory Cards

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This page is a chapter in the book Equipment and Software.
Why buy reputable brand name memory cards from a reputable dealer like our sponsor
Cheap Chips and not eBay cheapo knockoffs?

Glad you asked!

The problem with fakes and knockoffs is either ...

a) mis-labelling and fake labelling (wrong size/wrong speed) {which is fraud and happens a lot on eBay cheap memory cards }

b) Quality - most chips in a factory go through a testing phase - sub standards are sold off
and the good ones get the premium brand. eg. A few years ago sub sub-spec CPUs got
sold off and put into lower spec boards, was ok unless you over-clocked - bang!

When chips are produced there is a % yield in fabrication.
For high end chips this can be as low at 30% (eg. CPUs) due to density issues.
This is why the latest / fastest chips are expensive.
As the product is developed and more importantly the Fab process improved
the yield improves and the cost will fall.

That's part of the premium you pay for genuine Sandisk Panasonic etc.
The MTBF of the genuine is much higher and it will perform to at least spec.

I've worked for a major computer hardware company and believe me - the chip quality issues is a biggie.

IT IS NOT JUST BRAND LABELLING!!

If you have any understanding of chip Fab issues then you understand the concepts of yield and burn in quality.
All chips are not the same - even from the same production run!

Further...

Computer wafer testing.

Chip FAB device testing.

Once the front-end process has been completed, the semiconductor devices are
subjected to a variety of electrical tests to determine if they function properly.
The proportion of devices on the wafer found to perform properly is referred to as the yield.

The Fab tests the chips on the wafer with an electronic tester that presses tiny probes against the chip.
The machine marks each bad chip with a drop of dye.
The fab charges for test time; the prices are on the order of cents per second.
Chips are often designed with “testability features” such as "built-in self-test" to speed testing, and reduce test costs.
So the 'good' chips cost more for good reasons, not just branding.
I've used Sandisk in several applications including my camera and never had an issue.
Previous: New To Photography:Camera Parts and Terminology Equipment and Software Next: New To Photography:Camera Types - more information

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