PROGRADE DIGITAL Gold CFexpress Type B Memory Card Instruction Manual
- June 12, 2024
- PROGRADE DIGITAL
Table of Contents
PROGRADE DIGITAL Gold CFexpress Type B Memory Card
Product Information
The ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type B memory card is a popular choice among professionals. It comes in two variants: Gold and Cobalt. These memory cards are specifically designed for 4K video capture and offer exceptional performance.
- Gold: This variant supports cinema-grade raw 4K video at up to 12 bits of color depth and up to 60fps. It also allows for 8K raw video at up to 30fps.
- Cobalt: This variant enables capturing 8K raw video at up to 60fps, as well as cinema-grade raw 4K video at up to 12 bits of color depth and up to 60fps.
Here are the specifications for the available capacities of the CFexpress Type B memory cards:
| Capacity | Max Read Speed | Max Write Speed | Min Write Speed* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128GB | 1700MB/s | 1400MB/s | 140MB/s* |
| 256GB | 1700MB/s | 1400MB/s | 300MB/s* |
| 512GB | 1700MB/s | 1500MB/s | 850MB/s* |
| 1TB | 1700MB/s | 1500MB/s | 1300MB/s* |
Min Sustained Write
The CFexpress Type B memory cards use the NVMe 1.3 interface with PCIe Gen3 X4 interconnect. They operate at a voltage range of +3.0V to +3.6V and come with a 3-year warranty.
Product Usage Instructions
To use the ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type B memory card, follow these steps:
- Ensure that your device supports CFexpress Type B cards and is compatible with the specifications mentioned above.
- Insert the CFexpress Type B memory card into the appropriate slot or reader in your device.
- If required, connect the device to a power source to ensure sufficient power supply during data transfer.
- You can now use the memory card for various purposes, such as capturing high-quality 4K or 8K video footage, storing large files, or transferring data between devices.
- After use, safely eject the memory card from the device to avoid data corruption or loss.
- Remember to handle the memory card with care and avoid exposing it to extreme temperatures, shocks, or vibrations.
- Regularly back up your important data to ensure its safety.
- For more information and support, visit the ProGrade Digital website.
Designed for what’s next
The ProGrade Digital Gold and Cobalt CFexpress memory card families are based
on proven, Solid State Drive (SSD), Quad-lane PCIe controller technology that
offers both best-in-class value and performance options for imaging devices of
the future. Non-Volatile Memory Express
(NVMe) host controller interface in the CFexpress standard ensures that host
and card performance is optimized for our leading-edge CFexpress product
lines. All ProGrade Digital CFexpress cards are compliant with the
CompactFlash Association, CFexpress 2.0 specification–including PCIe and NVMe
interoperability compliance.
For emerging mainstream imaging applications, our Gold label cards support
burst write speeds up to 1500MB/second – ideal for DSLR and Mirrorless, full-
frame burst, shooting. In our Gold label cards, the minimum sustained write
speed across the entire volume ensures uninterrupted recording for a broad
range of compressed video modes. Our Cobalt label cards can sustain minimum
write speeds of 1,400MB/second and allow capture of RAW 6K & 8K video across
the entire volume up-to 650GBs of capacity. Both card families provide
sequential read speeds of up to 1,700MB/sec. ensuring that offload time is
minimized, and workflow efficiency is greatly improved over applications that
traditionally use SD UHS-II or CFast memory formats.
With a specific focus on 4K video capture, one hour of raw 4K video requires a
card write speed between 380 and 1,000MB/sec dependent on color depth and
frame rate. As shown in the table below, ProGrade Digital offers cards that
are capable of capturing even cinema-grade raw 4K video at up to 12 bits of
color depth, and up to 60fps. 8K Raw video at up to 30fps is also possible on
our Cobalt class cards.
Capture Performance
Broadcast
ProRes422HQ*
Color Frames/ Write Depth sec MB/sec
| Episodic
ProRes4444*
Color Frames/ Writec Depth sec MB/sec
| Cinema
Raw**
Color Frames/ Write Depth sec MB/sec
---|---|---
10| 30| 78| 10| 30| 176| 10| 24| 265
10| 60| 236| 10| 60| 353| 10| 60| 664
10| 24| 212| 10| 24| 318| 10| 24| 597
10| 60| 530| 10| 60| 795| 10| 30| 746
10| 24| 377| 10| 24| 565| 10| 24| 1062
10| 60| 942| 10| 60| 1414| 10| 30| 1327
- 4K
- 4K
- 6K
- 6K
- 8K
- 8K
- From Apple ProRes white papers
- No oversampling included
- Gold
- Cobalt
From a workflow perspective, read speed in cards is essential in terms of minimizing delay for content ingest into the editing environment. ProGrade Digital Gold and Cobalt cards provide nearly 3x the performance level of CFast cards – dramatically improving workflow efficiency. By example, the table below shows a 1 hour, 4K video file of 636GB transferred in just 11.8 minutes from a ProGrade CFexpress card to a workstation using a ProGrade Digital USB 3.2, Gen 2 reader at a real-world transfer speed up to 900MB/sec. Using the ProGrade Digital Thunderbolt 3 CFexpress reader that same transfer would take just 6.2 minutes.
Workflow Performance
- Broadcast
- Episodic
- Cinema
Resolution Color Depth fps Encoding File size GBs* MB/sec Minutes
4K| 10| 60| ProRes422HQ| 566| 1700| 5.5
4K| 10| 30| ProRes4444| 848| 1700| 8.3
4K| 10| 30| Raw| 1,273| 1700| 12.5
- Using a Thunderbolt 3 reader
- From Apple ProRes white paper
ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type B Delivers
**Densities and Performances*| |
---|---|---
128GB| 256GB| 512GB| 1TB| 165GB – 650GB
Max Read: 1700MB/s Max Write: 1400MB/s Min Write: 140MB/s
*Min Sustained Write
| Max Read: 1700MB/s Max Write: 1400MB/s Min Write: 300MB/s| Max Read:
1700MB/s Max Write: 1500MB/s Min Write: 850MB/s| Max Read: 1700MB/s Max
Write: 1500MB/s Min Write: 1300MB/s| Max Read: 1700MB/s Max Write: 1500MB/s
Min Write: 1400MB/s
Interface| NVMe 1.3 with PCIe Gen3 X4 interconnect (2.0 specification
requires 2 lanes only)
Operating Voltage| +3.3V; Min = +3.0V, Max = +3.6V
Max
Operating Current
| 900mA for Gold & 1200mA for Cobalt
ECC Engine| LDPC
Power Management| Supports Power States (PS0, PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4)
with PS4 power consumption under 2mW
Storing Temperature| -20C to 85C
Operating Temperature| -10°C to 70°C
Operating & Storage Humidity| 95% or less (non-condensing)
Shock| 50G, 11ms duration
Vibration| 10Hz – 200Hz / 1.52mm displacement 10Hz – 2000Hz, 15G
acceleration
Altitude| 2.26psi/Altitude:24384m
SMART & Sanitize| Yes
X-ray Proof| Yes
Dimensions| Type B: 29.6mm x 38.5mm x 3.8mm
Warranty| 3-year
-
Fully compliant with CompactFlash™ Association 2.0 specification
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Metal enclosure/encasement to endure high temperatures while providing better thermal conductivity
-
Built-in thermal throttling to protect your card and its content in the event of overheating
-
Designed to provide peak performance for flagship cinema, video, and photography cameras
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Optimized controllers specifically designed for use in professional-grade cameras
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Rigorous full card testing with serialized tracking of key components and manufacturing data for the highest quality control
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Component-level testing down to individual memory chips for optimal quality
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Refresh Pro™ enabled to quickly refresh card performance and monitor card health
-
1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage is less. Up to 200MB/s read speed; write speed is lower. Speed is based on internal testing; the user’s performance may be lower depending on the host device, interface, usage conditions, and other factors. 1MB = 1,000,000 bytes.
©2023 ProGrade Digital, Inc All rights reserved. Information, products, and/or specifications are subject to change without notice. ProGrade Digital, Inc is not responsible for omissions or errors in typography or photography. ProGrade and the ProGrade -
Logos are trademarks of ProGrade Digital Inc. ProGrade Digital is an authorized licensee of SDXC, microSDXC, CFast 2.0, CompactFlash, and CFexpress trademarks. All other brand or product names in the release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. See product packaging and www.progradedigital.com for additional information and limitations. ProGrade Digital memory cards and card readers are available for purchase online at ProGradeDigital.com, plus the company’s Amazon and B&H Photo and Video websites.
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ProGradeDigital 1660 Hamilton Ave. Suite 101, San Jose, CA 95125, USA
References
- Photography & Videography Memory Cards and Readers | ProGrade Digital
- Photography & Videography Memory Cards and Readers | ProGrade Digital