CompactFlash vs. SD Card
Comparing 2 standards across 12 specifications. 12 key differences identified.
CompactFlash (CF) is the pioneering solid-state removable memory card standard introduced by SanDisk in 1994 and maintained by the CompactFlash Association (CFA). Based on a 50-pin Parallel ATA (PATA / IDE) interface, it dominated professional DSLR photography and industrial computing for two decades, scaling through CF+ specifications up to UDMA 7 (167 MB/s).
The SD Card (Secure Digital) is the global standard removable flash memory form factor established in 1999 by Panasonic, SanDisk, and Toshiba (SD Association). Measuring 32.0 × 24.0 × 2.1 mm, it spans capacity generations from original SDSC (up to 2GB) and SDHC (up to 32GB) to SDXC (up to 2TB) and SDUC (up to 128TB).
Specification Comparison Table
12 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Governing Body
|
CompactFlash Association (CFA) | SD Association (SDA) |
|
Physical Dimensions
|
36.4 mm × 42.8 mm × 3.3 mm (Type I) / 5.0 mm (Type II) | 32.0 mm × 24.0 mm × 2.1 mm |
|
Operating Voltages
|
Dual voltage: 3.3V (low power) or 5.0V (legacy standard) | 2.7V–3.6V (Standard) / 1.8V (UHS-I/II signal voltage) |
|
Introduction Year
|
1994 (SanDisk) | — |
|
Physical Connector Form Factor
|
50-pin female socket receptacle (2 rows of 25 pins on 1.27 mm pitch) | — |
|
Interface Protocol
|
Parallel ATA (PATA) / True IDE Mode / PCMCIA Memory Mode | — |
|
Max Bus Speed Tier
|
UDMA 7 (167 MB/s @ 133 MHz PATA clock in CF 6.0) | — |
|
Video Performance Guarantee
|
VPG-20 (20 MB/s) / VPG-65 (65 MB/s sustained write for Full HD / 4K) | — |
|
Pin Configurations
|
— | 9 pins (UHS-I / Legacy) / 17 pins (UHS-II / UHS-III dual-row) / 19 pins (SD Express) |
|
Capacity Standards
|
— | SDSC (≤2GB), SDHC (4–32GB), SDXC (64GB–2TB), SDUC (2TB–128TB) |
|
Standard File Systems
|
— | FAT12/16 (SDSC), FAT32 (SDHC), exFAT (SDXC / SDUC) |
|
Mechanical Features
|
— | Write-Protect slide notch (left edge), 45-degree polarized corner keying |