CompactFlash vs. MultiMediaCard (MMC)
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 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).
MultiMediaCard (MMC) is a solid-state memory card standard introduced in 1997 by Siemens and SanDisk based on a 7-pin serial bus. Evolving into RS-MMC and MMCmobile, it formed the physical and protocol foundation of both the SD card and JEDEC eMMC (embedded MultiMediaCard), the ubiquitous internal storage standard for mobile devices, smart TVs, and single-board computers.
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Introduction Year
|
1994 (SanDisk) | 1997 (Siemens & SanDisk) |
|
Operating Voltages
|
Dual voltage: 3.3V (low power) or 5.0V (legacy standard) | 3.3V (standard) / 1.8V (dual voltage / eMMC) |
|
Governing Body
|
CompactFlash Association (CFA) | — |
|
Physical Dimensions
|
36.4 mm × 42.8 mm × 3.3 mm (Type I) / 5.0 mm (Type II) | — |
|
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) | — |
|
Governing Standards Bodies
|
— | MMCA (historically) / JEDEC (eMMC Standard JESD84-B51A) |
|
Physical Dimensions (Full MMC)
|
— | 32.0 mm × 24.0 mm × 1.4 mm (7-pin interface) |
|
Reduced Size Formats
|
— | RS-MMC (24.0 × 18.0 × 1.4 mm), MMCmobile (dual voltage), MMCmicro (14.0 × 12.0 × 1.1 mm) |
|
Embedded Evolution
|
— | eMMC (eMMC 4.5, 5.0, 5.1 delivering up to 400 MB/s via 8-bit parallel bus in BGA packaging) |
|
Bus Widths
|
— | 1-bit (legacy MMC), 4-bit (MMC Plus), 8-bit (eMMC HS400) |