CFast vs CF Card: Make a Comparison and Choose a Suitable One

Memory cards can save and store what you digitally capture using flash memory. They don’t require power to store data, so data won’t get lost when the device is turned off. With a tiny physical size, they are portable. They are often used to save/transfer/back up data or expand storage space.

CF and CFast cards are two different types of memory cards introduced by the CF Association (CompactFlash Association). Known as the smallest SATA solid state drive in the world, they are also the latest standards of the memory card. CF card vs CFast: how to distinguish them? Well, this post will tell you the answer and offer additional information about two cards.

What Is CF Card

The CF (CompactFlash) card is a memory card format introduced in 1994 by SanDisk. Using flash memory technology, the CF card has no moving mechanical parts. Given that fact, CF cards are more reliable compared with other types of data storage media. Nevertheless, a CF card can get damaged if it is inserted into a device in the wrong manner.

CF cards store data on a very small portable device that doesn’t need a battery to retain data, which means that data won’t be lost even if the device is powered off. Besides, the data on the memory card can be written and erased electronically as well as reprogrammed.

Developed in 1995, the CF standard is mainly aimed at the professional imaging product market. The CF card is primarily divided into two types: Type I and Type II. Though the two types of CF cards have different thicknesses, they can be connected to the host or inside the CF card reader through 50 fine and perfectly arranged pins.

Now, the CF6.0 specification implements UDMA7, offering a reading speed of up to 167MB/s and an optional card temperature operating temperature range notification function. The operating shock rating of a CF card is 2,000 gauss (G), while the shock rating of mechanical devices is 100 G to 200 G.

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What Is CFast Card

CFast card, a successor of the CompactFlash format, combines the CompactFlash card form factor with the Serial ATA (SATA) interface. Like CF cards, CFast cards also include two types (Type I and Type II).

The main purpose of developing this format is to get higher speeds. Certainly, it makes it. Furthermore, CFast card is rapidly replacing the previous CF card.

CFast vs CF Card

Is CFast the same as CF card? No, they are not the same. Actually, CFast and CF cards are two different grades of products. It can be said that the former is an advanced evolution of the latter. CF vs CFast card: what’s the difference?

If you want to find the difference between CFast and CF card, pay attention to this section. It explains the distinction between CF cards and CFast memory cards from four aspects.

Related article: CF Card vs SD Card: What Is the Difference Between Them?

#1: Specifications

Generally speaking, the size and speed of a CF card are displayed on the front label. The CF card comes in sizes from 4GB to 512GB. As for (KingSpec) CFast cards, their capacity ranges from 256GB to 1TB. CFast cards are similar in size and shape to CompactFlash cards but they aren’t compatible with each other.

CFast is a non-volatile SLC flash memory for outstanding data retention. It is compliant with CFast 1.0 specifications and RoHS. With the global wear-leveling algorithm, it can help you extend the product lifespan. Besides, it supports S.M.A.R.T., Static Data Refresh, and Early Retirement technologies.

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#2: Pin

As mentioned before, CF cards are connected to the host or inside of the CF card reader through 50 pinholes. Please note that these pins are easily bent. The CFast memory card uses a SATA-compatible 7-pin signal connector and a 17-pin power and control connector.

#3: Read and Write Speed

Using the Serial ATA (SATA) interface, CFast cards have significantly higher speeds than CF cards. For instance, the read speed of the KingSpec CFast card can reach up to 550MB/s. CFast cards may demand devices that specifically support the CFast standard.

The CFast 1.1 specification implemented by the CFast card has a reading speed of up to 300MB/s, while the new CFast card 2.0 specification with the support of SATA-Ⅲcan read up to 600MB/s. That makes CFast cards ideal for high-end cameras to record 4K videos.

According to the latest specification CF6.0, CF card’s bus speed can reach up to 167MB/s. CFast memory card vs CF on speed: CFast card wins. If you pursue high speeds, you can buy a CFast card. However, you should know that the cost of a CFast card is much higher than that of a CF card.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

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#4: Use

Being fast, durable, and portable, CF cards are preferred by most photographers and filmmakers. They are often used as removable memory for high-end cameras. Cameras using CompactFlash cards are listed as follows.

• Canon 1D C, CompactFlash only
• Canon 1D X, CompactFlash only
• Canon 1D X Mark II, (1) CFast slot, (1) CompactFlash slot
• Canon 5D Mark IV, (1) CompactFlash slot, (1) SDXC slot
• Canon 5D Mark III, (1) CompactFlash slot, (1) SDXC slot
• Canon 5DS, (1) CompactFlash slot, (1) SDXC slot
• Canon C500, (1) CompactFlash slot, (1) SDXC slot
• Canon C300, (2) CompactFlash slots, (1) SD slot
• Nikon D800, (1) CompactFlash slot, (1) SDXC slot
• Nikon D4S, (1) XQD slot, (1) CompactFlash slot

CFast cards are good atcapturing high-resolution images and recording high-quality videos. They are perfect for 4K videos and heavy applications because they can offer a data transfer speed of up to 600MB/s. They are often loved by cinematographers and photographers working with large file sizes.

CFast cards are widely used in high-end cameras and industrial products such as surveillance cameras, automated fare collection system, Telecom equipment, facial recognition systems, embedded BOX PCs, industrial tablet computers, etc.

Cameras using CFast cards include:

• Canon 1D X Mark II, (1) CFast slot, (1) CompactFlash slot
• Canon C300 Mark II, (2) CFast slots, (1) SD slot
• Canon C700, (2) CFast slots, (1) SDXC slot
• Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K, (2) CFast slots
• ARRI Alexa Classic, requires the XR module upgrade
• ARRI Alexa SXT, requires CFast 2.0 adapter

CFast vs CF card: what’s the difference between them? After reading the above content, you may have the answer in your mind! Now, it’s time for you to make a decision – CF or CFast card.

Also read: Samsung MicroSD Card EVO vs PRO Plus: What’s the Difference

Partition or Format CFast/CF Cards Before Using Them

After you buy a new CFast/CF card, you should partition or format it first. Otherwise, you can’t use it normally and may receive error messages like “You need to format the disk in drive X: before you can use it”. Hence, partitioning or formatting the CF/CFast card is pretty necessary.

To do that, you can make use of partition-managing utilities like Disk Management, File Explorer, Diskpart, and MiniTool Partition Wizard. Compared with Windows built-in tools, MiniTool Partition Wizard is more powerful. It simplifies the operations. By using it, you can partition or format the memory card within a few clicks.

Moreover, it offers you more possibilities. For instance, it allows you to format storage devices to Ext2/3/4 file system while other Windows-embedded tools don’t. It’s worth noting that MiniTool Partition Wizard breaks the FAT32 partition size limit, allowing you to create/format/extend a FAT32 partition over 32GB.

Additionally, MiniTool Partition Wizard also boasts features like Space Analyzer, Disk Benchmark, Surface Test, Data Recovery, Partition Recovery, and so on. With dozens of features, it can be used as a USB formatter, FAT32 formatter, duplicate file finder, disk clone software, SSD optimizer, PC cleaner, etc.

Here, you can download and install it on your computer and then use it to partition or format your CF/CFast card. Here are the steps for doing that.

Step 1: Download MiniTool Partition Wizard by clicking the button below . Then run the setup file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the software.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Plug the CF/CFast card into your computer.

Step 3: Right-click on the unallocated space of your memory card and hit the Create option.

Step 4: In the prompted window, configure partition settings like partition label, partition type, file system, drive letter, cluster size, as well as partition size and location. Then click OK to save changes.

Step 5: Finally, tap Apply > Yes to execute the operation.

You might also like this: Does Partitioning a Drive Erase Data? How to Recover Lost Data?

To format the memory card, please follow these steps.

• Connect the CF/CFast card to your computer and run MiniTool Partition Wizard.
• Right-click on the CF/CFast card partition and choose Format.
• In the Format Partition window, set partition label, file system, and cluster size based on your demands.
• Click OK to save changes.
• Tap Apply to carry out the pending operation.

CFast vs CF card: which to choose? You can make a choice after checking out the difference between the two cards in this post. Then follow the given instructions to manage your memory card.Click to Tweet

Bottom Line

This post introduces CF card and CFast card respectively and then makes a comparison of CF card vs CFast. If you are interested in the topic “CFast memory card vs CF”, this post is worth reading which explains the difference between the two cards from 4 aspects.

For any questions related to MiniTool Partition Wizard, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as possible.