I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to tech, and I'm really trying to get the hang of things. I'm currently trying to move some photos from my SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD card to my Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB external hard drive. Both devices are plugged directly into my PC— the SD card into the PC's SD card slot and the HDD via USB. I'm only getting speeds of around 35 to 40 mbps for the transfer, which seems slow based on what I've read. I'm hoping someone can explain what's going on and if there's a way to speed this up! Thanks!
4 Answers
Sometimes the built-in SD card reader in PCs is limited by older technology, like USB 2.0, even if your PC supports USB 3.0. Make sure every port you're using is up to speed!
Have you tried running a speed test on both your SD card and the external drive using CrystalDiskMark? That could help identify if either device is the bottleneck.
It’s always smart to have backups! Even if your Seagate is new, it’s a good idea to keep another drive for backup just in case. Drives can fail unexpectedly, and better safe than sorry!
It sounds like you might be running into USB 2.0 speed limitations here. If your PC's SD card reader is USB 2.0, it can really slow down the transfer. You could try using a USB 3.0 card reader instead, which should improve your speeds. Also, make sure your external hard drive is plugged into a USB 3.0 port, as that can also make a huge difference!
I appreciate the tips! I'll check if my PC's USB ports are 3.0 or not.
Good point! I hadn't thought of that. I'll get on it before I lose anything.