The CompactFlash Association, the organization that manages professional removable media specifications, has released the CFexpress 4.0 standard, the successor to CFexpress 2.0 announced in 2019. The next generation doubles the speeds of its predecessor while maintaining compatibility with existing devices.
External and removable memory cards are widely used in all types of devices to increase internal storage capacity or run operating systems from them. If the microSD format is the most widely used in the consumer market, professional environments need other standards with more performance and capacity.
Like the new CFexpress 4.0 that has just been launched. The standard uses the PCI Express Gen4 bus (PCIe 4.0) and interface NVM Express 1.4c (NVMe) to achieve the highest possible transfer speeds. “With the evolutionary approach in defining the new CFexpress 4.0 specifications, end users can preserve their investments made in CFexpress 2.0 removable media cards while enjoying cutting edge use cases with the new higher performance standard. This is beneficial for the installed base and the growing CFexpress ecosystem.”they explain from the CompactFlash association.
CFexpress 4.0 versions
Like its predecessor, CFexpress 4.0 cards will be available in three form and size factors with the following main features:
- Type A: Dimensions 20 x 28 x 2.8mm. PCIe Gen4 bus 1 line. Performance up to 2 GB/s. Maximum consumption of 2500 mA.
- Type B: Dimensions 29 x 38 x 3.8mm. PCIe Gen4 bus 2 lines. Performance up to 4 GB/s. Maximum consumption of 3000 mA.
- Type C: Dimensions 54 x 74 x 4.8mm. PCIe Gen4 bus 4 lines. Performance up to 8 GB/s. Maximum consumption of 3500 mA.
The smaller variants will also work with reader adapters designed for the larger and higher performing Type C format. As mentioned in the official press release, cards based on CFexpress 2.0 will continue to be available as they maintain backwards compatibility between standards to enhance the versatility of use when choosing CompactFlash-based storage for professional cameras and other compatible devices that use them.
