Continuing our string of UHS-II memory card reviews, we have another product from TEAMGROUP. The TEAMGROUP XTREEM UHS-II memory card is their highest performing SD card and sits on top of their Elite and Pro series SD cards in terms of performance.
Rated for V60 and is a UHS-II card capable of 250MB/120MB read and write performance, the TEAMGROUP XTREEM competes with mainstream favorite, the Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS-I but promises a faster overall read and write without bringing up the price.
This is promising for users of midrange and pro-sumer cameras who are not yet ready to invest in the newer XQD or CFexpress Type B or Type A or even the more expensive upper class UHS-II SD cards.
Read on to find out more if the TEAMGROUP XTREEM UHS-II SD card is for you.
Features and Specification
Model | XTREEM SDXC UHS-II U3 V60 |
Capacity | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB |
Voltage | 2.7V ~ 3.6V |
Operation Temperature | 0°C ~ 70°C |
Storage Temperature | -40˚C ~ 85˚C |
Data Transfer Rate | Read/Write: up to 250/120MB/s |
Weight | 2g |
Dimensions | 32.0(L) x 24.0(W) x 2.1(H) mm |
Operating System |
|
Write Protect | Yes |
Warranty | Lifetime warranty |
- 8K UHD video recording, the best choice for professionals
- High speed continuous shooting without losing frame
- Large capacity, ideal for long time shooting
- Rigorous testing and durable design
Closer Look
The TEAMGROUP XTREEM UHS-II SD card comes in a simple packaging which showcases the card thru the thermoformed plastic. Marketing icons are on the front including the intended usage. The capacity is highlighted in bold with the product displayed dead center indicating the line on the actual card.
TEAMGROUP designs their SD cards in blue and this applies to all. The notable indication is the label which says which product series the card is with as well as the speed class indicators. Of course, you can also check the rear connector. As TEAMGROUP’s sole UHS-II card, it features the dual-tiered UHS-II interface. The back of the card is also marked with the capacity and class ratings if one accidentally rips off the labels for some reason.
Here’s a comparison shot of a UHS-II card and a UHS-I card.
Test Setup, Methodology and Interpreting Numbers
Storage Performance for Photography
Most user will be perfectly fine with even the most bargain basement memory cards around regardless if its an older SD card or an even older CF card. At the point in time, even the minimum write speed of the SD cards standard is enough to perform in casual use and in these situations, its best to focus on capacity.
For professional usage though, it becomes more specific. Those who shoot RAW and in burst would want a large capacity storage media that writes quite fast. If a camera has a good hit rate of keeper shots then there’s a higher chance of capturing the perfect high-speed moment like this one.
The storage media will usually dictate how fast the burst buffer clears and how many shots a photographer can take in burst again. A camera will slow down after saturating the buffer and in instances where-in one wants to capture the best moment possible, faster means better whether its in sports, wildlife or just daily life.
Write Speed for Video Usage
With modern video recording, write speed has become an integral part for the camera’s storage. Many cameras will have multiple varieties of bitrate e.g. Sony’s XAVC in 4K 60FPS will have a bitrate of around 960Mbps. To translate to the memory card you need, a quick lookup should give a you a rounded number of 120MB/s of sustained write speed to utilize this codec.
Take note of the bitrate megabits (mbps) and the sequential write speeds (MB/s) when shopping for solutions for video recording. Consumer and pro-sumer cameras should still support SD cards, microSD (via adapter) cards with newer cards supporting the newer UHS-II SD cards, CFExpress Type-B and CF-Express Type-A.
More advanced cameras will utilize SSDs for codecs like Apple ProRes or DNx. ProRes RAW 4K60 would usually require storage that can do 300MB/s. While these speeds are attainable with smaller storage media like SD cards and CFExpress, the capacity requirements will usually be a limiting a factor as in this setting, these cameras will record nearly 20GB per minute of footage.
For non-professional users, please refer to your camera guide for the best codec. For professional users or content creators, familiarizing with the best codec for your workflow is best to see which is the most appropriate storage for your budget.
Take note of limitations implemented by camera manufacturers with storage e.g. Sony disabling 4K H&Q when using slower storage media.
Gaming Storage
Gaming devices like the Nintendo Switch and Valve’s Steam Deck along with some smartphones are some of the modern gaming devices that utilize removable storage. Both the Switch and Steam Deck support microSD cards while some phones may have proprietary card support but the majority support native microSD support.
Performance requirement for storage devices usually aren’t as high as video with modern devices happily settling in at the UHS-I U3 speed rating of around 100MB/s. Games are usually packed in large container files for these games and performance will vary depending on the size of the games. It will normally impact loading times in general but texture streaming can be affected as well.
Test Setup and Methodology
CPU | Intel Core i9-12900K |
Motherboard | ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME |
RAM | G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 C36 16GBx2 |
GPU | ZOTAC RTX 3080 Ti AMP EXTREME |
Storage | KLEVV CRAS 920 2TB M.2 NVMe |
Cooling | ROG Ryujin II 360 |
Power Supply | FSP HydroG Pro 1000w |
Performance Testing
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDIskMark has been the most actively updated disk benchmark amongst all the ones we use and is effectively the most reliable. Unfortunately, version to version results are not comparable which limits the ability to extrapolate comparative data. Still its a reliable and direct benchmark. Like the previous, it allows control over test data pattern, the test data size, amount of passes and individual benchmark control.
BlackMagic Design Disk Speed Test
BlackMagic Design’s own testing for its large broadcast and camera solutions for professional recording and broadcasting. The BlackMagic Design Disk Speed Test is an easy to use tool to quickly measure and certify your disk performance for working with high quality video. The benchmark lists target results and gives you an at a glance list of achievable codecs and bitrates with your storage device. These results are best used in support of Crystal Disk Mark’s longer 5-cycle results as BlackMagic Design’s single write cycle that alternates between read and write provides wobbling results. For these results, we captured the average of results from 5 consecutive tests.
In-Camera Write Speed Testing
Actual in-camera performance test using the Sony A7 IV. We shoot uncompressed RAW photos in hi+ bursts, accounting for the burst capture and the buffer flush for the in-camera speed. Take note these speeds are unique the our test cameras will perform slightly differently in other cameras and shooting modes.
Value and Conclusion
Topping out at $50 for the 256GB capacity, the TEAMGROUP UHS-II SD card is a decent backup card or entry card if you’re looking for a fast but affordable burst photography SD card or a moderate bitrate 4K/8K card for video. Our test sees the cardd doing 100MB/s with Sony’s A7 IV rejecting the card for any of its higher bitrate codec.
Its best usage would be as a backup card or a separate photography card for usage where you don’t see yourself doing 20-shot bursts of RAW but want to have that capability when needed. For videos, the card is enough to handle Sony’s 4K60 200M 4:2:2 4K XAVC 4K HS format which should fit around 2 and 1/2 hours on a 256GB card.
Its going to be hard to beat the TEAMGROUP XTREEM UHS-II SD card especially for its price. While you may opt for the cheaper cards, this will be the cheapest UHS-II card that can handle some of the higher bitrate videos that modern cameras have.
Your compromises will be totally unique to your camera but at this point in time, from my personal usage, aside from wanting a higher burst rate in the A7 IV, everything’s pretty much a nitpick and XAVC 4K HS 4:2:2 200M is fairly high enough for even paid jobs.
The TEAMGROUP XTREEM UHS-II SD card is a great budget entry into the world of UHS-II and unlocks modern high-performance camera features that may be locked behind the speed limitations of UHS-I.
TEAMGROUP backs the XTREEM UHS-II card with a limited lifetime warranty. I give it my recommended seal.