Sony photographers and videographers have a choice when it comes to memory cards: stick with common and cheap SD cards or step up to the significantly faster, albeit pricier, CFexpress Type A format. Pergear has been making Type A more accessible for a little while now, and their latest Master CFexpress 4.0 Type A card aims to push performance boundaries further, at a great price. Does it deliver?
The new Master line utilizes the CFexpress 4.0 standard. This significantly boosts potential speeds over the older CFexpress 2.0 by adopting PCIe 4.0 technology, which offers up to 2 GB/s per lane. This upgrade promises a higher performance ceiling, and I’ve been testing the new Pergear Master card to see if it delivers on its promises of enhanced speed for creative workflows.
For context, CFexpress Type A slots are a staple for many modern Sony cameras, including the a7R V, a7S III, a1, a9 III, and FX cinema line cameras. They offer a substantial bump in read and write performance over the fastest UHS-II SD cards. This translates to faster buffer clearing during high-speed burst shooting, significantly quicker ingest times for large photo and video files, and access to higher bitrate video recording modes on compatible cameras.
It’s important to note that all those cameras can’t make use of the extra speed offered by 4.0 compared to 2.0 cards. For readers and ingest operations, you can see the speed difference, but if your camera has a 2.0 slot, it can’t write at 4.0 speeds.
Specifications
Pergear’s new Master line comes with the following figures and features:
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Read Speeds: advertised up to 1,780 MB/s
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Write Speeds: advertised up to 1,600 MB/s
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Sustained Write Speed: 700 MB/s
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VPG Rating: VPG200 certified
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Capacities: 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB
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Video Capability: 4K60P, 8K30P, and 4K120P raw video storage
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Warranty: 5-year long-term warranty
These advertised speeds, particularly the read and peak write figures, represent a significant jump from their previous generation cards. The VPG200 certification is a welcome addition, guaranteeing a minimum sustained write speed of 200 MB/s, which is crucial for reliable video recording.
Performance
When I received the new Pergear Master card, I was eager to see how it performed in real-world and synthetic benchmark scenarios. My previous experience with Pergear’s older Type A card showed it to be a solid value. The key question was whether this new Master line truly delivered a significant speed increase.
In my testing, using synthetic benchmarks, the Pergear Master card showed a dramatic improvement in read speeds. I consistently measured read speeds exceeding 1,400 MB/s. This is a major uplift. For offloading large batches of raw files or high-resolution video clips, this means import times can be substantially reduced.
When it came to write performance, my tests at a queue depth of 1 yielded results in the 450 MB/s to 500 MB/s range. These figures fall short of Pergear’s advertised 1,600 MB/s peak write speeds and the 700 MB/s sustained write speed, but are still good. Importantly, the card carries a VPG200 rating, guaranteeing a minimum sustained write of 200 MB/s. My testing showed write performance exceeds this VPG200 baseline, making it capable for the most demanding video codecs on current Sony cameras.
Overall, the new card delivers significantly higher read speeds compared to older generation cards, as well as now carrying a guaranteed minimum write speed via VPG certification, but confusingly steps back in write speeds in synthetic loads.
Value
Pergear has positioned its memory cards as value-focused alternatives that still offer high-level performance, and the Master series continues that trend. At $129 for 256GB, Pergear is positioned a bit better than competing cards from OWC or ProGrade for similar rated specs.
Pergear has positioned its memory cards as value-focused alternatives that still offer high-level performance, and the Master series continues that trend. At $129 for 256 GB, Pergear is positioned a bit better than competing cards from OWC or ProGrade for similar rated specs at MSRP.
The savings presented by Pergear rises with capacity, with the 512 GB and 1 TB models offering even bigger benefits. Still, I did see better performance out of these competing cards on the write speed tests. While no camera to my knowledge can currently hit these write speeds on Type A cards, with my testing relying on synthetic loads, it’s still something to consider for future bodies or applications.
A strong point in the Master card’s favor is the included 5-year warranty, a generous warranty period for a memory card. The addition of VPG200 certification also adds to its value proposition, assuring a baseline level of video performance and ensuring better compatibility with cameras.
However, make sure to check pricing, as rebates or sales on cards, particularly at the lower capacities, can drastically shift the price per GB, which makes a big difference in the value of the card relative to competitors.
The Pergear Master CFexpress Type A card is a step forward in read performance, but write performance is a mixed bag. The near-doubling of read speeds compared to some older cards is a significant real-world benefit for anyone frequently transferring large files. Meanwhile, the tested write speeds didn’t reach the ambitious marketing claims using synthetic loads. However, the card now carries VPG200 certification, marking an improvement in performance and compatibility with continuous write speeds, particularly for video applications.
If Pergear maintains aggressive pricing, they will offer a compelling package for Sony shooters looking to capitalize on the speed of CFexpress 4.0 for quicker imports. The impressive read speeds, reliable video recording performance backed by VPG200, and a 5-year warranty make it a strong contender.
What I Liked
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Significantly faster read speeds compared to previous generation cards (measured over 1,400 MB/s)
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Uses the newer CFexpress 4.0 standard with PCIe 4.0 support
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VPG200 certification guarantees a minimum sustained write speed of 200 MB/s
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Reliable for high-bitrate video recording and demanding codecs
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Competitive pricing, especially at higher capacities
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Strong value compared to competitors like OWC and ProGrade
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5-year warranty adds long-term reliability
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Faster file ingest times benefit workflows with large photo and video files
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Backward-compatible with CFexpress 2.0 camera slots (at reduced speed)
What I Didn’t Like
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Real-world write speeds fall short of the advertised 1,600 MB/s peak
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Synthetic benchmark write results (450–500 MB/s) are lower than expected
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Current Sony cameras cannot utilize the full speed of CFexpress 4.0
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Competing cards may offer better write performance
Purchase
The Master CFexpress 4.0 Type A card is available for purchase now from Amazon.