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CFexpress

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CFexpress
A 256 GB CFexpress Type B card
Media typeMemory card
Read mechanism
Type A
1 GB/s
Type B
2 GB/s
Type C
4 GB/s
Write mechanismVariable
StandardCFexpress standard
Developed byCompactFlash Association
Dimensions
Type A
20.0×28.0×2.8 mm (0.79×1.10×0.11 in)
Type B
38.5×29.8×3.8 mm (1.52×1.17×0.15 in)
Type C
54.0×74.0×4.8 mm (2.13×2.91×0.19 in)
Extended fromXQD card
Released2017

CFexpress is a standard for removable media cards proposed by the CompactFlash Association (CFA). The standard uses the NVM Express protocol over a PCIe 3.0 interface with 1 to 4 lanes where 1 GB/s data can be provided per lane. There are multiple form factors that feature different PCIe lane counts.[1] One of the goals is to unify the ecosystem of removable storage by being compatible with standards already widely adopted, such as PCIe and NVMe. There already is a wide range of controllers, software and devices that use these standards, accelerating adoption.

History

[edit]

On 7 September 2016, the CompactFlash Association announced CFexpress.[1] The specification would be based on the PCI Express interface and NVM Express protocol.

On 18 April 2017 the CompactFlash Association published the CFexpress 1.0 specification.[2] Version 1.0 will use the XQD form-factor (38.5 mm × 29.8 mm × 3.8 mm) with two PCIe 3.0 lanes for speeds up to 2 GB/s. NVMe 1.2 is used for low-latency access, low overhead and highly parallel access.

On 13 June 2017, Delkin introduced the first CFexpress cards based on the CFexpress 1.0 specification.[3] In February 2018, they released benchmarks, with sample units introduced in the second quarter of 2018, and production scheduled for the third quarter.[needs update]

The CFexpress 2.0 standard was announced on 28 February 2019. It features two new card formats ("type A", one lane, more compact and "type C", four lanes, bigger and thicker, up to 4 GB/s), with the existing cards designated as "type B". The NVM Express protocol was upgraded to 1.3.[4]

CFexpress 2.0 type B Gen 4 Cards is a PCIe Gen 4 version[5] specific to the Seagate Storage Expansion Card designed for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, announced on September 24, 2020.[6] These cards are mechanically incompatible with most standard CFexpress card slots because of their lengthened housing.[7]

The CFexpress 4.0 standard was announced on 28 August 2023. CFexpress 4.0 supports up to four PCIe 4.0 lanes, 2 GB/s per lane. The NVM Express protocol was upgraded to 1.4c.[8]

Comparison

[edit]
Standard Version Launched Bus Speed (full-duplex)
SD 3.0 2010 Q2 UHS-I 0.1 GB/s
4.0 2011 Q1 UHS-II 0.3 GB/s
6.0 2017 Q1 UHS-III 0.6 GB/s
7.0 2018 Q2 PCIe 3.0 x1 1.0 GB/s
8.0 2020 Q2 PCIe 4.0 x2 4.0 GB/s
UFS Card 1.0 2016 Q2 UFS 2.0 0.6 GB/s
2.0 2018 Q4 UFS 3.0 1.2 GB/s
CFast 1.0 2008 Q3 SATA-300 0.3 GB/s
2.0 2012 Q3 SATA-600 0.6 GB/s
XQD 1.0 2011 Q4 PCIe 2.0 x1 0.5 GB/s
2.0 2014 Q1 PCIe 2.0 x2 1.0 GB/s
CFexpress 1.0 2017 Q2 PCIe 3.0 x2 2.0 GB/s
2.0 2019 Q1
  • PCIe 3.0 x1
  • PCIe 3.0 x2
  • PCIe 3.0 x4
  • 1.0 GB/s (type A)
  • 2.0 GB/s (type B)
  • 4.0 GB/s (type C)
4.0 2023 Q3
  • PCIe 4.0 x1
  • PCIe 4.0 x2
  • PCIe 4.0 x4
  • 2.0 GB/s (type A)
  • 4.0 GB/s (type B)
  • 8.0 GB/s (type C)

Form factors

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CFexpress supports the following card sizes.[9] The second column lists the oldest CFexpress version that includes the form factor.

Form
Factor 		Version Dimensions
(mm) 		PCIe
Lanes
A 2.0 20.0 × 28.0 × 2.8 1
B 1.0 38.5 × 29.8 × 3.8 2
C 2.0 54.0 × 74.0 × 4.8 4

The larger form factors have more electrical contacts, allowing more PCIe lanes to be used. Form factor B has the same size and contacts as an XQD card, allowing a single card slot to accept both XQD and CFexpress-B cards.[10]

Compatible devices

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A variety of memory card readers and memory cards were published.

Cards

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Top
A CFexpress Type B card by Transcend Information
Bottom
The front side of the card with contact pins
Top
A 128 GB CFexpress Type B card by Panasonic next to 256 GB SD card by Samsung
Bottom
Bottom view showing SD card contacts

Delkin

[edit]

On 13 June 2017, Delkin introduced the first CFexpress cards, which were on the CFexpress 1.0 specification.[3] The cards have a XQD form factor and use two PCIe 3.0 lanes. They come in 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB capacities.

More details on Delkin's CFexpress cards were revealed in February 2018.[11][12] The cards should be able to be read from and written to with respectively up to 1.6 GB/s and up to 1.0 GB/s benchmarked with CrystalDiskMark 5.2.1. Sample units will be available in Q2 2018 and production is scheduled for Q3 2018.

Delkin's 512 GB Power CFexpress Type B card was reviewed along with several others in the early fall of 2020. Camnostic.com rated it the recommended buy due to generally doing well in its tests, but also because it was the cheaper of the alternatives. The article mentioned a firmware upgrade to address compatibility with the Canon EOS R5 camera in late September 2020.[13]

ProGrade Digital

[edit]

ProGrade Digital announced it would begin production and sale of CFexpress cards in 2018 with the Type-B form-factor (the same as XQD).[14] The 1 TB CFexpress card that ProGrade Digital showed at the Spring NAB show in 2018 demonstrated 1,400 Mbyte/sec read speed and over 700 Mbyte/sec burst write speed. This demonstration was performed using a Thunderbolt 3 CFexpress/XQD reader on a[a] MacBook Pro computer.

Apacer

[edit]

On 11 December 2018, Apacer announced its first CFexpress card, the PV130-CFX. [15]

Wise Advanced

[edit]

On 7 April 2019, Wise Advanced announced it was producing CFexpress cards with 512 GB, 256 GB, and 128 GB capacities, as well as a CFexpress Card Reader, all using CFexpress Type B.[16]

Readers

[edit]
Top
A CFexpress card reader by SanDisk
Bottom
The front side of the card reader with contact pins

CFexpress Type A

[edit]

CFexpress Type B

[edit]
  • BLACKJET TX-1CXQ[18]
  • Sony MRW-G1. Compatible with both XQD and CFexpress Type B cards.[19][20]
  • Delkin CF Express Reader (DDREADER-54)[21]
  • SanDisk Professional PRO-READER CFexpress[22]
  • Angelbird CFexpress Card Reader MK2 | Type B[23]
  • Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B USB 3.1 Reader[24]
  • Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Reader[25]

Parts

[edit]

On October 2, 2017, Rego Electronics announced CFexpress host connectors and card cardkits, parts that manufacturers can use for their CFexpress devices and cards.[26][27][28]

Client devices

[edit]

As of October 2017, there were no CFexpress client devices released. However, in late October 2017 a Lexar employee stated to Nikon Rumors:

CFExpress is essentially the next revision of XQD, and there should be full backward compatibility with XQD, and that getting D4/D5/500/D850’s to work with CFE cards should be a simple software patch.[29]

On 23 August 2018, Nikon announced their new mirrorless cameras, the Z6 and Z7. At launch they only supported XQD cards, but a later firmware update enabled support for CFexpress.[30][31] On 13 February 2019, Nikon further confirmed that CFexpress support via a firmware update will also be coming to the D5, D850 and D500.[32] On 16 December 2019, Nikon released firmware version 2.20 for the Z6 and Z7, adding support for CFExpress.[33] In December 2020, Nikon released firmware version 1.20 for the Nikon D850 DSLR that added support from CFexpress-B in the camera's XQD slot.[34]

On 28 August 2018, Phase One announced the XF IQ4 camera system (three bodies). Like the Nikon cameras, future support for CFexpress was added in a later firmware update.[35]

On 24 October 2019, Canon announced the development of the EOS-1D X Mark III with dual CFexpress slots.[36] The camera was officially released on 6 January 2020, with availability set for February.[37]

On 12 February 2020, Nikon announced the Nikon D6, which uses dual CFexpress slots.[38]

On 20 April 2020, Canon announced that the EOS R5, a hybrid mirrorless camera, will support CFexpress and SD UHS-II.[39]

On 28 July 2020, Sony announced the α7S III, a mirrorless camera that will support dual CFexpress Type A and SD cards.[40]

On 26 January 2021, Sony announced the α1, a mirrorless camera that will support dual CFexpress Type A and SD cards.[41]

On 23 February 2021, Sony announced the FX3, a mirrorless camera that will support dual CFexpress Type A and SD cards.[42]

On 14 September 2021, Canon announced the EOS R3, a mirrorless camera which has one CF Express Type B slot and one SD format slot.[43]

On November 10, 2020, Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X and Series S with a slot for semi-proprietary Expansion Cards based on a CFexpress Type B form factor.[44] These Cards only support PCIe Gen4. [45]

On 21 October 2021, Sony announced the α7 IV, a mirrorless camera that will support single CFexpress Type A and SD cards.[46]

On 28 October 2021, Nikon announced the Nikon Z 9 flagship mirrorless camera, which uses dual CFexpress Type B slots.[47]

See also

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Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ prograde digital incorporated.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "CFA 5.1 Press Release" (PDF). 7 September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  2. ^ "CFexpress 1.0 Press Release" (PDF). 18 April 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Industrial CFexpress 1.0 and Industrial CFX 1.0 Cards". Delkin Industrial. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. ^ "The CompactFlash Association Announces CFexpress® 2.0 Specification" (PDF). 1 March 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Xbox Series X "Proprietary" SSD just uses a standard form factor card slot!". Level1Techs Forums. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  6. ^ "The New Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S Adds Capacity While Maintaining Next Generation Gaming Performance | Seagate US". Seagate.com. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X | S Xbox". Xbox.com. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  8. ^ "2023-08-21 CFexpress 4.0 Press Release - FINAL CLEAN" (PDF). CompactFlash Association. The CompactFlash Association. 28 August 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  9. ^ "CFexpress 2.0 Specification Introduces two New Form Factors". Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  10. ^ "CFexpress: The Next Serious Media Format". Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Industrial CFexpress 1.0 and Industrial CFX 1.0 Cards". Delkin Industrial. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Delkin Ships More Samples of Newest Form Factor CFexpress to OEMs". Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  13. ^ "CFEXPRESS MEMORY CARD REAL-WORLD CANON EOS R5 PERFORMANCE". Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Confirmed: ProGrade Digital will NOT make XQD cards, is betting on CFexpress instead". DPReview. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  15. ^ Technology, Apacer. "Apacer Showcases The World's Fastest Storage Card At IoT Tech Expo 2018". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Wise Advanced Introduces CFexpress Type B Memory Card and Card Reader". www.wise-advanced.com. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  17. ^ "CFexpress Type A / SD Card Reader | MRW-G2 | Sony US". 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  18. ^ "BLACKJET TX-1CXQ". atechflash. Atech Flash Technology. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Sony CFexpress Type B / XQD Memory Card Reader | MRWG1T1". Sony Electronics. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Sony develops CFexpress Type B memory card boasting ultra-fast read and write speeds of up to 1700 MB/s and 1480 MB/s". 28 February 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  21. ^ "USB 3.2 CFexpress™ Memory Card Reader". Delkin Devices. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  22. ^ "PRO-READER CFexpress". Western Digital Store. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  23. ^ "High Quality CFexpress Memory Card Reader | Angelbird". www.angelbird.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Lexar® Professional CFexpress™ Type B USB 3.1 Reader – Lexar". Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Lexar® Professional CFexpress™ Type B USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Reader – Lexar". Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  26. ^ "REGO ELECTRONICS News - CFexpress Card Connectors & Card kits". www.rego.com.tw. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  27. ^ "REGO ELECTRONICS Card Host Connectors". www.rego.com.tw. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  28. ^ "REGO ELECTRONICS CFexpress Card Cardkits". www.rego.com.tw. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  29. ^ "More info on Lexar, XQD and CFExpress memory cards compatibility, Hoodman rumored to start making XQD cards | Nikon Rumors". nikonrumors.com. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  30. ^ "Nikon announced the development of new firmware for the Z6, Z7, D5, D850 and D500 cameras". Nikon Rumors. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  31. ^ "Nikon to add Eye AF, Raw video and CFexpress support to Z-series". DPReview. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Nikon Z6/Z7 firmware update 2.0 with eye AF officially released". Nikon Rumors. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  33. ^ "Nikon Z Series Evolves To Become Even More Powerful: Firmware Ver. 2.20 Released, Adds Support For CFexpress Memory Cards; Paid Service To Install RAW Video Output Function Also Begins". 23 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019..
  34. ^ "Nikon | Download center | D850". Retrieved 27 May 2021..
  35. ^ "XF IQ4 150MP Camera System". phaseone.com. 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  36. ^ "Canon announces development of the new EOS-1D X Mark III flagship DSLR camera". Canon Global. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  37. ^ "A Masterpiece In Engineering And Design: Canon Announces The EOS-1D X Mark III Camera" (Press release). Canon U.S.A., Inc. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  38. ^ "Nikon releases the D6 digital SLR camera | News | Nikon About Us". www.nikon.com. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  39. ^ "The Secret Is Out: Canon Officially Announces The Canon EOS R5 and R6, The Company's Most Advanced Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras Ever" (Press release). Canon U.S.A. Inc. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  40. ^ "Sony Announces The α7S III: Redefining The Possibilities For Creatives". Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  41. ^ "Sony Announces The Alpha 1". Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  42. ^ "Sony Electronics Launches FX3 Full-Frame Camera For Cinematic Look & Enhanced Operability For Creators". Sony | Alpha Universe. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  43. ^ "EOS R3". www.usa.canon.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  44. ^ Mills, Matt (17 November 2020). "The Xbox Series X Expansion Card: a CFexpress? | ITIGIC". Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  45. ^ 华山论剑指定营养品 (13 September 2021). "自制次世代XBOX专用存储卡". Billibili user forums. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  46. ^ "Sony Announces 33 Megapixel Alpha 7 IV Full-Frame Camera". Sony | Alpha Universe. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  47. ^ "Nikon releases the Z 9 full-frame mirrorless camera | News | Nikon About Us". www.nikon.com. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
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