Internal memory vs. external memory - drawbacks/benefits?

[Keeper]

I understand that some think it is better to have 32gb then have the ability to add up to another 32gb if need be, but is there a benefit to having on board 32gb vs. having 16gb and then adding another 16gb? The latter is less expensive.

[Lagoo56]

If you know that you are going to fill up 16GB of space in a short time then it is worth it to pay the extra money for the 32GB version.

[deadohiosky]

awkward question. you already answered it yourself.

the benefit is doubled capacity. period. if don't need more than 16 GB or you want to upgrade it with a mSD card instead (for 48 GB max.) do that.

i, for one, bought the 32 GB because i want to carry most of my library with me and i will possibly buy a 32GB card when they are in the price range of two 16 GB cards or even cheaper.

[Keeper]

Originally Posted by deadohiosky

awkward question. you already answered it yourself.

perhaps i needed to be more clear in the title, but like I said , I am trying find out if there is a benefit/ drawbacks to having on board memory vs external memory. I have never used an sd card before, so I do not know if there is a difference of any kind or not.

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by Keeper

I am trying find out if there is a benefit/ drawbacks to having on board memory vs external memory. I have never used an sd card before, so I do not know if there is a difference of any kind or not.

Pretty much, just potential speed differences.

These cards are built with a [minimum] write speed specified as "class". So "class 2" means a minimum of 2MB/sec write speed. Read speed is faster that write speed. "Class 6" means a minimum of 6MB/sec write speed, etc.

At the moment, I believe that 32GB cards are only produced by SanDisk and are currently only at "class 2" speed. They are also relatively expensive.

In contrast, 16GB cards are produced by many manufacturers and are available in class 2, 4, 6 and even 8 and 10 speeds. Prices are lower of course, because of available competition.

The internal J3 memory seems to be at about class 6 speed.

That's it, as far as factors for your consideration.

(note: if you have a 32GB external card, which is limited to SanDisk class 2 speed at the moment, and you have high bitrate videos, you probably will see better performance with those videos placed on internal storage rather than on the external card. But for all else, including music, there is probably zero noticeable difference between anything placed on internal vs. external storage.)

[Keeper]

Originally Posted by DSperber

Pretty much, just potential speed differences.

These cards are built with a [minimum] write speed specified as "class". So "class 2" means a minimum of 2MB/sec write speed. Read speed is faster that write speed. "Class 6" means a minimum of 6MB/sec write speed, etc.

At the moment, I believe that 32GB cards are only produced by SanDisk and are currently only at "class 2" speed. They are also relatively expensive.

In contrast, 16GB cards are produced by many manufacturers and are available in class 2, 4, 6 and even 8 and 10 speeds. Prices are lower of course, because of available competition.

The internal J3 memory seems to be at about class 6 speed.

That's it, as far as factors for your consideration.

(note: if you have a 32GB external card, which is limited to SanDisk class 2 speed at the moment, and you have high bitrate videos, you probably will see better performance with those videos placed on internal storage rather than on the external card. But for all else, including music, there is probably zero noticeable difference between anything placed on internal vs. external storage.)

DSperber,

Thanks for taking the time to provide this detailed explanation! I might place this order tonight - And the price difference between the 32gb and 16gb is about $55.00. I saw the different 16gb cards, some as low as $20 - but they were Class 2, now I know what that means. I was just wondering if - There was some reason (technical / performance, etc. )why I should spend the extra 30 or so to get 32gb all internally over getting a 16gb player and a 16gb card. thanks again

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by Keeper

I was just wondering if - There was some reason (technical / performance, etc. )why I should spend the extra 30 or so to get 32gb all internally over getting a 16gb player and a 16gb card.

Purely depends on what your current and future needs might be.

Starting with a 32GB internal J3 will let you end up with a max 64GB device, if you buy a 32GB external card.

Starting with a 16GB internal J3 limits your eventual max size to 48GB, if you buy a 32GB card.

The decision is yours.

[sonorguy]

From what I've read, it doesn't really matter what class card you get, because the speed is limited by the J3. But, like I said, I haven't researched this and it is based only on what people have said on forums.

[CJ666]

Well, i think you won't be limited in memory space for having less internal memory because you could always carry several memory cards with you and it can swaped at you needs, so i think it is rathed unlimited since it has the memory external option.
Sorry for my english i'm not a native.

[Danfried]

One big drawback to external memory is the increase in boot-up time. It appears that the J3 won't rescan internal memory if no changes have been made, but it ALWAYS rescans external memory, unless you use Sleep Mode. If you can avoid using an external memory card, you can save half a minute on boot-up.

Also, having the J3 show up as only one drive makes synching with your computer's music library much simpler. And I'd have to say anyone who doesn't maintain a copy of their music on their computer or an external hard drive is being either lazy, foolish, or both.

[rohit3192]

Originally Posted by Danfried

One big drawback to external memory is the increase in boot-up time.

It is few seconds with my 16gb fully loaded card(unlike Sansa players that take lot of time to boot).

[selectortone]

I put my earphones in while it's starting up. By the time they're in the J3 (32Gb with 16Gb card) is ready to go. Time and motion

[dfkt]

I always use sleep mode, never power off. That way it only refreshes when it's been connected to the computer, otherwise it starts up instantly. I'm using (and charging) my J3 basically daily, I didn't notice any excessive power drain by using sleep mode.

[tjones]

I'm new here and really attracted to the J3. I've heard horror stories of external files being completely separate from internal files. For example, if you have half of your hip hop genre on the internal 16gb of storage and the other half of your hip hop genre on the a 16gb memory card, will the two libraries play well with each other? That is, will you be able to shuffle effortlessly between the two libraries automatically?

Update - just read on another post that as long as you are in tag view and not folder view you can shuffle back and forth between libraries on internal and external storage.

My second question deals with how the player recognizes tagging. I've spent countless hours tagging my files so that I can find them quick and easy through genre sorting. My Iriver Clix was awesome in that I could go straight to my electronic genre and within that genre the artists would be listed alphabetically. This was perfect for finding songs within genres quickly. Can anyone confirm if this player recognizes tagging by genre and how files are sorted within genres?

[selectortone]

Yes, artists are listed alphabetically within genres.

[ariel]

Originally Posted by rohit3192

It is few seconds with my 16gb fully loaded card(unlike Sansa players that take lot of time to boot).

In my experience (new J3 32GB + 32GB microSD) the "check external memory" at boot time is very annoying. With the card 80% full it takes some 15 seconds to boot up, enough to find it annoying.

I find this a very poor design, I wouldn't have expected this from Cowon. For small cards the added delay is quite small, but with large cards, it is not really acceptable - the software should provide an option for "on-demand" updating of the database in addition to the current "automatic db update", like rockbox offers. That way the device could boot up in 2 seconds always, and the user can manually trigger a database update whenever needed, via a settings option.

Hoping cowon will take notice and add the feature in a firmware update, seems easy to implement - a rockbox port would also be nice

[sideways]

Another consideration might be diversifying your investment. If you buy a cheap expandable player and a mircoSD extention chip your replacement cost if either component breaks is less.

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by ariel

In my experience (new J3 32GB + 32GB microSD) the "check external memory" at boot time is very annoying. With the card 80% full it takes some 15 seconds to boot up, enough to find it annoying.

Actually, my 32GB external card is more full than 80%, and it takes about 30 seconds to "cold boot".

But why not just put it into sleep mode when you don't use it, instead of powering it off? Battery life is still tremendous even in sleep mode, and depending on your usage and needs you could probably avoid connecting it for recharging (either to PC/USB or AC/adapter) for many days.

At the very least you could probably get away with putting it in sleep mode all throughout the day whenever you use it, charging it just once overnight, and "cold booting" just once every morning (or whenever you connect to the PC to maintain music files). Then put it in sleep mode and go in/out of sleep all throughout the day.

Battery life is huge, so why not sleep?