Rising demand for faster data transfer and greater storage capacity is being driven by advancements in image resolutions and color depth in the latest professional cameras. To keep pace with these evolving needs, Lexar created the Professional CFexpress Type B Gold card a few years ago, a high-performance flash media solution tailored for seamless integration with these high-tech cameras.
Rising demand for faster data transfer and greater storage capacity is being driven by advancements in image resolutions and color depth in the latest professional cameras. To keep pace with these evolving needs, Lexar created the Professional CFexpress Type B Gold card a few years ago, a high-performance flash media solution tailored for seamless integration with these high-tech cameras.
Boasting compatibility with both lanes of the PCI Express Gen 3 protocol and native NVMe, this card delivers lightning-fast transfer speeds and solid reliability due to its lifetime warranty, making it an ideal choice for virtually any demanding professional use cases. Now, with the introduction of the 1TB and 2TB capacities, Lexar has taken its performance to the next level, offering even greater storage space and improved performance.
While the DIAMOND Series targets power users, the GOLD is aimed at catering to professional users. It is designed to leverage the capabilities of next-generation cinema cameras and high-resolution DSLRs, allowing users to capture breathtaking high-quality images and extended lengths of 4K/8K RAW video. For added versatility, the card is backwards compatible with select XQD cameras, providing existing devices with next-generation performance.
The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Gold card delivers the rugged durability needed to protect against shock and vibration, making it suitable for use in various environments. When paired with the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Reader, users can maximize the read transfer speed capability of the card, dramatically accelerating the workflow from start to finish.
Lexar claims that the card can reach read and write speeds of up to 1,900MB/s and 1,500MB/s, respectively, under the right conditions. Lexar also claims minimum write sustained speeds up to 1,300MB/s, making it an invaluable tool for digital imaging technicians who need to keep up with the media output from these advanced cameras.
Despite its primary target demographic being users of new digital cameras, the Lexar CFexpress Type B Gold card’s backward compatibility with select XQD cameras broadens its appeal. With a form factor of CFexpress Type B and an interface of PCIe Gen3x2, the card offers speeds of up to 1750MB/s read and 1000MB/s write. Its operating temperature ranges from -10°C to 70°C, and its storage temperature spans from -25°C to 85°C. The card measures 29.60 x 38.50 x 3.80 mm and weighs 7.65 grams, with a limited lifetime warranty providing additional peace of mind for professionals.
The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Gold memory card is backed by a lifetime warranty and goes for roughly $730 (2TB) and $470 (1TB). We will be looking at the 2TB model for this review; however, it also comes in capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Gold Specifications
| Form Factor | CFexpress Type B |
| Interface | PCIe Gen3x2 |
| Speed | up to 1,900MB/s read, up to 1,500MB/s write |
| Operating Temperature | -10° C to 70° C (14°F to 158°F) |
| Storage Temperature | -25 °C to 85 °C (-13 °F to 185 °F) |
| Dimension (L x W x H) | 29.60 x 38.50 x 3.80 mm / 1.16” x 1.51” x 0.14” |
| Weight | 7.65 g / 0.016 lbs |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime warranty |
Lexar Professional GOLD CFexpress Type B Card Design and Build
With a width of just over one inch and a length of one and a half inches, the Lexar Professional GOLD (like all CFexpress cards) is remarkably compact for the power they deliver.
The front of the GOLD card has a nice black and silver/gold design that prominently features the product name, form factor, capacity, potential speed, and company branding. This information is vital for professionals who frequently work with multiple memory cards, and having it readily visible and centered on the front is crucial for streamlining their workflow.
On the back of the card, you will find the usual details, such as product, manufacturing country, and serial numbers, as well as certifications.
Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Card GOLD Performance
We tested the Lexar GOLD card via a Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Reader.
First up is the popular Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. While it didn’t quite reach the quoted read speeds from Lexar, it did post impressive numbers: 1,472MB/s write and 1,327.1MB/s read. This was a bit very close to what the DIAMOND Series offers (1,470MB/s write and 1,441.1MB/s read).
Other comparables include:
- SanDisk Professional PRO-CINEMA: 515.5MB/s write and 1,213.3MB/s read
- SanDisk Extreme Pro CFExpress: 1,060.1MB/s write and 1,425MB/s read.
Our second test is IOMeter, where we tested the Lexar GOLD 2TB card in both single-thread and four-thread workloads.
| IOMeter (1-Thread) | ||||
| Test | Lexar Professional CFexpress GOLD (2TB) |
Lexar Professional CFexpress DIAMOND (512GB) | SanDisk Professional PRO-CINEMA CFexpress | SanDisk Extreme Pro CFexpress |
| 2MB sequential write | 1,194 MB/s | 1,189MB/s | 871.4MB/s | 965.7MB/s |
| 2MB sequential read | 1,064 MB/s | 1,355.1MB/s | 1,091.8MB/s | 1,086MB/s |
| 2MB random write | 1,158 MB/s | 1,145.3MB/s | 341.0MB/s | 397.4MB/s |
| 2MB random read | 856.6 MB/s | 1,148.3MB/s | 972.3MB/s | 1,036.7MB/s |
| 4K random write | 14,364 IOPS | 14,572 IOPS | 2,985 IOPS | 3,145 IOPS |
| 4K random read | 4,744 IOPS | 4,410 IOPS | 10,785 IOPS | 10,768 IOPS |
As is often the case, the GOLD performed better in the heavier 4-thread workload and was overall the best CFexpress card in sequential and random write activity.
| IOMeter (4-Thread) | ||||
| Test | Lexar Professional CFexpress GOLD (2TB) |
Lexar Professional DIAMOND CFexpress (512GB) | SanDisk Professional PRO-CINEMA CFexpress | SanDisk Extreme Pro CFexpress |
| 2MB sequential write | 1,684.1MB/s | 1,663MB/s | 1,276.5MB/s | 1,270.9MB/s |
| 2MB sequential read | 1,585.9MB/s | 1,783.3MB/s | 1,320.9MB/s | 1,223.7MB/s |
| 2MB random write | 1,621MB/s | 1,577.8MB/s | 392.4MB/s | 362.4MB/s |
| 2MB random read | 1,050MB/s | 1,440.1MB/s | 1,306MB/s | 1,213.8MB/s |
| 4K random write | 51,876 IOPS | 53,557 IOPS | 40,332 IOPS | 40,390 IOPS |
| 4K random read | 19,016 IOPS | 16,800 IOPS | 8,705 IOPS | 8,289 IOPS |
Conclusion
The CFexpress form factor is designed for serious professionals who need fast transfer speeds. The GOLD Series proved (once again) that it is one of the best options out there for this form factor, just behind the DIAMOND series. And now that Lexar has added the 2TB model, this makes it a must-have for people who have more extensive storage needs.
While it didn’t quite reach its quoted potential speeds of 1.9GB/s read, and 1.5GB/s write in our lab, the 2TB Lexar Gold is still one of the best performers out there. It was able to hit top speeds of 1,472MB/s write and 1,327.1MB/s read in our Blackmagic test while reaching 1,194MB/s write and 1,064MB/s read in IOMeter (1-Thread) sequential speeds. We also tested its random 2MB performance, which showed 1,158MB/s write and 856.6 MB/s read.
We also put it through a 4-thread test, which pushes the CFexpress memory cards further. Here, the Lexar GOLD 2TB posted 1,585.9MB/s read and 1,684.1MB/s write in sequential speeds. In random 2MB performance, while it fell a bit behind in reads (1,050MB/s); however, it boasted a best-in-class 1,621MB/s in writes (vs. the DIAMOND’s 1,577.8MB/s).
Although the Lexar DIAMOND Series of CFexpress Type B cards are the pinnacle of performance, they lack the 2TB capacity point that the GOLD series offers. If you require this extra capacity, then the new 2TB GOLD model may be the better choice for you. Moreover, the difference in performance between the two models is minimal (with the GOLD actually outputting better write speeds during certain tests), which means that you may not experience any significant difference in real-world performance.
Ultimately, its boost in performance over the smaller capacity models and its lifetime warranty make the Lexar Professional GOLD one of the market’s best available memory cards for professionals.
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