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Best Raspberry Pi SD Card in 2022

Get the most out of your Raspberry Pi with the best SD Cards
Last Updated on February 1, 2022
best raspberry pi sd card

Lauded for their small size, affordability, and ever-growing capacity, SD Cards are an integral part of any Raspberry Pi setup. Indeed, the Raspberry Pi, whatever model, has no built-in hard drive, SSD, or internal storage of any kind, instead of delegating boot and storage duties to an SD Card in the majority of projects. Lacking an SD Card, a Raspberry Pi becomes no more than a worthless slab of electronic waste.

With the Raspberry Pi leaning so heavily on these stamp-sized storage solutions, SD cards take quite a beating, with users subjecting them to a procession of reads and writes that chip away at and reduce their lifespan, which is already short compared to other typical forms of storage such as SSDs and HDDs. Not all SD Cards are created equal, and some simply aren’t equipped to handle the demands of the Raspberry Pi. Many beginners make the mistake of opting for the cheapest SD Card possible, only to encounter a drastic slow down in read/write speeds, corrupted data issues, and, worse, failures within a time frame sometimes as short as a few months.

With this in mind, which is the best SD Card for the Raspberry Pi? In today’s guide, we’ll endeavor to answer that very question by highlighting a selection of the best Raspberry Pi SD Cards.

Products at a Glance

Our Recommended

Best Raspberry Pi SD Card in 2022

1
PROS
  • 128 GB capacity
  • 100 MB/s read, 30 MB/s write
  • Solid construction and damage proofing
  • Long lifespan and 5 year limited warranty
  • Reasonably priced
CONS
2
PROS
  • 128 GB capacity
  • 160 MB/s read, 90 MB/s write
  • C10, U3, V30, A2
  • Durable
CONS
  • Expect to pay more for the faster performance
3
PROS
  • 128 GB capacity
  • U3 100 MB/s read, 90 MB/s write
  • Four-Proof protection
CONS
4
PROS
  • 128 GB capacity
  • C10 U3 V30 A1 Speed Class
  • 100 MB/s read
  • Under $20
CONS
  • Better write speeds found elsewhere
5
PROS
  • 128 GB capacity
  • C10 A1 U3 V30
  • 100 MBs/ read
  • Lifetime warranty
  • Low price
CONS
  • Low write speeds

What is the fastest SD card for Raspberry Pi 4?

SD cards differ dramatically when it comes to their speeds and this can impact how well your Raspberry Pi performs. If you’re looking for the fastest SD card for your Raspberry Pi 4, the one that comes on top overall is the Samsung Pro Plus. This is not surprising considering Samsung consistently smash it out of the park when it comes to the speeds of their SD cards but competitors such as SanDisk and Lexar are certainly hot on the heels.

What is the largest SD card a Raspberry Pi 4 can use?

From a technical standpoint, the Raspberry Pi 4 can support an SD card of up to 2TB but this is far and above what the typical user goes for. Currently, there aren’t even 2TB models on the market but if you do want to pick up high capacity storage you can get 1TB variants.

Does Raspberry Pi 4 have storage?

With the Raspberry Pi 4 being pretty much just a tiny computer, you might expect there to be storage included. Unfortunately, they do not and you have to provide the storage yourself which houses the operating system amongst any other data.

Instead of this internal storage, the Pi 4 has a microSD card slot which you can put a card into. Anything 8GB and over will be enough to boot the Raspberry Pi OS but we recommend much much more so you can utilize the machine to its highest potential.

Does SD card affect Raspberry Pi speed?

Yes, the SD card that will be inserted into your Raspberry Pi will indeed affect how fast the machine is. This is because the SD card acts similar to an HDD or SSD that would be inside your desktop computer. This means the faster your SD card is, the faster you can get through the boot sequence and installed programs will also be that bit quicker.

Our Verdict

While most bog-standard SD Cards should work fine with the Raspberry Pi, the Samsung PRO Endurance is one of the best options to get the most out of diminutive Pi thanks to a 128 GB capacity, solid construction, long life span, and top Pi performance.

For the speed demons out there, the SanDisk 128GB Extreme’s 160 MB/s read and 90 MB/s write speeds should be more than enough for even the most storage-intensive projects. Expect to lay down more cash compared to slightly slower alternatives, though.

An SD Card paired with a Raspberry Pi needs to stand the test of time. For boasting a wealth of proofing features and overall ruggedness alongside excellent speeds, the Samsung EVO Select is the SD Card of choice for those that value longevity and durability.

The PNY Premier-X is proof there’s no need to overspend for a high-capacity SD Card. A slight drop in write speeds is a reasonable sacrifice to drop the price tag to under $20.

Finally, the Kingston Canvas Select Plus should please budget-conscious tinkerers with its low price, 128 GB capacity, strong write speeds, and lifetime warranty.

Our guide to the best Raspberry Pi SD Cards now comes to an end. Hopefully, we’ve shed some light on what SD Cards pair best with the RPi. As always, the comments section is open for any questions, suggestions, or concerns.