720:Is there any need to get a SD card,If so which one

[wigfield]

Is there going to be any advantage if i get a bigger SD card if the extras are not going to be used mp3 etc.

Just for the future incase i need one which SD card should i get?

[Darren]

If you don't need the additional space then there is no reason to get one.
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Darren Griffin

[AliOnHols]

Wigfield, Like you, I have been wondering about getting an SD card to supplement my 730's storage. And, as Darren says, if you do not need any additional space, don't bother. But if you wish to expand the capabilities of your TomTom, I would say that is is necessary to fit an extra storage.

However, please let me explain that I am new to TomTom's, new to my Go730 and new to this forum, so PLEASE take what I say with CAUTION. Let others with more knowledge than I correct these ramblings, but these are my thoughts for getting a bigger card-

My 730 came with 2Gb internal memory. Almost 1.8Gb of this is occupied with the supplied Western&Central Europe maps, This leaves about 200mb spare to play with. For me, this is not enough.

I have installed several 3rd party applications (which I am still evaluating) and needed more storage space for these and the various files they will need &/or produce. I fitted a 1Gb Sd card for these of which there is only 150Mb left. Again, for me, this is not enough.

My intention is to fit a much larger SDHC card, perhaps 8Gb. Onto this i shall transfer ALL of the data, including the maps, from my TT and the existing 1Gb SD card. I shall do this not only because I want the extra space but also for the following reasons (Others, Please shout "NO - That is SO wrong!" at this point) --

1) I'm already getting fed up with TTHome. If everything is on an SD card, I can simply pop the card into a card reader and alter various directories, files and data without TTHome getting in the way. I shall not even have to use MS Windows (R).

2)The TT operating language is Linux based. Most Linux systems utilize a "swap" file which is where data is temporarily stored whilst performing calculations and memory is getting full. Obviously, If a swap file exists on TT, the more spare storage space it has available, the quicker it can carry out the necessary calculations (and get me home!). I know 2Gb is excessive, but i will use some of the other space for things such as documents and photos. NOTE - I have not been able to find a swap file yet, it may not even exist, so the above statement is probably wrong.

And

3) My GO730 has already crashed and frozen several times (certainly my own fault). When it has crashed and frozen i am locked out of it and only resetting it has brought it back to life. On every reset I have asked myself "How much data have i lost?". Thankfully, hardly any data has been lost and i have quickly re-installed it from my backups. But, if ALL the data were put on the SD card, I could remove my SD card before resetting. I believe that the data would be safer stored on the SD card away from the TT during a reset.

I hope the above makes sense, Basically, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" but if you want to expand your TT you will break it and then you will have to fix it. I think a larger SDHC card would help when this happens.

Let the Fireworks begin ............

Good Luck!
_________________
Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.

[Andy_P]

No fireworks from me (and I'm a pyrotechnician! )

Everything you say sounds eminently sensible.
I keep everything on an SD card on my 720 now (as the internal memory physically died), and not having to decide on a location is one thing less to think about when adding stuff.

Also, people are beginning to have to faff around temporarily removing things to make enough 'working room' when adding new maps now.

I hadn't thought about the safety aspect after a crash, but that seems to make sense too.

[wigfield]

Thanks guys

I know things has come on since the go300,But i would find the map would be a bit slow at times on the go300,I never installed anything to take up the room,But i did get a bigger SD card and this did solve the problem

So that had made me think would the 720 be better off with a bigger card.

[wigfield]

[Andy_P]

No you won't need a card reader.

At the moment in my 720 I'm just using a 4GB 'Integral' Brand SDHC and that has enough room for the entire operating system and voices, the Western and Central Europe (Large) map (normally the 720 has the smaller "2GB" version) and about 250 songs. That's leaving about 240MB free

Others who post here a lot are using the 'Peak' Class 6 SDHC cards of 16 or 32GB.

[wigfield]

So then something that this will do then

http://www.lowpricememory.co.uk/4GB-SDHC-card-reader-integral.html


OR

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peak-8GB-Card-SDHC-Class/dp/B00118B2PM

[mikealder]

[Calomax]

I'm using a 16GB Sandisc Ultra which is fine. I've only got mp3s on it, about 9GB of them. The operating system and WE map are still on the internal memory and I've never had to remove anything to fit any updates on it.

Remember though when you put music on the card, they have to go into a folder called mp3 in lower case.
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TT Go Essential

[wigfield]

I think ill buy the peak 8gb,Im wondering if i should get it from amazon because it seems very cheap compared to other websites.

Thanks Calomax for the tip about the mp3 folder

I see the Integral 4GB SDHC is class 4 would that be right?

[Froggy]

Another reason for having a card (in my case I am using an Integral 4GB Class 4 SDHC card) is that you can have a backup copy of a known working version of Navcore on the internal memory as well as a copy of any updated Navcore on the SD card... This was useful after the stuttering voice fiasco when 8.3 was introduced. The unit will boot from the SD card if present, so if an update causes a problem, remove the card and you are back to a working version.

Also, I may be deluding myself, but I think my 720 is more responsive when on the SD card as opposed to the internal memory.

[wigfield]

Hi

Thanks for your time to reply

I think you could be right when you say having it on a sd card could make it more responsive,It worked for my go300

I think im going to choose a 8GB so then i can cover myself for the future

[HappyTrucker]

Since all these units are basically the same, can I ask this:

On a 740, again with 2GB internal memory, the 2GB Western Europe map takes up a hell of a chunk of space. Doesn't leave a whole lot of room for custom POIs with sound files.

If I wanted to either a) get a different map in the future or b) transfer my current map to a card would I be right in thinking that as long as everything I want to use is in a folder of exactly the same as it would be if it was on the root of the unit it'll be picked up by the device and integrated into the system?

[mikealder]

Yes putting the folders on the MicroSD card will work in just the same way as the other Go devices, the x40 units also support the MicroSDHC type cards just in case you are wanting capacity upto and including 32GB but the large cards are still rather costly - Mike

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