OWC has just announced an update for its Atlas Pro and Atlas Ultra CFexpress Type B lineup of memory cards that will now be CFexpress 4.0 compliant, doubling the write and read speeds of the previous CFexpress 2.0 standard. Furthermore, if you invested in the “previous” OWC Atlas Ultra PCIe Gen3 cards, you can upgrade them from CFexpress 2.0 to CFexpress 4.0 via a free firmware update! So, let’s take a closer look at the future of CFexpress Type B memory cards!
In August 2023, the CompactFlash Association, also known as CFA, officially announced the specifications of the CFexpress 4.0 norm. If you feel you missed something, don’t worry; the CFA jumped directly from CFexpress 2.0 to CFexpress 4.0. In a nutshell, the new CFexpress 4.0 standard will use the PCIe Gen4 bus and will reach speeds up to 2 GB/s for CFexpress Type A memory cards and 4 GB/s for Type B cards, which is double the bitrate compared to the previous iteration.
The OWC Atlas Pro and Atlas Ultra memory cards were introduced in January 2022 with an entire SD and CFexpress Type B lineup. These cards are designed with content creators, photographers, and filmmakers in mind. Indeed, the OWC Atlas cards are resistant to no less than X-rays, UV rays, shocks, drops, and extreme temperatures. Following the launch of the new CFexpress 4.0 standard, OWC has just released an update for all its Atlas Pro and Atlas Ultra CFexpress Type B memory cards.
OWC Atlas Pro and Ultra CFexpress 4.0 memory cards – features
OWC launched four CFexpress Type B memory cards compliant with the CFexpress 4.0 standard, including the Atlas Pro CFexpress 256GB and 512GB, and the Atlas Ultra CFexpress 1TB and 2TB. It’s great that CFexpress 4.0 memory cards offer backward compatibility with the CFexpress 2.0 standard. This means you can continue to use them with your existing cameras and accessories and still be ready for the future.
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According to OWC, you’ll be able to reach read speeds up to 3650MB/s and write speeds up to 3000MB/s, which is a 97% increase from the previous generation cards. Similarly to the previous cards, the OWC Atlas Pro and Ultra CFexpress 4.0 cards are compatible with XQD devices and covered by a 5-year warranty.
OWC Innergize
All OWC Atlas Pro and Ultra memory cards come with their own Innergize software for Mac/Windows computers. The OWC Innergize software allows you to monitor the status, performance, and health of your OWC Atlas memory cards. Also, the software enables you to upgrade the firmware of your CFexpress Type B cards.
In a nice move, OWC will provide a free firmware upgrade for all owners of the previous PCIe Gen3 Atlas Ultra 1TB and 2TB cards so they can upgrade them to CFexpress 4.0. According to OWC, this “upgrade almost doubles the current read/write speeds, from 1850 and 1700MB/s read/write speeds to 3650 and 3000MB/s.”
Pricing and availability
The Atlas Pro CFexpress 256GB retails for $169.99 and the 512GB model is $199.99. The OWC Atlas Ultra CFexpress 1TB is $579.99 and the 2TB version will cost you $999.99. All memory cards will be available later this month.
For more information, please visit OWC’s website here.
What do you think about these CFexpress 4.0 Type B memory cards? Did you already shoot with OWC memory cards before? What is your experience with OWC media storage solutions? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!
