Dashcam destroying SD cards?

[Condi]

NextBase 412GW dashcam seems to be eating memory cards, and I have no idea why. After a while the cam says it need formatting, and then when you try and format them it throws an error, and even using my laptop I am unable to format or use the cards any more.

By the looks of things the camera is recording 24/7 in HD quality - a 2 min video is 500MB, which probably isn't helping the cards last long, but despite buying good cards (SanDisk Ultra, Class 10, A1) they only last a couple of month before being knackered.

Can anyone recommend any better brands/models of card, or a setting which might help them last longer? I know the camera says to format the card every 2 weeks, but its easy to forget that and the cards should last longer anyway IMO.

[WonkeyDonkey]

SD cards will have a maximum amout of read/write cycles. I wouldn't have thought you'd be getting through too many dashcams. Maybe its the actual dashcam corrupting the cards.

[anonymous-user]

Assuming a 64gb card you’re completely filling it in around four to five hours (I know that’s not exact, but let’s keep it simple). In two months that’s around 200-250 complete write cycles, again just back of a fag packet maths but it’s not an order of magnitude out.

Even with a 32gb card that’s still only four or five hundred write cycles.

There’s no way that should cause a problem. It’s a lot more complicated in reality because the cards do clever things to even out the wear, but the write life cycle is typically in the region of 100k. Even with your duty cycle the cards should last years.

I’d say either the cam is faulty, possibly it’s getting too hot and cooking the cards, or you’re being supplied with fake memory cards. Fakes are absolutely rife, especially on eBay or Amazon marketplace. These days I only buy memory cards direct from reputable, known big names. They cost a bit more but they’ll be the real deal.

[Condi]

I can't imagine they are getting too hot, this is England after all, and the same products are no doubt sold in considerably warmer countries!

All the cards are bought from Amazon, and sold by Amazon, so shouldn't be fake. I see Nextbase now do their own SD card range, maybe will try one of those and see if its any better.

[SouthHamsGaz]

I used to use a Transcend DC, now use something else that I can't remember the name of and both of them eat memory cards.

I too use good spec well known cards like Scandisk/Samsung with high read write speeds/class 10 etc.

Tend to last around 6 months before dying, even when regularly formatted, being on for 5ish hours a day, 5 days a week.

It is annoying, but, at £10 for a 64gb card from Amazon, it isn't the end of the world and is a price I am willing to pay to potentially save myself some big headaches.

[gmaz]

Try one of these. they are supposed to be temperature-proof, waterproof, shockproof and x-ray-proof

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Endurance-Monitor...

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CY3QSST/ref=psdc_13...

Edited by gmaz on Monday 22 July 18:02

[DamienB]

You can't just use any old SD card in a dashcam, as it's recording all the time. Class is irrelevant. Go for one advertised as high endurance. Explanatory article here: https://dashboardcamerareviews.com/which-sd-cards-...

[Spare tyre]

I have a number of cars 4 mobius cameras, cards seem to last for years

Some random make dash cam in another car and it’s probs 6 months max