Digital Trends

Silverstone SDP01 Multi Card Reader

April 5th, 2004 | by Jeff Fila

With portable media players, digital cameras, cell phones and PDAs utilizing different storage media, multi-card readers are becoming a required accessory for the gadget lover.

Several companies offer external solutions that connect via a FireWire or USB port, but Silverstone has gone a step further with their SDP01 6-in-1 portable card reader. The SDP01 is both an internal card reader that installs in a standard 3.5-inch drive bay and a pocket-sized portable USB 2.0 reader.

This dual-identity is achieved by a spring-loaded docking port in the 3.5-inch bay that the portable reader plugs into with a simple click.

At $34.99 this unit is about average price for internal card readers, but it also offers a bit more than most of its competitors because of the pop-out external reader.

The Silverstone SDP01 6-in-1 card reader is both an external and internal drive.

Features and Installation

With support for Compact Flash Type I and II (CF), IBM MicroDrive, Smart Media (SM), Secure Digital (SD), Multimedia Card (MMC), and Memory Stick (MS) formats, this silver plastic device can handle read and write to most flash storage formats.

Most new motherboards offer a USB 2.0 header onboard specifically for such a device. Manufacturers like Chaintech and Abit offer their own internally connected media readers, but the plugs on the motherboard are basically the same — allowing for after-market readers such as the Silverstone SDP01 to easily connect.

To install the 3.5” bay, Silverstone includes a cable long enough to go from the header on your motherboard to a connector on the SDP01. Installation requires opening up your case, but once you're in there, it is quite easy. The header on most motherboards has eight or nine pins to hook internal USB devices to. The cable provided by Silverstone has separate plugs that hook up to each pin individually, since different manufacturers may utilize a different pin layout.

Once you plug the eight pins onto the internal header and install the device to a 3.5” drive bay, Windows XP recognizes the reader and shows four new available removable drives (CF, MS, MMC, SD). The reader then operates by simply plugging a media card into the appropriate slot.