Best Memory Cards GoPro Hero 8

We tested all the most popular micro SD memory cards, both UHS-II and UHS-I in the GoPro Hero 8 Black to find the best performing sd cards at the most practical price.

This is the ultimate guide to finding the best memory cards for the GoPro Hero 8 Black.

Camera Specs

GoPro Hero 8 Black – Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto
Must-Have GoPro Accessories

Best Memory Cards GoPro Hero 8

Micro SD memory card tech has been accelerating at a rapid pace, but still, most compact cameras do not fully support the latest and greatest UHS-II micro SD memory cards. Actually, at the time of writing this, no micro sd device uses UHS-II cards that I know of.

The good news is you don’t need to spend the extra cash on UHS-II cards. Only UHS-I cards are necessary for the GoPro Hero 8. You don’t even need A1 or A2 rated cards but most new cards are adding that rating anyway.

The best memory card for any GoPro or the new 8 is the Sandisk Extreme because it will work even on the older models.

1. Sandisk Extreme A2 U3 128GB – Amazon

If you don’t have access to this card, here are a few recommendations.

Recommendation List

GoPro has a history of shaky reliability with various brands of memory cards. While most cards now work great in any of the new GoPro cameras, there are still a few you should avoid and we still like to recommend cards that will work in the most GoPro camera models.

Top Performers – In Order Of Most Recommended

When it comes to sd card sizes, I’m now using 128GB in my GoPro Hero 8. You’ll burn through three or four batteries before fill up a 128GB card. This gives you plenty of space to go a day or two with casual recording but you can use up to a 256GB card.

In the past, I’ve had issues with 128GB cards working in the GoPro when paired with the Karma Gimbal. If you experience an issue, drop down to a 64GB card.

Note: The only cards I’m not 100% sure about working in older cameras are the PNY Elite-X and the new Netac Pro. The standard Elite had problems in my Hero 5, but that was before the Elite-X.
Also, some cards just have a lag to them when you stop the camera, the Nintendo Switch card for example. The cards above all work great and have no lag.

I added the Netac Pro because the card was performing well in new 8 it has a great rating at a very good price. It was actually the first card I put in my new GoPro to shoot with and I shot with it for a solid week.

Only buy the Lexar 1000x UHS-II if you want very fast transfer speeds from your card to your computer. But you will only get this with a UHS-II card reader.

Micro SD Memory Card Benchmarks

There is still a not great way to benchmark memory cards in the new 8, so what we do is test different cards throughout the life of the camera. I’ve been doing this since the Hero 5. 

The Hero8 only has a bitrate of about 60-78Mbps, any of the modern cards will work fine. Just make sure you don’t buy a card rated less than U1. But really I recommend buying a U3 card at least so it’s a little future proof and so that your card works well in other devices with higher bitrates. Like if you ever decide to try out a DJI Osmo Action or if GoPro ever upgrades their bitrate in later cameras.

For the benchmarks, I’m posting the Samsung Galaxy S10 benchmark scores so that you can see how each memory card performs in a micro SD device. If you’re like me, you probably have several micro SD devices so sometimes it’s nice to have the best cards possible.

Speed scores are taken from Disk Speed Test using the Samsung Galaxy S10+ SD Card Benchmarks.

Top Recommended Cards | Info About Each Card

A quick list with a little more detail about why these are the best sd cards for the Gorpro Hero 8.

Of all these cards, the Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Plus cards always work the best.

While the Pro cards are great for the Hero 7 Black, they had issues in the past with older cameras. If you’re shooting with a Hero 7 White or Silver, avoid the Sandisk Pro cards for now.

Sandisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 Available at: Amazon / BHphoto This is the best memory card you can buy for the GoPro Hero 8. It works in all GoPros and Sandisk Extreme cards have always been the cards bundled with the cameras and sold by GoPro themselves. If for whatever reason you can’t get this card then there are a few other great options below.

You can also see GoPro’s official memory considerations. I have made sure the cards I’ve recommended here work in my GoPro without any issues, but are also on GoPro’s official considerations page to further reduce any problems, minus the Netac which they have not tested.

GoPro Hero 8 Memory Card Size

If you’re wondering what sd card size to get for your GoPro, I’ve put together a short guide to help you decide.

The maximum SD card size for the GoPro Hero 8 is 256GB.

Personally, I recommend you just go for a 128GB card, but if you’re on the fence or maybe want an even bigger card, here are a few tips.

You’re going to burn through two batteries before you’ll burn through a 64GB memory card in a GoPro when recording at the max bitrate. I don’t usually carry more than two batteries to keep the camera recording long enough to last through 64GB of data.

So why not just get a 64GB card?

Become sometimes you will forget to clear off my card from the day before going out again, so having the extra space allows for least another few hours of recording.

Should you get two 64GB or one 128GB card? 

The memory cards are small, they are easy to lose. The fewer micro SD cards floating around the better. By having a 128GB card, you’ll likely never need to take your card out of your camera unless you use it in another device like a Mavic 2 Pro or want to offload your footage from the card quicker with an external reader.

GoPro Hero 8 Video Bitrate Time Chart

Here is a rough calculation of record times in minutes based on the bitrate for the GoPro Hero8 Black.

The GoPro Hero8 bitrate is typically between 60-78Mbps depending on the video setting and the complexity of the scene.

GoPro Hero8 Black Issues

There are a few issues or SD card errors that you might experience with the GoPro cameras.

Camera Shuts Off: These GoPro cameras are very small and they need a lot of open airflow to stay cool. If you find that your camera stops recording or just turns off, it might be overheating. Try placing your camera in the open air or in a cooler location to fix this issue.

I struggled to get a 30 minute record time with my Hero7 last year when the camera was just sitting, but it always worked fine on my bike. I was thinking there was something wrong with it so I put it in the refrigerator and all my recording issues went away.

Startup issues, or recording issues: if you experience strange boot issues or inconsistent record issues, this sometimes can be caused by the memory card. Last year we were having these types of issues when using the GoPro in the Karma Grip. The only way we got reliable performance out of it was to drop down to a 64GB card. The larger cards still worked fine with standard use.

Lag After Recording: If you notice there is a long delay after you stop recording video, this is not a problem with the camera but a problem with the card. Some cards do this.

Long Delay After Shooting Burst: If you experience a very long delay after doing a 10 shot burst, this is because the GoPro has a very slower buffer. It actually feels worst in the Hero 8 then it is in the Hero 7 because the new 8 allows you to shoot burst in RAW+JPG. If you need to be able to burst faster switch to just Standard instead of RAW which produces only JPG files.

When just shooting burst JPG, the 8 is appearing faster than the 7.

Best Memory Cards GoPro Hero8 | Conclusions

While it seems like there is a lot to worry about with memory cards in the GoPro, most of the problems come from using off-brands, or specialty cards like the Sandisk Nintendo Switch cards and high endurance cards.

GoPro cameras have been configured to run very well with Sandisk cards and Samsung micro SD cards. The Sandisk Extreme cards really are the way to go, but I have found Extreme Pro, Ultra and Plus cards all work great as well.

If you are still having strange issues with camera lockups or sluggish performance, it’s almost certainly your memory card and the firsts thing you should always try is to swap out memory cards to something different than what you were using.