DVD versus preloaded map card

[obooker]

I am the owner of a spanking new 755T. It came with US maps. I am traveling to Europe soon, so I wanted those maps. Of course, you can buy them either on DVD or preloaded card, and I wanted to know the pros and cons of each.

I emailed product support, and got a very prompt answer. They should post this kind of thing on their website!

************************************************** ***

Dear Oliver Booker,
Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I would be happy to help you with this. There are pro's and con's to both formats.
Preloaded SD card:
PROS
1. it is ready to use right out of the package
2. if you have multiple units, it will work in what ever unit you put it in
3. you do not have to purchase your own blank card
CONS
1. if you lose the card you have lost your mapping
2. you can not update the mapping in the future, you would have to buy a new card
3. you will not have a copy of the mapping to load to your computer to use for creating routes and looking up addresses on your computer
DVD
PROS
1. if you lose your SD card that you loaded the maps to, you can take another blank card and reload the map to it
2. you can purchase updates for the mapping in the future instead of having to buy all new mapping
3. it puts a copy of the mapping on your computer that you can look up addresses and create routes and then send them to your unit
CONS
1. you have to supply your own SD card
2. you have to load the mapping to the card instead of having it preloaded
3. when you install the maps to your computer, you unlock the maps to a certain unit. You can make 100 cards if you want, but they are
only going to work on the one GPS that you unlocked them to.
I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, let me know.


With Best Regards,
Jeff L
Product Support Specialist
Automotive Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Jeff L

[gatorguy]

That's a very good reply and quite complete. Good for you!

[Tim]

I'm making this a sticky as this this is a question that comes up frequently.

[Bulliever]

One of the cons of the SD Card version is that it can't be updated, but there's an upside that many people may overlook.

If you traveling to Europe for vacation and you won't be going back in the near future, buying the MicroSD Card/SD Adapter may be the best/cheapest way to go. Since the card isn't limited to any single device like the DV version is, you can use it for your trip and then sell it to another Garmin owner after you return and recoup some or all of your cost. If you plan on returning to Europe the future you then can purchase a new card with the latest maps.

[cuc tu]

With the DVD, how is the unlock tied to the device? Does it need Internet to use and Garmin keeps a database of paired GPS/map serail numbers?

Otherwise, I'm not sure how an isolated system would know? If I had two computers and two GPS units, couldn't one just move from one PC to the next and install the map on both GPS units?

[SergZak]

An unlock code is generated using the nuvi's unit ID (or electronic serial number) which allows the maps to be used ONLY with that particular unit. The maps are tied to the unit which they were unlocked for. You cannot use your "If I had two computers and two GPS units, couldn't one just move from one PC to the next and install the map on both GPS units?" scenario to update two units with the same map.

The map update requires the unit to be connected to the internet to verify it's unit ID number. The unit ID's & unlock codes are stored with Garmin and are accessible through your myGarmin account.