USB Flash Drive is a drive or storage device used as portable data storage. The storage medium here is flash memory. Such drives are predominantly removable and rewritable, but have a shorter lifespan than optical discs. The average weight of the carrier is 30 grams.
The new drive replaced floppy disks and CDs with its smaller size and faster speed. Reliability was also increased by the virtually complete absence of moving parts. They are immune to magnetic fields and are not susceptible to scratches, since all important elements are “recessed” inside the case.
The advantages of this type of drive include:
- low weight and dimensions;
- versatility and compatibility with various types of devices from desktop computers to TVs;
- resistance to mechanical stress and magnetic fields;
- protection from water, dust;
- Long-term offline data storage up to 10 years.
Main disadvantages:
- limited number of erase and write cycles up to 5000 cycles;
- limited connection resource of the USB connector up to 1500 connections;
- strong bandwidth limitations (typical for USB);
- sensitivity to electrostatic discharge and radiation;
- the connector is asymmetrical, which is why the connection sometimes does not work correctly.
We have selected for you the top 20 best flash drives of various sizes and interfaces.
The best USB flash drives with 2.0 interface
The specification was released in 2000. It differs in speed from its “progenitor” - USB 1.1 due to the presence of the High-speed mode. The specification has three operating modes for keyboards, mice, joysticks, video devices and drives.
5 Verbatim Store "n" Go USB Executive
Metal body
Country: China
Average price: 632 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.3
The attractive price of the flash drive is complemented by good read and write speeds. The metal case, which not only serves as reliable protection for the insides of the drive, but also as a diffuser, also came in very handy. The metal absorbs heat well and the flash drive does not heat up during long sessions.
We were also pleased with the lack of unnecessary software. The drive is not clogged with antiviruses, adware or maintenance utilities. The retractable mechanism with a slider is well made and does not become loose after prolonged use.
4 Silicon Power Ultima U06 16GB
Buyers' choice
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 456 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.4
A reliable choice with write speeds of 7.5 to 8 MB/sec and read speeds of up to 18 MB/sec. A serious minus is that the actual capacity is disappointing; instead of 16 GB, only 14.9 GB are available to you. The official website of the manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on the purchased product upon purchase.
By default, the flash drive has a link to a site where you can download additional software that allows you to make data storage comfortable and safe. Additionally, a free 60-day version of Norton antivirus and a drive recovery utility are available. There is an indexing indicator when the flash drive is running.
3 Kingston DataTraveler SE9
The most stylish
A country: USA (manufactured in China)
Average price: 450 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.4
The flash drive from Kingston is made in a matte metal case, which is very pleasant in terms of tactile sensations. Scratches are also invisible, which can only be seen on the front side when you constantly insert or remove the drive. There is a mount for a keychain or keys.
Now let's talk about the shortcomings and there are a lot of them here. One of the main ones is a sharp drop in recording speed. A situation often occurs when recording starts at 120 Mb/sec and then sharply drops to 3-4 Mb/sec, frankly not even reaching its stated characteristics. There is no overheating protection or indicator light. The low price significantly affected the quality of the component base and we recommend the drive only as a document storage and nothing more.
2 Transcend JetFlash 600
Best speed
Country: China
Average price: 949 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7
Transcend produces quite interesting drives, but it is quite difficult to call the JetFlash 600 such. Outwardly, it does not stand out in any way - an ordinary piece of black plastic without a single hint of designer sophistication. Here you can even criticize the manufacturer for the lack of any kind of fastening of the lid, which makes it very easy to lose. And there are no eyelets on the flash drive itself, so it won’t be possible to attach it to the keys. The only thing that can really smooth out these shortcomings is the highest speed in the rating.
Advantages:
- Best speed. Reading – up to 32 MB/s. Recording – up to 16 Mb/s
- Has password protection
- Data compression function
- There are versions from 4 to 128 GB - the largest selection
Flaws:
- High cost - one and a half times higher than competitors
Flash drives consist of several components, which include:
- USB connectors;
- microcontrollers;
- control points;
- flash memory chips;
- quartz resonators;
- LEDs;
- write-protect switches;
- space for an additional memory chip.
1 SanDisk Cruzer Fit
Most compact sizes
A country: USA (manufactured in China)
Average price: 569 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
A flash drive from SanDisk has almost everything you could want. The main advantage over competitors is its very compact size. Yes, this one is easier to lose than larger models, but judging by the reviews, they mainly buy it for use in a car. And here the small size is simply a salvation, because in many car radios the USB connector is located on the front and a large flash drive can simply be broken if you move it carelessly with your hand. Cruzer Fit protrudes no more than 5 mm, and therefore it will be difficult to remove it with your hand. This model can also be recommended to owners of laptops with a small amount of built-in memory. I inserted this little thing into the port and forgot about it - there was more memory, but almost nothing stuck out.
Advantages:
- Good speed performance. Read – 28.3 MB/s, write – 13.96 MB/s
- The most compact dimensions
- It is possible to protect the flash drive with a password
- There is a backup function
The best USB flash drives with 3.0 interface
Specification 3.0, announced in 2008, increased data transfer rates to 5 Gb/s, which was made possible by raising the current from 500 mA to 900 mA. This has led to an increase in the number of powered devices.
To distinguish it from USB 2.0, cables of this specification are made of blue, and the ports have a similar color coding. Supported by default on Windows 8 and 10 without installing additional software.
5 Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth (CMFSS3B)
Wide range of available memory
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 1180 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.4
When purchasing Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth with USB 3.0 interface, you can choose the following storage capacity:
I would also like to note the appearance of the drive. Outwardly, it resembles a torpedo, a case or a cartridge, fortunately there is room for imagination to run wild. The protective element covers not only the connector itself, but also almost the entire body, made of metal (aluminum). The role of decorative elements is performed by rubber inserts. There is protection against water, which works at a depth of up to 200 meters. Holds impact well with a 5 year warranty. Because of this, it weighs over 100 grams and is heavy for its segment.
4 Silicon Power Jewel J06 16GB
Super flash drive
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 818 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.4
Silicon model worthy of many epithets with the prefix “super”. Super size, super speed, super looks. We would like to note that this particular model is available in several modifications, but we would like to highlight the 32 GB drive separately. Buyers in their reviews consider it the golden mean for a number of reasons, for example, the absence of conflicts with software or operating systems, which is the problem with the 64 GB version.
The minimum available volume starts from 8 GB and up to 64 GB. The shape of the module completely replicates the company’s signature features, and the emerald color coupled with the “handle” complements the appearance of the device. Black and blue options are available to choose from.
3 Transcend JetFlash 790
Best price
Country: China
Average price: 511 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.4
Budget storage with a reserve for the future. Compatible with all supported operating systems. Works equally well with both USB 2.0 and 3.0. The design is interesting, and you won’t lose the lid. The speed indicators also seem okay, but they are very unstable. Judging by the reviews, they differ by one and a half times! What this is connected with is unclear. Otherwise, this is a fairly standard flash drive for a low price.
Advantages:
- Data transmission indicator;
- Large selection - models from 8 to 128 GB.
Flaws:
- Unstable speed indicators. On average 101.75 MB/s read and 44.8 MB/s write.
Another interesting fact is that there is a 790K model on sale, which operates over a 3.1 channel and supports all devices with it.
2 Transcend JetFlash 710G 64Gb
Compactness
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 1300 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7
The main advantage of this flash drive is its compactness. The length is only 2.2 cm with a width of 1.2 cm and a thickness of 6 mm. Available in a single “gold” finish. Copes well with tasks common to its type of device. Buyers in reviews note a quick “death” under prolonged loads and moving files from 10 to 15 GB per day.
It is not recommended to use it as a multi-boot drive, even despite its low heating. Memory chips often fall off, especially during formatting. Recommended as a regular file carrier or movie storage module. Let us also mention the presence of a waterproof case, the effectiveness of which is not mentioned on Internet sites.
Currently, flash drives of specification 3.2 are being prepared for release, which is the final one for the USB 3.x series. This specification provides for a twofold increase in data transfer speed, which at its peak can reach 20 gigabytes per second. Owners of USB Type-C get some advantage due to redundant pins and double-sided contacts. The appearance of the first devices is planned for the second half of 2019.
At the same time, it is planned to release the USB 4.x specification, the technical characteristics of which are currently unknown.
1 Kingston DataTraveler R3.0 G2
The best ratio of price and quality. Waterproof case
A country: USA (manufactured in China)
Average price: 1300 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
Finally, we come to one of the most interesting flash drives. Its main feature is water resistance. Of course, any model will almost certainly survive a light rain, but this flash drive from Kingston can be safely immersed in water without fear of losing data. This can be useful not only for extreme sports enthusiasts, but also for ordinary people who are worried about the safety of important files. In addition, the speed of the flash drive does not suffer at all from the protected rubber casing. On the contrary, the official figures are a little... underestimated, which is good news.
Advantages:
- Waterproof housing
- The real speed is higher than the officially declared ones - reading 141.5 MB/s, writing 44.7 MB/s
- Maximum memory capacity up to 256 GB
Flaws:
- Under high load the case becomes noticeably hot
The best flash drives with 3.1 interface
The specification was released in 2013. The data transfer speed is already 10 Gb/sec. It has two variations – Gen 1 with speeds up to 5 Gb/s and Gen 2 with 10 Gb/s. Ports of this specification are often colored red, and the Gen 2 plug is even thinner.
5 SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 32GB
Best price tag
Country: China
Average price: 528 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7
We recommend this product to those for whom every penny is important, but requires a fast storage device. Reading speed of 131 MB/sec and USB 3.1 will make the purchase more than relevant. The manufacturer has worked on the bugs, getting rid of the ever-lost cap and completely removing it. Not to say that the decision is correct, but it will relieve the pain of losing the cap.
Where the flaw lies is in the write speed of 17 MB/sec. Heating is also observed during prolonged intense load. The case is completely plastic, which negatively affects the protection of internal elements. Easily lost.
4 Samsung BAR Plus
Exquisite appearance
Country: South Korea
Average price: 2200 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
So, we present a drive for those who, in addition to the technical component, also care about appearance. Titanium gray and champagne silver are the marketing names for this flash drive. The product is more suitable for business people who need to show their self-sufficiency. Let's be honest - the flash drive is very large and weighty. Despite the high speed, the module quickly warms up and recording drops to 40-50 MB/sec.
Reliability is also pleasing, thanks to branded components from Samsung. The acute-angled shape raises questions, and if in front of the connection plug this can be justified, then from the opposite edge such features of appearance are difficult to explain. There is a special hole for attaching to keys. Slightly more expensive than its competitors, which may scare off a potential buyer.
3 Samsung USB 3.1 Flash Drive FIT Plus 64GB
The best component base
Country: South Korea
Average price: 1290 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
Every computer owner knows that the best drives and circuits are made by Samsung. Its miniature size is striking, since the previous generation with an identical volume was 10 times larger. Now you won't be afraid to break it when touching it. Overheating or other similar problems were not noted by customers in the reviews. The module will allow you to easily transfer large amounts of data and we can safely recommend it as the main storage for important information or boot images for operating systems.
Works great with both large and small files. There is no LED. Despite excellent optimization, speed is sometimes not enough. The recording speed is on average 13-20 MB/sec. The largest volume is 256 GB. Reading speed 200 MB/sec.
2 HyperX Savage
Better operational stability throughout the entire service life
Country: USA
Average price: 5706 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
HyperX Savage is a powerful USB 3.1 drive designed to store enormous amounts of information. There are as many as four models in its line, the volume of which varies from 64 to 512 GB. Actually, this characteristic was the most impressive for thousands of users, which is clearly demonstrated by their positive reviews.
The read/write speed of the HyperX Savage was also a cause for great joy. As the capacity increases, the speed of data transfer changes from 180 to 250 Mb/s, which has a lot of logic behind it. The read speed remains the same in all versions, and does not fall below the threshold of 350 MB/s. The visual component of the drive, the lining of which is made in the traditional Hyper X style, also received a portion of praise. Actually, the totality of all the splendor described above fully justifies the average price tag, which has increased slightly over the past year.
1 SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1
User selection
Country: USA
Average price: 3255 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9
A high-quality 3.1 interface flash drive from SanDisk, designed to provide the fastest possible access to data storage. It found a great response among domestic users, who were largely pleased with both the technical standards and the overall build quality. SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 comes in two memory options: 128 and 256 GB, respectively. Supports password protection of data, so you can store purely personal information on it. The data transfer/read speed on this model is also at its optimum, amounting to 380 and 420 MB/s. And, as particularly demanding consumers note, a quick check of the key parameters showed their complete coincidence with the declared ones.
The presence of a metal case with a connector extension mechanism also speaks in favor of SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1. The cost, fully justified by such excellent parameters, is expectedly high, but the existing safety margin will be enough for several years to come.
The best high-capacity USB flash drives
Here we have included drives with the maximum possible storage capacity. It is worth noting that this product instantly disappears from store shelves and, if possible, it is worth purchasing such flash drives to order.
5 Patriot Memory Supersonic Rage 2 512GB
Low heat
Country: China
Average price: 8384 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
The body of this flash drive from Patriot is so thick that you won’t feel it heating up during operation. However, some buyers note a good heat dissipation system. In fact, it maintains its 400 MB/sec specified in the technical documentation when reading. There is a red flashing operation indicator at the end of the housing.
One of the disadvantages is its thickness, which is also a plus. It also happens that the kit does not include a cap and you have to buy it separately. It does not produce the stated 200 Mb/s, it is mostly 140-150 Mb/s. Doesn't work well with Sony Playstation 4.
4 Corsair Flash Voyager GT USB 3.0 (CMFVYGT3C) 512GB
High reliability
Country: China
Average price: 8695 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
Flash Voyager is not just a name, but a universally recognized reliability certificate with excellent compatibility even with systems with USB 2.0. Thanks to the most modern technologies, the data transfer speed exceeds analogues on version 3.0 by 2 times, and on version 2.0 by 8 times. Delays in data preparation and processing have also been reduced.
The proprietary rubberized case is durable and protects all the insides of the drive perfectly. Water protection will withstand any criticism. The semiconductor drive can withstand heavy impacts and falls from heights thanks to rubber shock-absorbing elements. The manufacturer provides a 5-year warranty and undertakes after-sales service obligations. The buyer can choose a drive with a capacity from 32 to 512 GB.
3 Patriot Memory Supersonic Magnum 2 512GB
Best data writing speed (300 MB/s)
Country: China
Average price: 17159 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
A USB 3.1 flash drive suitable for falling into several categories of this rating. It has, in our opinion, the most optimal memory parameter, equal to 512 GB, which is comfortably enough for both ordinary use and purely work needs. It has excellent data transfer and reading speeds, the figures of which are 300 and 400 MB/s, respectively. In order to verify the veracity of the declared characteristics, particularly sensitive users gave the flash drive a real functional test... and did not reveal any critical deviations.
However, there are still catastrophically few consumers among the Russian audience for the Patriot Memory Supersonic Magnum 2 512GB. The fact is that a flash drive is a very specific model, the resources of which are often not needed by a simple PC user. Hence the low popularity, rather high price, and extremely rare appearance on store shelves.
2 PNY PRO Elite USB 3.0 512GB
The most reliable flash drive (up to 60 months warranty)
Country: China
Average price: 10281 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8
Despite its original Chinese origin, the PNY PRO Elite USB 3.0 512GB drive has one very tempting aspect of service. 60 months warranty - for significant equipment (both in terms of dimensions and functions), this figure is very worthy, eloquently speaking about the manufacturer’s confidence in its equipment. In the case of a flash drive, it looks completely astronomical - perhaps none of the leading flash drive manufacturers has such a reserve of “patience”.
The technical characteristics of the PNY PRO Elite USB 3.0 512GB also look very impressive. Coupled with a good amount of internal memory, the consumer receives high data processing speed, writing at its peak at 250 MB/s, and reading at 400 MB/s. Yes, the popularity of flash drives in Russia still leaves much to be desired. However, the company expects to seriously address this problem soon.
1 Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT 1TB
The largest amount of internal memory (1 TB)
Country: USA
Average price: 61,200 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9
Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT is the most capacious flash drive on the Russian market at the moment. All the more interesting is the fact that it is the youngest model in the series - soon the American company is preparing to provide Russia with a copy with a memory capacity of 2 TB. However, until this happens, the terabyte version of the drive is becoming increasingly popular among professional bloggers and people whose work is in one way or another connected with a colossal flow of information. Its write speed is at the level of elite balanced flash drives, and is 200 MB/s. The reading speed of 300 MB/s also stands out positively against the general background of characteristics.
The only real weak point of the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT 1TB is its cost level. It is clear that the development technology is completely new, and the finished product should recoup all costs... but not everyone is ready to pay the cost of a good gaming laptop for a flash drive.
Today our colleague Victor Mrikh will talk about the pains of choosing USB flash drives in terms of possible data recovery from them.
The emergence of a “different” view on choosing a flash drive
Very often, friends and acquaintances, knowing the specifics of my work, ask me about choosing a good/reliable/stylish drive for storing data. Some people need another flash drive, others need a memory card for a new gadget or camera. I usually answer that all carriers are almost equally unreliable, but as a rule, such an answer suits few people and is perceived as an act of disrespect and indifference towards the questioner. The most persistent ones continue to insist: “This is how you choose flash drives and memory cards?” And I decided to answer...
I choose drives from which, if something goes wrong, I can most likely recover data. The specifics of my work are as follows: our company receives completely new Flash drives for research, and the main task is to simulate the failure of this flash drive and restore the contents from it.
It was restored quickly, with the help of existing developments - good, it was not restored - we need to figure it out and replenish the base of knowledge and experience. Thus, a situation has arisen in which a list of manufacturers of flash drives and specific models of media from which data recovery, in the event of a hardware failure, occurs without any problems has been determined.
This is important, since it should be noted that today there are flash drives, data recovery from which has not been studied not only within our company, but also since we closely communicate with all the leading specialists around the world and keep our finger on the pulse, we know that some devices are not yet recoverable in principle.
An idea came to mind. Why not review flash drives from this batch on behalf of a data recovery engineer? Perhaps this information will be useful to someone, and they will read it before the flash drive dies, burying files that were not backed up in time.
Flash drives 64 GB. Prices
In this article we will talk about seven USB Flash drives. All of them were purchased in one of the chain stores on the same day.- Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 - 4,630 rub. (RUB 72.34 per 1 GB)
- Toshiba SUZAKU - 1,840 rub. (RUB 28.75 per 1 GB)
- Kingston DataTraveler G4 - RUB 1,920. (30 rubles for 1 GB)
- Qumo Aluminum 3.0 - RUB 2,120. (RUB 33.13 per 1 GB)
- Transcend JetFlash 780 - 3,820 rub. (RUB 59.69 per 1 GB)
- Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2 - RUB 1,840. (RUB 28.75 per 1 GB)
- SanDisk Extreme - RUB 3,270. (RUB 51.09 per 1 GB)
Read and write speed
For the speed test, I deliberately did not use software written by my colleagues. To check the speed of the drives, the publicly available CrystalDiskMark version 3.0.3 program was selected. A very simple and understandable software that shows:- Sequential read/write speed
- Random read/write speed of 512 KB blocks
- Random read/write speed of 4 KB blocks (Queue depth 1)
- Random read/write speed of 4 KB blocks (Queue depth 32)
Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Toshiba SUZAKU
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Kingston DataTraveler G4
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Qumo Aluminum 3.0
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Transcend JetFlash 780
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2
USB 3.0 port
Here an inattentive reader will say: “Why so little???” An attentive reader will pay attention to the packaging of this flash drive and see that it has a USB 2.0 interface installed. Most likely, this explains the lowest price in this group of flash drives.
USB 2.0 port
SanDisk Extreme
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Subtotal of tests
Leader in speed reading became a storage device Transcend JetFlash 780Leader in speed records became a storage device SanDisk Extreme
Analysis of intermediate test results
After conducting read and write speed tests, we will calculate several important coefficients that will help determine the most profitable drive in terms of several parameters.Having counted ratio of reading speed to cost of 1 GB of memory
Having counted ratio of recording speed to cost of 1 GB of memory, we received the following values (the larger the value, the more profitable it is to use the drive):
It will also be useful to know ratio of write speed to read speed. The closer the value is to 1, the more versatile the device is, and the more “comfortable” it is to use the drive.
Logical conclusions
So, it's time to draw some basic conclusions from this bunch of pictures:- If your budget is very limited and you need to find the cheapest option, the obvious choice is Toshiba SUZAKU for 1,840 rubles.
- If you need the best option, taking into account reading speed and cost, then the choice would fall on Qumo Aluminum 3.0 for 2,120 rubles.
- Therefore, if I were shown all these tests and asked, “What would you choose for yourself?”, I would answer that in terms of price-performance ratio, I would take myself SanDisk Extreme.
Honesty test
Some manufacturers display read/write speed indicators on the packaging of their drives in the hope that when choosing, the buyer will pay attention to this and make a choice in favor of this product. Let's check how much the declared values differ from the real ones.Reading
Record
It is clear that next to each declared value there is a small " * ", which refers to barely noticeable text. It says that real data may differ, testing took place in special conditions and UAV UAV UAV.
The most “honest” flash drive is Transcend JetFlash 780. Missing percentages can be attributed to measurement error. In second place - SanDisk Extreme And Toshiba SUZAKU.
If something went wrong...
Flash drives tend to break at the most inopportune moments. And it contained important data that was needed two hours ago. Frustrated, you search and find a data recovery company and go there with the hope of hearing an answer that everything will be ready in a few days.Then the specialist in data recovery from flash drives begins his work. He disassembles the drive and begins to shamanize and get the data piece by piece, step by step. And he thinks to himself: “Well, why again these low-quality microcircuits, again a complex controller, etc.”
We tried to look at the flash drives presented in the review through the eyes of a data recovery engineer and evaluate them. And this is what happened.
Methodology and evaluation criteria
Let's try to evaluate drives using a 9-point system. 4 criteria will be considered:Removing memory chips
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties
- 2 points - possible under certain conditions
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties
- 2 points - time-consuming/labor-intensive, impossible
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties (solvable)
- 2 points - possible difficulties (currently unsolvable)
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties (solvable, labor-intensive, time-consuming)
- 2 points - possible difficulties (not yet solvable)
Drive components
Any flash drive includes a controller (a microprocessor responsible for distributing user data) and memory chips (at least 1, but there may be several. In fact, the memory chips store data in a specific form). The task of an engineer for data recovery from flash drives is to emulate the operation of a controller that has failed. Let's see what our drives consist of:1. Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0
- Phison PS2251-01-L controller
- Memory chips 4 pcs in TLGA-52 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- Toshiba TC58NC2303GST controller (relabeled Phison PS2251-03-v)
- Memory chips 2 pcs in TSOP-48 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- Phison PS2251-07-V controller
- Phison PS2251-07-6 controller
- Memory chips 1 pc in BGA-132 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- Innostor IS903 controller
- Memory chips 2 pcs in BGA-132 package, manufactured by Samsung
- Phison PS2251-68-5 controller
- Memory chips 1 pc in TLGA-52 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- SanDisk controller 20-82-08369-1
- Memory chips 1 pc in TLGA-52 package, manufactured by SanDisk
Recovery test results
Having gone through all the necessary steps to recover data from these flash drives, we received the following results:
The winner in the category of the most likely successful recovery of files in the event of a failure was the drive Toshiba SUZAKU, since this flash drive scored the lowest number of points. If I were choosing a drive for myself based on the best chance of successfully recovering files in the event of a hardware failure, I would choose this one. Data recovery from it is the fastest, and the probability of recovering data is very high. To be fair, it should be noted that USB drives under the Toshiba brand appeared relatively recently. This is a new player in the market, such low prices are associated with the company’s marketing moves, and, according to forecasts, prices for these products will increase.
Practical conclusions
Each of you will be able to quickly and effortlessly assess the likelihood of data recovery from your flash drive by following two simple steps:Download a special program from the website flashboot.ru that will help determine the composition of the components of the drive without disassembling it. For example, Flash Drive Information Extractor 7.5
Having found out the controller’s markings, go to the “Solution Systems” website of AceLab and search for your controller. If the controller is on the list, then your data can be recovered using special equipment. If trouble happens and the flash drive does break, then look for specialists who use the PC-3000 Flash hardware and software complex in their work. If your controller is not on the list, then my advice is to replace your flash drive with one from which you can recover data.
Finally, I would like to add - when choosing a drive, carefully study the prices, read reviews and look at our Habra blog or the Hardmaster website. We may have already reviewed this flash drive, and the test results will help you make the right choice.
That's all. And remember, Lost forever still can be found...
Tags:
- data recovery
- flash drive recovery
- flash drive recovery
It is unlikely that anyone reading this article does not know what a flash card is, but I will still allow myself to remind you that it is a storage device that uses flash memory. The latter received enormous success due to its low cost, compactness, strength, fairly large volume and speed of operation. Most often, flash memory is found in portable devices.
The creator of this ingenious technology is Toshiba engineer Fujio Masuokoi. The event took place in 1984. He came up with the name of the technology together with his colleague; it comes from the English word Flash (“Flash”), because the process of erasing memory was reminiscent of a flash.
According to data at the end of 2008, the world leader in the production of flash memory is Samsung, and Toshiba, together with its enterprises, is in second place. It is unknown who is the leader at the moment (end of 2013).
Now let's move directly to the internal memory. So, in 2009 the world saw the storage device Kingston DataTraveler 300, one of the leaders in this field. The company presented a flash drive, the volume of which reached a fantastic 256 GB of memory! At that time, the result was simply phenomenal! The read speed is 20 MB/sec, and the write speed is exactly half that. Externally, the flash drive is no different from other devices. The only negative is that, for unknown reasons, the drive can only operate at above-zero temperatures. Whether the Kingston DataTraveler 300 goes on sale or not is unclear.
The premiere took place in 2013 Kingston HyperX Predator USB 3.0, flash cards whose memory capacity reaches 1 TB! In fact, an entire hard drive in your pocket! The read speed is an incredible 240 MB/sec, and the write speed is 160 MB/sec, which is even faster than the average hard drive. It’s a pity that few people will be able to afford the Kingston HyperX Predator - the preliminary cost of the gadget is just over $3,000 (there are no more accurate data at the moment), and for the version with 512 GB of memory the manufacturer is asking about $1,700.
Well, in the end I will tell you HyperStor-6200— a flash drive with a capacity of as much as 100 TB! Is this possible? Certainly! And right now you will understand why this is so. ViON Corporation introduced HyperStor-6200 back in 2009. The manufacturer claims that the device is capable of performing about five million operations per second, and the average speed of one operation is only 0.07 seconds. HyperStor-6200 is used for work in corporations and is a rather impressive unit that will not fit in a pocket, or even a bag. However, it can also be considered a flash drive, but with a very big stretch. The cost of the device could not be determined, but it is likely to be in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
USB drives, or, more simply, flash drives, have become an integral part of our lives, and it is difficult to imagine a person who does not use this device. However, the choice of a USB drive for many is determined only by design and capacity; some who have already encountered the problem of slow recording also look at speed. We propose to understand the differences between flash drives based on parameters that are less often paid attention to, but which are basic for USB drives.
The very first USB drives designed for transferring and storing digital information appeared in 2000. Due to their compactness compared to other media, today they have practically replaced CDs and other less technologically advanced storage media. Now such a device is perceived as a standard thing: many wear them as keychains or give them as a useful souvenir, for example, for the New Year.
The devices in question are produced by many well-known and not so famous manufacturers (Adata, Kingston, Apacer, Silicon Power, Corsair, Transcend, TeamGroup, Sandisk, Lexar), so often a well-known manufacturer is a guarantor of quality for the user and allows him to concentrate on design when choosing. There are many fakes from China on the market (especially in online stores), which, while claiming some characteristics, do not actually correspond to them.
All this leaves its mark on consumer choice. The development of online storage makes it possible in many situations to do without the use of flash drives and have access to data anywhere, but they are not always able to replace physical storage media.
The capacity of a USB drive is a key indicator for price (Yandex.Market data):
4 GB - 180 rubles
8 GB -190 rubles
16 GB - 270 rubles
32 GB - 500 rubles
64 GB - 1000 rubles
128 GB - 2900 rubles
256 GB - 11,000 rubles
The information listed only takes into account volume and average price. Many manufacturers do not specify read and write speeds for the media.
For SD (micro-SD) cards, the device class is often indicated on the packaging, which determines only the write speed:
Class 2 - (write speed at least 2 MB/s)
Class 4 - (write speed at least 4 MB/s)
Class 6 - (write speed at least 6 MB/s)
Class 10 - (write speed at least 10 MB/s)
For a USB drive, an important parameter is the USB standard (2.0 or 3.0), which determines the potential capabilities of the device. USB stands for “Universal Serial Bus”. USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB) has the potential for very high speed and performance.
USB 2.0 in theory should have a speed of 480 Mbit/s, but in reality it does not reach 250 Mbit/s. USB 3.0 can reach a theoretical maximum speed of 4.8 Gbps, which is ten times the speed of USB 2.0.
A 16 GB USB 2.0 flash drive costs about 270 rubles, and a USB 3.0 flash drive of the same size costs 370 rubles.
The USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 standards are largely compatible with each other. This means that by inserting a USB 3.0 flash drive into a 2.0 connector (a USB 2.0 flash drive into a 3.0 connector), it is quite possible to read and write data, although the speed will be limited either by the connector or the drive.
Visually, 3.0 standard drives and connectors are distinguished by the presence of blue plastic inside.
How can you independently check the reality of the volume stated on the packaging and the speed characteristics of a USB drive? Free programs will allow you to do this; working with them is quite simple.
The first program h2testw (link) will allow you to estimate the real volume, this is especially important if you purchase media in Chinese online stores, where the seller often tries to deceive the buyer.
This program does not require installation. We launch it and see the following:
By default, the program language is German, so if you are not strong in this language, you should set the switch at the top to English:
We leave all the other switches in their places and press the “Vrite + Verify” button to start the test, we see the following picture:
Testing takes quite a long time; the program writes information in blocks and reads it after recording. An 8 GB USB drive will be tested for about 40 minutes. As a result, we will see the following report:
And this is what the result looks like for a fake drive, where the manufacturer declared the volume to be 64 GB, but in fact we have 7.4 GB:
Of course, in this case it is advisable to demonstrate the test results to the seller and get your money back.
This program leaves files on the tested disk that must be deleted manually:
Second program
With this article, our website continues a whole series of useful materials, the purpose of which is to make it easier to choose any product from the thousands of options offered on the market. Agree, choosing a specific model of a device always takes a lot of time, which can be spent usefully. In today's article we will talk about choosing USB flash drive - “flash drives”.
Introduction
As with external hard drives, USB drives have lost much of their importance these days - transferring information from one device to another is now much more convenient with the help of cloud Internet services. But this method may still be either inaccessible or too complicated for inexperienced users, but a “flash drive” is both simple and understandable.
Again, the speed of modern USB drive models significantly exceeds the speed of access to the global Internet for most users. In addition, flash drives can be used to quickly and conveniently transfer media content between home devices. Want to watch photos or videos on TV? There is no need to set up a DLNA server or worry about connecting an HDMI cable - just use a USB drive.
At first glance, choosing a “flash drive” is a trivial matter; you just need to find the cheapest model with the largest amount of memory for storing data. But the models on sale differ greatly in their speeds for writing and reading data - sometimes several times. In addition, “flash drives” can use cases of many different designs and designs - some can be quite large, others very compact, some elegant and shiny, others practical and secure.
In the next section, we will talk about the important technical characteristics of USB drives, and then present to your attention the 10 best models in all price categories.
Key Features of USB Flash Drives
Interface
USB flash drives can use USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 interfaces, as well as microUSB and Lightning (optional). USB 2.0 is already outdated - it is not recommended to buy models that only support this interface - the information transfer speed in its case is severely limited. USB 3.0 has been the standard for several years now.
A regular USB connector can be combined in one model with a microUSB or Lightning connector - located, for example, on the other side of the case. MicroUSB is useful for connecting a flash drive to smartphones and tablets, and Lightning is useful for, say, Apple devices.
Memory
The main characteristic of any flash drive. Over many years of development of flash memory, its maximum capacity in USB drives has reached incredible heights - you can now carry a whole terabyte of data in your pocket. Naturally, for such a huge volume you will have to pay a fairly large amount - in our catalog, for example, it is proposed to pay more than 20 million rubles for the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX Predator 1TB.
“Flash drives” with 16, 32 or 64 GB of memory are much more affordable and practical. Most likely, you are unlikely to need a drive with a memory capacity of less than 8-16 GB, but you shouldn’t overdo it either - say, about 15 movies in excellent quality can fit on 128 GB of memory.
Data read and write speed, MB/s
Characteristics that manufacturers of cheap but bulky flash drive models prefer to keep silent about. The best representatives of devices in this category are characterized by at least 100 MB/s (read speed) and 50 MB/s (write speed) - you usually shouldn’t settle for anything less (of course, if you only transfer all sorts of documents to a flash drive, then too large speeds will not be needed). If you plan to use a flash drive to transfer large files like movies, then you should take a closer look at faster options. You will learn about the fastest USB flash drives in just a few paragraphs.
ReadyBoost support
This technology, developed by Microsoft, allows you to use a high-speed flash drive as storage for the Windows system swap file. Fortunately, by now the need to use USB drives in this way has simply disappeared - users are increasingly buying fast SSD drives that cope with loading the OS and processing data much better.
Password protection and data encryption
If you plan to use your future “flash drive” to transfer any information that should not under any circumstances fall into the wrong hands (for example, work documents or personal photos), then this function will definitely be useful. Files encrypted with a long key will simply be impossible to decrypt if the password is unknown - even the most powerful supercomputers in the world may now need many years to do this. Some models of USB drives were even equipped with a fingerprint scanner, but this practice did not catch on.
Dimensions, design, case material
Based on these parameters, it is difficult to recommend something - some like a strict industrial design, some like bright colors, some are more suited to a very small flash drive, others will be more comfortable working with larger models.
Waterproof case
If you lead an active lifestyle, you've probably at some point dropped your electronic devices in water or simply, say, forgotten that they were in your pocket. A flash drive with a waterproof casing will reliably protect your data in any conditions.
10 Best USB Flash Drives
Not too expensive and very fast (both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0) “flash drive” with the ability to protect user information with a password. Perfect for any task - and it looks very attractive.
The most compact USB flash drive ever presented. It is distinguished not only by its low cost and acceptable speed, but also by the ability to connect to microUSB ports - transferring data between your PC and a smartphone or tablet will be as easy as shelling pears.
With a metal body, high speeds, low cost and an elegant design, this Adata model is definitely worth a look and can be used for almost any purpose.
Another inexpensive and fairly fast model with an attractive design, metal body and retractable connector. As a bonus, it comes with a ring for attaching to your keychain.
If you are attracted by bright design and large capacity for little money. Unfortunately, although the JetFlash 760 uses USB 3.0, it can only write information at speeds of up to 25 MB/s - this explains its low cost.
A cheap and compact flash drive, the data on which can be protected with a password. Unfortunately, it uses USB 2.0 and writes information at a speed below 10 MB/s.
Metal body, USB 3.0, low cost and high capacity - all this is compensated by not the fastest write speed, which in the case of the S102 Pro is about 25 MB/s.
A very fast and quite expensive model with an interesting design. Unfortunately, it does not support data protection with a password or encryption - it is just a very high-speed and large, but quite affordable USB drive.
A very, very high-speed and expensive USB drive with a huge capacity. It is clearly clear that this is a premium model - you are mainly offered to pay for the brand and stylish design (the case, by the way, is metal).
The fastest “flash drive” presented in our review - the data writing speed in its case reaches 240 MB/s (!). Password protection of data is also supported. Bonus - metal case, retractable connector and very stylish appearance. Naturally, you will have to pay for all this - Extreme PRO costs about one and a half million rubles, but in its case this money is perhaps more than justified.
Conclusion
We hope this article helped you understand the difficult task of choosing a USB flash drive. The next article will talk about
What to do if you forgot your Steam password
The dangers of slow indexing
How to restore Android after unsuccessful firmware
Where is Google's main office located and other information about the corporation
How to turn off voicemail on MTS