Curious if anyone has any recommendations for USB memory sticks.
I know they're a dime a dozen now, but I seem to have got 3 sticks that have all died within a few months of each other. Ranging from cheap ones, to an "ATV" memory stick. I'd ideally like something fast and reliable with decent storage.
Ideally it doesn't want to be flimsy either. The ATV and Corsair flash voyager I have were touted as rugged, but all they were were rubber. I always felt it'd be very easy to sit on one and snap the insides as it flexed. I also have a Sandisk Cruzer Blade which is great and portable, but at the same time the plastic is starting to snap and I don't trust the lanyard hole. Given how small it is, it's very easy to lose.
So, what's everyone using at the moment, and any recommendations?
Like yourself I've tried a few and ended up sticking with the Sandisk Cruzer Blade ones 1x 8GB and 1x 16GB... problem is I keep misplacing them :P
I'm going to try an OCZ Diesel 16gb...Shame that it'll be a few years till it surpasses the OCZ ATV in terms of lifespan...
I've got a 2GB Dane-Elec, its lasted me years and years, its been dropped, thrown, sat on etc and works fine. Think it was bundled with something i bought from Scan so cost me nothing.
I have a few free memory sticks that are ~1-4gb, however I really need 8+ as I primarily use them for transferring large chunks of data, rather than a few word docs etc. IE, as an alternative to a couple of DVDr's...
i'm a fan of the Sandisk Cruzers, never had any problems...
Also MyMemory have a 32GB for 19.98 at the moment, but no idea if they are any good?
Almost twice that for the 32GB cruzer though
I always use SD cards and an adapter, much easier tbh.
Cruzer Blade: 8gb
Catalogue Number: 00104335
£6 at HMV (http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?affId=47868&sku=558993&awinuid=882&ctx=51%3B-1%3B-1%3B-1%3B-1&WT.mc_id=101915)
5-8 days to dispatch is a bit slow though!
I use one of these, partitioned, for both my Xbox 360 profile and saves and for transferring data between computers. Never had a problem with it.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/16gb-kingston-dt100g2-16gb-hi-speed-usb-black-capless-push-pull-design
I thought it worht a quick bump to mention Play are doing a good deal on 16Gb Sandisk Cruzer sticks at the moment, just £11.99 delivered
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/sandisk-cruzer-blade-16gb-usb-flash-drive-11-99-delivered-play/971101 (http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/sandisk-cruzer-blade-16gb-usb-flash-drive-11-99-delivered-play/971101)
Well so far the OCZ Diesel 16gb has proven to be pretty fast and reliable. Feels solidly built too, so it gets a thumbs up from me. With the OCZ and Sandisk on my keyrings, I feel the OCZ (at the moment) will be my preference when transferring files, the Sandisk I'm never sure if it will snap of the keyring, and is a bit slower.
Is it true the Sandisk Cruzer can only manage 5MB/s write? I can download twice as fast as that ffs :thumbdown:
I've not done any proper tests, is there a program that can generate a 100mb file and measure transfer speeds? (and is free)? It would be interesting to see the difference. It's one thing reading these figures on review sites, another to do the test yourself.
Just find any old file thats hefty and copy it over and see what windows copy says the speed is after it has levelled out? :dunno:
OCZ Diesel
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 29.442 MB/s
Sequential Write : 16.668 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 29.709 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 1.540 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 5.590 MB/s [ 1364.8 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.016 MB/s [ 4.0 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 5.713 MB/s [ 1394.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.013 MB/s [ 3.3 IOPS]
Test : 100 MB [H: 12.6% (1.9/15.1 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/07/12 22:08:29
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
Sandisk Cruzer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 18.929 MB/s
Sequential Write : 3.828 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 19.240 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 0.948 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 4.082 MB/s [ 996.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.170 MB/s [ 285.6 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 4.255 MB/s [ 1038.9 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.610 MB/s [ 149.0 IOPS]
Test : 100 MB [I: 62.8% (9.3/14.9 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/07/12 22:20:44
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
Good god that cruzer is slow :o rules that out for me :( I still think SD cards plus an adaptor is the way to go tbh, but I could do with a stick to just leave the missus' crap on
USB sticks have always been a sacrifice of convenience vs speed, it's just a shame in all this time they still feel like they are USB 1 speed unless you spend silly amounts that would happily get you a 2.5" portable drive anyway.
The write slowness doesn't bother me as I don't load / unload a lot of data. More of a keep things I use on there for work at all times and add / remove small files.
For large files / speed I generally use an external hdd
Looks like the Diesel has already died. The activity light just constantly flickers when I plug it in to any computer. Seems to get listed in Device Manager, but not in my computer, and no options such as looking at properties or disabling the device (in device manager) work...
Quote from: zpyder on July 12, 2011, 22:21:01 PM
OCZ Diesel
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 29.442 MB/s
Sequential Write : 16.668 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 29.709 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 1.540 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 5.590 MB/s [ 1364.8 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.016 MB/s [ 4.0 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 5.713 MB/s [ 1394.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.013 MB/s [ 3.3 IOPS]
Test : 100 MB [H: 12.6% (1.9/15.1 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/07/12 22:08:29
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
Sandisk Cruzer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 18.929 MB/s
Sequential Write : 3.828 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 19.240 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 0.948 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 4.082 MB/s [ 996.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.170 MB/s [ 285.6 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 4.255 MB/s [ 1038.9 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.610 MB/s [ 149.0 IOPS]
Test : 100 MB [I: 62.8% (9.3/14.9 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/07/12 22:20:44
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
Just tested the replacement USB stick:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 23.924 MB/s
Sequential Write : 51.724 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 27.795 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 41.757 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.392 MB/s [ 95.8 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.249 MB/s [ 304.9 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.529 MB/s [ 129.2 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.963 MB/s [ 235.2 IOPS]
Test : 100 MB [C: 80.9% (376.7/465.7 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/08/06 14:20:19
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
Not sure whether to believe that write speed :S
This is the drive in question:
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/14366702/-/Product.html?opFR=true
Just realised I tested my primary hard drive, D'oh!
Here we go:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 30.517 MB/s
Sequential Write : 6.420 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 30.551 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 1.255 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 5.887 MB/s [ 1437.4 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.012 MB/s [ 2.9 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 6.009 MB/s [ 1467.0 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.014 MB/s [ 3.4 IOPS]
Test : 100 MB [H: 0.0% (0.0/14.9 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/08/06 14:45:07
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
Bit slower than the diesel on writes, but otherwise not too bad, just have to see if this lasts longer than the month the OCZ diesel did!
omg... your hard drive read/write speeds suck !
try again after a de-frag ?
(guessing fragmentation could be why your writes were faster than your reads?)
That or as it was my primary disk it probably had a load of other activity going on to slow it down??
could be.... but I'd still expect reads to be a lot faster than writes ?
try it when you haven't got much else going on ?
unless the program is specially made for USB drives and not all drives ? in which case it could be reading/writing from the hard drive.... and then reading/writing that back to the same drive ? (instead of the usb one)