The best flash card. How to choose a flash drive with high speed and reliable memory
Sooner or later, any technical thing becomes something familiar, and as a result, when buying it, most people think more about appearance and capacity than about characteristics. Actually, this happened a long time ago with USB flash drives - many of my friends, who are ready to discuss the speed characteristics of some SSD to the point of a fight, when asked: “which flash drive is better to buy,” they wave their hand and buy a pretty one from a well-known company (most often Kingston or Silicon Power). Because “...what is there to choose? A flash drive is a flash drive."
Meanwhile, the choice is simple. The read and write speed of individual USB sticks can exceed the industry average by 4 times. At the same time, you can buy a fast flash drive quite inexpensively.
So, how will we choose? First, go to the website Usb.userbenchmark.com, where users from all over the world upload test results for their USB drives. We choose a volume of 32 gigabytes (as medium-comfortable and as the one most often present on the domestic market among the models under consideration). We sort the results obtained by reading speed and are surprised to find in first place the not very well-known Lexar JumpDrive P10 USB 3.0
Read speed – 250 Mb/s, write speed – 215 Mb/s. For comparison, its 64Gb counterpart (the leader in writing speed among flash drives of different sizes) can write data at a speed of 235 Mb/s and read at 231 Mb/s
Lexar JumpDrive P10 is the fastest USB 3.0 flash drive But is this flash drive the best choice? For comparison, we will do three things:
- Since tests are tests, and daily use is a little different, we will use the concept of “effective speed”, which, as userbenchmark.com writes, means the following: most USB sticks are used for backing up and storing photos, videos and audio. Accordingly, the effective speed is weighted as 50% linear read, 40% linear write, 5% read and 5% write of random 4Kb areas.
- Let's filter 32 flash drives based on this parameter. Let's choose the top ten, discarding brands that are rare for Russia.
- To be completely sure, let’s enter its average price next to each flash drive according to Yandex.Market.
The table below shows the results of this work ( prices updated as of mid-March 2017):
| No. | Name | Effective speed, % | Read, MB/s | Recording, MB/s | Average price Y.market (RUB) |
| 1 | Lexar JumpDrive P10 USB 3.0 32GB | 90,9 | 250 | 215 | out of stock |
| 2 | SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB | 88,6 | 202 | 117 | 1990 |
| 3 | Corsair Flash Voyager GT USB 3.0 32GB | 51,7 | 227 | 65,7 | 1500 |
| 4 | Verbatim Store n Go V3 Max USB 3.0 32GB | 49,7 | 175 | 80 | 890 |
| 5 | Kingston DataTraveler R3.0 USB 3.0 32GB | 42,1 | 183 | 37,5 | 1463 |
| 6 | SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 32GB | 40 | 138 | 55,9 | 826 |
| 7 | Adata Nobility N005 Pro USB 3.0 32GB | 39,2 | 180 | 48 | out of stock |
| 8 | Kingston DataTraveler R3.0 G2 USB 3.0 32GB | 38,8 | 150 | 41,9 | 1363 |
| 9 | Adata Dashdrive UV128 | 36,1 | 125 | 55,2 | 760 |
| 10 | Adata DashDrive UV150 USB 3.0 32GB | 34,1 | 127 | 48,1 | 813 |
*At the time of publication, I found only one offer for the Lexar JumpDrive P10 with an inadequate price of 7,500 rubles. On Amazon, such a flash drive costs about $60, so I took it upon myself to set the price at about 4,000 thousand.
Update March 17, 2017: I have been updating this page regularly for two years now. During this time, I never met the recognized speed leader in Russia, the Lexar JumpDrive P10. They just don't sell it. But SanDisk Extreme is sold everywhere and its price does not change much.
As for inexpensive flash drives, they regularly disappear from sale and are replaced by new models. It is interesting that once fast flash drives, such as the SanDisk Ultra Fit, begin to show lower speeds with a large number of measurements. This means that over time, manufacturers begin to use cheaper components, which affects the speed of work.
Now let's make a small visualization showing the price/speed ratio. To do this, we multiply the values of the write and read speeds, and use the effective speed as a correction factor:
The upper right point (block 1) is our leader with a sky-high price. Then, the next block is SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB. As you can see, SanDisk is the only successful purchase in this segment. This is our golden mean.
SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB - the best USB 3.0 flash drive in terms of price and speed The rest of the flash drives, in fact, are in the third block, and here the most successful purchase would be the Verbatim Store n Go V3 Max USB 3.0 32GB. It is inexpensive, yet has maximum operating speed compared to its competitors.
Our previous favorite SanDisk Ultra Fit, unfortunately, has slipped lower. This means that the latest batches use cheaper chips, which do not allow them to work as quickly as happened before. This may be due to numerous complaints about overheating and the manufacturer’s desire to solve this problem by slightly reducing the recording speed. However, this does not prevent it from remaining the cheapest and most common offer from our TOP-10 flash drives.
To be fair, it should be noted that the editorial copy of Ultra Fit “died” after about a year of active use. Fortunately, SanDisk has a pretty good warranty, and they replaced the flash drive with the same copy for free (all I had to do was send the dead flash drive to the manufacturer’s address and receive a new one in the mail). Let's see how long this one lasts.
conclusions
If you need the fastest USB 3.0 flash drive with a capacity of 32 gigabytes at an adequate price, then the best choice would be the SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB, but if you just need to buy a 32 gigabyte flash drive, and preferably the fastest cheap one, then the best option would be the Verbatim Store n Go V3 Max USB 3.0 32GB.
Everyone in our modern world has encountered the transfer or storage of information on electronic media, or, more simply, memory cards. At this time, among the abundance of manufacturers, choosing a high-quality and fast flash drive is not an easy task. Data reading speed, as well as information transfer (which is called “Write speed” and “Read speed” in the specifications) are not always indicated by manufacturers in the product specifications. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to these points when choosing an electronic medium.
The choice of flash drive based on price is also considered not entirely suitable. Many users often choose a product because of its cheap price, and recently more and more people prefer Chinese sites where this device can be purchased at a very low price. But as practice has shown, this is not worth doing. The fact is that proven brands undergo product certification, receive a quality mark, and therefore guarantee quality and reliability, which cannot be said about Chinese sites, where when buying a 32 GB flash drive, you can actually use only 20 GB and the speed of the device is not impressive. Of course, we are not talking about all products, we are just focusing on such details. We don’t blindly choose a good price, but pay attention to the characteristics, reviews and other important information.
Target direction
An important step when choosing a flash drive is determining its speed. This determines how long the process of copying information to the drive and reading data from it will take. However, a significant difference in speed does not always entail a large difference in price. Therefore, you need to carefully consider this parameter, since there is a risk of choosing a low-speed flash drive at the same price as one with high information transfer properties.
You also need to choose a flash drive based on the purpose of use. If the user often transfers information from one electronic device to another, then a flash drive with high data transfer speed (Write speed) would be a suitable model. In case of constant playback of videos, presentations and other materials from the media, it is better to take a closer look at models with increased Read speed. It is also possible and even necessary to combine these parameters when choosing a product.
The user's computer interface is important. If it is standard (USB 2.0), then the recommended recording speed should be 10 MB/s or more. And if the owner has newer computer technologies and a USB 3.0 interface, then the speed should be at least 50 Mb/s and up to 160 Mb/s.
By reading speed
| Size | Model | Write speed (≈Mb/s) | Read speed (≈Mb/s) |
| 8 | Bally USBInstallMedia | 1823 | 7015 |
| 1 | 1485 | 1833 | |
| 495 | Intenso portable SSD | 144 | 1390 |
| 256 | Generic 00000 SD Card | 1144 | 861 |
| 65 | Kingston DataTraveler 150 | 10 | 616 |
| 16 | Freecom DATABAR | 8 | 553 |
| 32 | SD SCSI Disk Device | 29 | 492 |
| 16 | Imation FlashDrive | 8 | 490 |
| 126 | Kingston DT Ultimate G3 | 69 | 454 |
| 32 | TDK LoR Gold 3.0 | 23 | 419 |
By recording speed
| Size | Model | Write speed (≈Mb/s) | Read speed (≈Mb/s) |
| 8 | Bally USBInstallMedia | 1823 | 7016 |
| 1 | DiscSoft Virtual SCSI Disk Device | 1485 | 1834 |
| 256 | Generic 00000 SD Card | 1145 | 861 |
| 2 | Generic Flash Udisk | 581 | 39 |
| 8 | Kingston DTVaultPrivacy30 | 431 | 165 |
| 32 | Corsair Voyager | 427 | 42 |
| 480 | SanDisk Ext SSD | 330 | 339 |
| 512 | SanDisk Ext SSD | 311 | 302 |
| 256 | SanDisk Extreme Pro | 284 | 317 |
| 126 | Innostor | 282 | 157 |
Memory
It is much easier to choose the amount of memory than other media parameters. It directly depends on how much information the user expects to carry on his flash drive. It should be taken into account that as the volume increases, the speed of reading and writing files increases. That is, the larger the memory, the faster the speed of the flash drive. Accordingly, the higher the price, since larger media use higher quality and more expensive memory.
Size and protection
The size of flash drives varies. Statistics have shown that most users prefer small pocket flash drives with water protection (moisture resistant). They are practical, especially if they have a regular smooth shape and a standard frame. As practice has shown, flash drives in the form of animals, toys and other things break faster, tend to get caught on other objects, etc.
As you can see, there are many criteria for determining the best flash drive. Everything is important - speed, memory, brand, price, as well as size, virus protection, but for some, design is important. Among all these indicators, let's try to choose the top ten flash drives that won in several categories among the best electronic media.
10. Kingston DataTraveler 50
- Interface: USB 3.1
- Case material: Metal
- Maximum read speed: 110 MB/s
- Maximum write speed: 15 MB/s
9. Silicon Power Blaze B50
- Interface: USB 3.0
- Housing material: Plastic
- Maximum write speed: 28 MB/s
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Housing material: Plastic
7. SanDisk Ultra Fit 3.0 32GB
- Memory capacity: 32 GB
- Interface: USB 3.0
- Housing material: Plastic
- Maximum read speed: 130 MB/s
6. GOODRAM Twister 3.0
- Interface: USB 3.0
- Maximum read speed: 60 MB/s
- Maximum write speed: 20 MB/s
5. Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Housing material: Plastic, metal
- Maximum write speed: 5 MB/s
4. Kingston DataTraveler SE9
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Case material: metal
- Maximum read speed: 10 MB/s
- Maximum write speed: 5 MB/s
3. GOODRAM Twister 32Gb
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Case material: metal, plastic
- Maximum read speed: 20 MB/s
- Maximum write speed: 5 MB/s
2. SanDisk Ultra Dual m.3.0
- Interface: USB 3.0 / microUSB
- Case material: Metal, Plastic
- Maximum read speed: 150 MB/s
- Maximum write speed: 70 MB/s
- Transcend JetFlash 790
- Interface: USB 3.0
- Housing material: Plastic
- Maximum read speed: 90 MB/s
- Maximum write speed: 45 MB/s
Now it will not be difficult to choose a flash drive of the desired shape, for the necessary purposes, with sufficient memory. Guided not only by price, but also by quality, the user protects himself from unnecessary further problems when using the product and ensures fast and reliable operation of his devices.
Description: Selecting the highest quality and fastest flash drive. We pay attention to the media speed parameters and interface, guided by the required amount of device memory. Top 10 best flash cards.
Very often on forums, many people ask about how to choose a flash drive and what parameters you should pay attention to so that the purchased USB drive lasts a long time and exchanges large multimedia data without delays. As you know, nothing in this world is perfect, but still there are technical points that are worth focusing on in order to make the right choice. It is not surprising that in the large assortment of USB drives, people often get lost and do not know which flash drive to choose for daily use.
As a rule, inexperienced shoppers in a store pay attention to the modern design and size of a USB drive and very rarely look at such technical characteristics as the interface, data reading and writing speed. Let's take a look at all the main points in order and decide which flash drive to choose for storing information.
Manufacturers of flash drives.
You won’t find many manufacturers in the information flow of the Internet, and each of them has its own fan. Personally, I trust such manufacturers as Adata and Kingston. Both of these companies have long established themselves as reliable manufacturers of USB flash drives. The Adata company provides information on the read and write speeds for fast flash drives on its official website.
Kingston publicly provides the document DTFamily_RU.pdf in which it clearly outlines the speed of its drives. The document describing the latest developments in flash drives is updated from time to time.
Of course, there are other worthy manufacturers, such as Apacer, Silicon Power, Corsair, Transcend, TeamGroup, Sandisk, Lexar. Each buyer has his own leaders, but I don’t think it’s worth relying only on the brand. One way or another, each manufacturer has high-quality or lower-quality products that can work for years or fail at the most inopportune moment.
Depending on the series, the read or write speed may vary greatly. But at the same time, time-tested companies deserve trust because of their honest attitude towards the consumer and the high probability of long-term operation of the media.
Some complain about Chinese counterfeits, saying that due to cheap components and poor-quality soldering, they quickly fail. Indeed, counterfeits of brands with distorted names from the Middle Kingdom disappoint us, but in fairness it should be said that there are some pretty high-quality products. Since high-quality Chinese flash drives are still rare, it is better to give preference to the famous brand that you like.
Optimal flash drive capacity.
As a rule, the memory capacity of a flash drive is indicated on the packaging or case of each model. Usually in this matter people are guided by the concept that the more the better, but from the point of view of economy this method is not always relevant. That is, if you urgently need super mobility, a large amount of information storage and you are not limited by finances in any way, then why not, but if there is no urgent need for size and volume and you want to save at least something, then it is better to approach the choice of a flash drive constructively or look towards the external hard drive.
For example, a 128 GB (Gigabyte) flash drive is often comparable in price to a 1 TB (Terabyte) external hard drive. Of course, the principles of operation of these devices are different, but if you do not want to purchase a drive with aluminum or glass plates coated with a layer of ferromagnetic material, and finances are not tight, then you can take a closer look at expensive SDD drives. However, if you need a flash drive, then according to my preference, they could be roughly divided in volume ratio approximately like this:
- from 4 to 16GB, low-volume but cheap;
- from 16 to 64GB, of lesser quality and at a reasonable price;
- from 128GB, for a specific purpose at an inflated price.
This is my association with flash drives :). In my opinion, the optimal volume of a flash drive should be based on the goals set, but... It just so happens that flash drives with a large capacity are sold at an inflated price and is not always quite justified for the first batches with a new volume. Manufacturers compete with each other and, in order to quickly be among the first on the market, often test their models improperly and send them for sale “raw”.
Flash drive read and write speed.
Unlike the memory capacity, the speed capabilities of a USB flash drive are very often not indicated on the packaging and, accordingly, it is not always possible to evaluate the merits of the purchase. But some conscientious manufacturers still provide such data. Typically, data on speed characteristics on the packaging of flash cards (described here) and USB flash drives (read here) are indicated with a special rating of 200x, where x = 200 KB/s. That is, the speed in this example will be 30 MB/s.
| Rating/Multiplier (X) | Speed (MB/s) | SDHC class |
|---|---|---|
| 6x | 0,9 | n/a |
| 13x | 2,0 | 2 |
| 26x | 4,0 | 4 |
| 32x | 4,8 | 5 |
| 40x | 6,0 | 6 |
| 66x | 10,0 | 10 |
| 100x | 15,0 | 15 |
| 133x | 20,0 | 20 |
| 150x | 22,5 | 22 |
| 200x | 30,0 | 30 |
| 266x | 40,0 | 40 |
| 300x | 45,0 | 45 |
| 400x | 60,0 | 60 |
| 600x | 90,0 | 90 |
It should be said that this is in relation to the read speed, but the write speed is usually not indicated and you can actually find out it only after special testing. Most often, the write speed of a cheap flash drive is half the read speed. This is a pretty significant difference.
There is a wonderful website where you can see the test results of USB flash drives from different manufacturers and different sizes. In addition, the results of the latest tested flash drives are provided here. I think this information will help you navigate the world of removable flash drives. In general, the speed characteristics of a flash drive depend on the installed flash memory and controller, but for the average user it is now impossible or quite difficult to find this information.
Unfortunately, sometimes the declared speed characteristics in cheap flash drives do not correspond to reality due to low quality, but even in expensive high-speed components they can put in anything. However, relatively cheap ones usually use MLC, TLC or TLC-DDR memory, while high-speed ones use DDR-MLC or SLC memory in addition to MLC. It is not surprising that USB 3.0 flash drives are backward compatible with USB 2.0, but you need to remember that you can copy large and memory-demanding files at the advertised speed when using it with a USB 3.0 port.
For example, a high-performance drive that provides read speeds of up to 260 MB/s and write speeds of up to 240 MB/s allows you to copy 1,000 photos or a full-length movie in seconds.
The additional functions of a flash drive are on the one hand a marketing ploy, and on the other hand useful “buns”. There isn't any additional software. For example, access to information using a fingerprint (so-called biometrics), data compression to increase data storage density, an application for creating a protective area with password access, and so on. A lot of manufacturers these days supply their products with various kinds of software designed to preserve confidentiality and make life easier for consumers.
All these software features very often do not provide any benefit, but rather, on the contrary, complicate working with a flash drive. In reality, worthwhile and necessary software is rare. All these promising inscriptions on the packaging about necessary and useful software are often just an advertising ploy and nothing more. You have to pay for all these additional options, so decide for yourself what you really need from all this variety.
We decide on the flash drive casing.
It would seem that there is nothing complicated in choosing a case, but some points are still worth considering. There are several main types of USB connectors:
- open connector (no protection)- this type of connector is usually found on the smallest flash drives. Of course, it is very convenient to carry a small drive with you, but due to the lack of protection for the contact plate of the connector, scratches may appear, which can lead to premature failure of the drive.
- with removable cap- the most popular and practical type of connector protection. Caps are made of rubber, plastic... The use of rubber allows you to fix the cap without clamps and better protect the connector from moisture and dust. Even though the cap can be lost, it is the best protection for the flash drive connector from physical impacts.
- bracket— the design consists of a housing and a bracket, which is fixed on the outside and can be rotated from side to side, which makes it possible to close the USB connector in a certain position. This design has very low protection from external factors and, moreover, the bracket is not fixed very reliably.
- slider— with this arrangement of the case, the connector is hidden inside and removed from there using a movable key. The disadvantage is that the latch that holds the connector in the extended position may break, and it is quite difficult to use a drive with a broken physical function. In addition, although the connector is hidden in the housing, it does not have sufficient protection from dust and moisture, since the contacts remain open.
The case for a flash drive is made of metal and plastic and sometimes a protection system from external influences is used in the form of rubber. Due to the tight rubber fit of the body, moisture and dust do not get inside.
Sometimes the case itself is made of rubber to protect the internal components of the drive not only from dust and moisture, but also from excessive shock. It should be said that such cases practically do not withstand the fracture test. It is desirable that such a rubber protection system be based on a rigid body. Regardless, such protection can save you important data if you drop your USB flash drive into water or from a relatively high height. By the way, sometimes an LED indicator of the usage status is built into the flash drive case.
Instead of conclusions. In the final part of the publication, I will provide some basic tips and recommendations for choosing a USB drive. Before you buy a flash drive, decide in advance what technical characteristics it should have in order to easily perform your tasks and sometimes save time. That is, what should be its speed and capacity. Be sure to choose a brand that you can trust and do not buy USB drives from dubious manufacturers (accessories in the form of key fobs).
Look at the specification on the company’s official website and base your choice of flash drive on it. It is advisable to select several models with the necessary parameters and compare them with similar flash drives at a price on the website of other manufacturers. This approach will help you correctly determine the parameters and additional functions before purchasing and save a certain amount of money.
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
With the invention of computers, a new type of information appeared that needed to be stored on something. These are photos, videos, text documents and much more that can be stored not only on a hard drive, but also on a miniature flash drive that can hold huge amounts of information. At first, files were stored on punched cards, then floppy disks, floppy disks and the most modern solution - flash drives. The latter are now at the peak of popularity due to large amounts of memory, high read and write speeds. At the same time, the device is compact in size and can easily fit into a pocket. Let's figure out which flash drive is best to buy in 2019 in our rating.
Transcend JetFlash 780 16Gb
If we talk about the best flash drives, then you should start with the Transcend JetFlash 780 16Gb - an external drive with a modest amount of memory that has successfully passed the test of time and proven its reliability. It uses MLC memory, which is a huge advantage over its competitors, most of which are made on TLC chips. MLC memory costs more to produce, but it will last much longer, which in our opinion is much more important. Therefore, if you use a flash drive often, then this will be the best option.
The design of the model turned out to be very simple, this is clearly not something you would want to buy it for. At the same time, the case turned out to be very practical due to the fact that it received a matte structure. The flash drive has a read speed of up to 140 and write speed of up to 40 MB/s. But this is according to official sources; in real use we get slightly more modest values. But the difference is minimal, for which the manufacturer can be praised, because these days this is a rarity.
Advantages:
- Excellent speed indicators (taking into account the cost and memory size);
- Practicality;
- Lifetime warranty from the manufacturer, which says a lot about the reliability of the device.
Flaws:
- Large body dimensions;
- During recording, the flash drive becomes noticeably warm.
Corsair Flash Voyager GT USB 3.0 32GB (CMFVYGT3B)
If you are interested in the best usb 3.0 flash drive, then be sure to pay attention to the Corsair Flash Voyager GT model, which will be one of the best for its price. The model is interesting primarily for its unique design, which will immediately attract the attention of all fashionistas. The flash drive has a catchy design, and its body has a special design that allows it to withstand strong impacts. Even more, it is protected from water and dust, so the flash drive will remain working even if you accidentally wash it in the machine, forgetting to take it out of your jeans pocket. But the reinforced design has one drawback - the case turns out to be massive, which is why you are unlikely to be able to plug anything into the adjacent USB port. There is only one way to solve this problem - remove the rubber cover and use it only as needed.
This is a good quality flash drive, which has the following speed characteristics: reading - up to 135 MB/s, writing - up to 35 MB/s. This applies to the 32 GB version. There is also a more advanced one at 64Gb, whose recording speed is almost twice as high - up to 83 MB/s.
Advantages:
- Unusual design that will allow you to stand out from the crowd;
- The case is protected from shock and water;
- Excellent speed performance.
Flaws:
- Large sizes.
Transcend JetFlash 750 64Gb
When figuring out which flash drive is better to buy with a large amount of memory, it is worth considering the Transcend JetFlash 750 64Gb. This is a budget model, so they didn’t bother too much with its design, offering a classic form factor. The body is made of glossy plastic, so it certainly cannot be called practical. On top of that, the model has good read and write speeds, but only within its price category. But if maximum speed is important to you, then it is better to buy the JetFlash 780 model, which costs a little more, but will be much better in its characteristics. This is the best 64GB flash drive of the year that you can buy at a reasonable price.
Advantages:
- Memory type MLC, which is rarely used now, but the best in terms of durability;
- Affordable purchase price.
Flaws:
- Far from a record writing speed;
- The case quickly becomes covered with fingerprints and slips in the hand.
SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0 32GB
Speaking about the best flash drives of 2018, one cannot fail to mention the SanDisk Ultra Dual - a model that can easily do without adapters due to the presence of two interfaces. This is an important advantage now that the USB Type-C format is not yet very popular. It can be used as a link between a laptop and a computer or smartphone. True, with one caveat - for this the device must support OTG technology.
Formally, a flash drive is a pair of plugs connected to each other in the middle. They move inside an empty case made of high-quality plastic. To access the plug, just move the slider, after which the flash drive will be ready to connect to the computer. The only thing is that at first it will be a little inconvenient to switch modes. An activity indicator would help. but there was no place for it in the compact case. Another disadvantage is that the device gets noticeably warm during recording. Its miniature body is not able to effectively dissipate heat. Read speeds of up to 130 MB/s and write speeds of up to 15 MB/s are justified by the budget positioning of the model.
Advantages:
- Versatility;
- Compact body dimensions.
Flaws:
- When recording for a long time, the case becomes very hot;
- Low write speed.
Kingston DataTraveler G4
The best USB flash drives of 2018 also offer very original solutions, as can be seen in the example of the Kingston DataTraveler G4. It has a special ring built directly into the body. It serves as a beautiful decorative element and will allow you not to worry about the flash drive getting lost. The color of the ring depends on the memory capacity. In total, there are 4 options on sale, which allows everyone to choose a solution to their taste. Kingston DataTraveler G4 is an excellent option for those who are forced to constantly have a flash drive with them and are afraid of losing valuable information stored on it. The only thing is that the flash drive should be pulled out very carefully from the port of your computer, otherwise it may be damaged, which will lead to deterioration in performance.
Advantages:
- Quick opening when connected to the connector;
- This is the best flash drive in terms of price/quality ratio, on which you can store everything from text files to complex software;
- High read and write speed;
- A convenient ring that can be attached to a keychain and not be afraid of losing the flash drive.
Transcend JetFlash 790
The Transcend JetFlash 790 model is included in the ranking of the best flash drives thanks to its convenient design and distinctive design, which sets this series apart from most competitors. The device is equipped with retractable adapters, which, according to the manufacturer, provides the highest degree of protection from physical damage. True, in practice this is far from the case, and rather, on the contrary, reduces the stability of the connection between the port and the carrier. The retractable mechanism sometimes jams, and the switch key is made of soft plastic. This makes her very fragile. The product must be handled with care and then it will last a long time. Thanks to its bright design, the flash drive will be a good option for a gift.
There are a large number of memory modifications on sale - from 4 to 32 GB, everyone will find the best option for themselves.
Advantages:
- Supports both legacy connectors and new USB 3.0;
- No cap is needed as the adapter slides out at the touch of a button;
- Stylish and compact case with a matte finish, so it does not collect fingerprints.
Flaws:
- Fragile design.
Transcend JetFlash 500
The top flash drives include Transcend JetFlash 500 - a model that has received the title of people's favorite and is extremely popular. The series appeared back in the days when the maximum capacity of a flash drive did not exceed 512 MB. You may no longer remember those times, but this is not required, because now everything has changed and even the most compact model can accommodate huge amounts of information. The flash drive is easily readable via USB of any type and generation, and is also easily encrypted with a password, which guarantees the confidentiality of the information stored on it.
Advantages:
- Great price;
- Durable and beautiful body;
- Large selection of memory sizes;
- Fast opening and sufficient writing speed.
Transcend JetFlash 600
Transcend JetFlash 600 is the best flash drive for a computer in 2018 in the budget category. Its design cannot be called unique, but for this price you don’t expect much. This is the simplest device that will be an ideal choice for everyday use on a small budget.
Advantages:
- The best read and write speeds in its price category;
- Password protection options;
- Data compression functionality;
- Large selection of memory modifications - from 4 to 128 GB.
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