Review of flash drives. How to choose a flash drive with high speed (what to look for when choosing a flash drive)

Once upon a time, the shelves of any PC owner were littered with floppy disks, then CDs, but now Flash drives are used to store information and convenient use. This is a very convenient tool that has a large memory capacity, high transfer speed, and a convenient USB interface for connection, so you should have an idea of ​​how to choose a flash drive. The choice is very wide, so before purchasing you need to be able to understand the characteristics of the device.

What is a flash drive

People have become accustomed to having a small, convenient device that can store a large amount of music, video or video, but few people understand what the device is. A flash drive is a removable storage medium with a certain type of file system without moving elements in the structure, which ensures increased reliability. To write and read documents, the TLC type of memory is used, but the choice of a flash drive is based not only on this parameter; the storage capacity, writing and reading speed are also considered important.

Species

One of the parameters of this device is its appearance. The types of flash drives are not so diverse; there are options with connection interfaces 2.0 and 3.0, but the appearance can be very different. The internal structure of the carrier consists of a board and an output for a USB connection, but the housing options are very different. There is no difficulty in choosing an appearance, however, some design features should still be taken into account when purchasing. What types of flash drives are there and what to focus on:

1. Open connector. This option is often used on models with very small sizes. There is no protective cap on the contact plate, which helps make the drive compact, but does not protect the connector from scratches or debris.
2. Removable cap. This is a popular, simple option for plate protection. The attachments are made of plastic or rubber to protect USB from moisture and dust. The main problem is that it is very easy to lose, so look for models where the nozzle is attached to the body with a string.
3. Bracket. The housing design consists of a bracket and the body of the device; they can be rotated to the sides relative to each other. It helps to cover the drive connector with the side of the bracket to protect the plate from scratches, but this will not help against moisture or dust.
4. Slider. With this design option, using a special key, you can hide the connector inside the case. This helps protect the USB from breaks and scratches, but there is a risk that the locking mechanism will break and it will be difficult to remove the plate. In addition, this does not guarantee protection from moisture and dust.

Cases for flash drives are made from rubber, plastic and metal. The best option is when these protection systems are combined. For example, the metal case on top has a rubberized base, which guarantees protection from external influences, moisture, and dust. Even if dropped from a great height, all recordings on the media will remain safe and sound. Such models are usually more expensive.

Speed

You can choose the right model if you know about the basic parameters of the device. The writing and reading speed of a flash drive are important criteria when purchasing, because they affect the speed of interaction between the drive and the computer. Considering that information can be rewritten a large number of times, it will be better if this happens at maximum speed. This parameter is measured in megabits per second (Mb/s).

Manufacturers always write the memory capacity in large numbers on the packaging, but not all companies indicate the speed, which is a very important parameter for assessing the wisdom of purchasing this removable media. On the packaging this parameter is indicated in a rating format, for example, 200x, where the variable is 200 KB/s. It turns out that the speed with this indicator will be 30 MB/s. The higher the x multiplier, the faster you will record data and transfer it to your computer. High-speed flash drives always cost more.

Maximum volume

This is the most important characteristic of the device that buyers pay attention to. This is the right move on the part of the manufacturer, but a person must definitely pay attention to other parameters. The memory capacity of a flash drive is usually indicated in gigabytes (in common parlance “gig”). Modern models are designed for 32/64/128 GB, but if necessary, you can take a smaller capacity of 4/8/16 GB. Not everyone is going to store huge amounts of data, so maximum values ​​are not needed.

The maximum capacity of a flash drive available for purchase by a user is 128 GB; the price of such a drive is on par with a 1 terabyte (TB) SSD drive. The operating scheme of the devices is different, but USB drives are more portable; you can carry them in your pocket and connect them to any computer or laptop without any problems. If you are not strapped for money and you need a large amount of memory, then it is better to choose a flash drive. You can divide the types of drives by capacity as follows:

• cheap, but small in volume – 4-16 GB;
• affordable price and good quality -16-64 GB;
• high cost, but large capacity - 128 GB.

Flash drive rating

Due to the large number of different manufacturers, companies and options for speed and capacity, people have a question about which flash drive is best to buy for a computer. It should be understood that there are drives for phones and cameras (SD) that connect to the PC only through a special card reader (it is built-in in a laptop). Every year reviews are published that examine the best flash drive manufacturers and which models are worth choosing based on price/quality ratio.

There are certain top sellers that are popular among users. The classification is based on reviews left by customers about the operation of flash drives. You can choose one of the following companies:

1. Transcend. A well-known company that produces products for computers in 1988. For the first time, this manufacturer introduced a lifetime warranty on its drives, because the service life and number of write cycles of these media is really long. If you want a proven flash drive, you need to choose Transcend.
2. Silicon Power. The company is very popular, its products are sold in 90 countries around the world.
3. Kingstone. You should choose this option if you want a proven brand that has been on the market since 1987. The manufacturer confidently competes with all other companies.
4. TeamGroup. Every year the assortment increases and the buyer has a choice from it.
5. SanDisk. They appeared on the market in 1988 and produce at least 4 million copies of memory cards every year. The design is very simple and the price is affordable.
6. Apacer. The company has established itself as a manufacturer of high-quality, reliable products that are difficult to choose and buy.
7. Pretec. This company is widely used for industrial and military purposes. This is a good reason to choose this flash drive.
8. Adata. A relatively new company that produces reliable products.
9. Prestigio. A company that produces many electronic products. You should choose such flash drives if you love the leather (exclusive design) that decorates the body of the product.

The biggest

Drives vary in cost depending on how large the storage is. More capacious options will cost more; at the moment the largest capacity of a flash drive is 512 GB. You need to choose this option if you want to copy movies from the Internet or games with which you will go on a trip. For text files and music, this will be too much storage space. At the same time, the device will still look very compact. Here are examples of such media along with the cost:

• Intenso Ultra Line 128GB – from 1800 rubles;
• Sandisk Ultra Fit 128GB – from 2100 rubles;
• Sandisk Cruzer Blade 128GB – from 1300 rubles;
• CnMemory Spaceloop XL (256 GB) – from 2000 rubles;
• Patriot Supersonic Mega (512 GB) – 2500 rubles.

The fastest

Another important parameter of the drive is the data transfer speed. All models undergo mandatory testing at the factory and the value in MB/s must be indicated on the packaging. High-speed flash drives display this indicator on the packaging because this is their advantage. If you can't find this parameter anywhere, it means it's low and the company doesn't want to open it. Below you will find a small TOP of which flash drive is the most reliable and fastest:

The most reliable

It is very important to buy drives from official stores, because many fakes come from China. The reliability rating of flash drives is constantly changing, because the device is produced in large quantities and sometimes there are tanks at the factory. Below is a rating of reliable and proven models based on positive customer reviews:

1. Transcend JetFlash 700. A drive with a very simple plastic design. You can choose an option with interface 2.0 and 3.0 (USB). This model is worth choosing if you need good performance without overpaying for design.
2. Transcend JetFlash 780. This model has a different memory cell design, which provides higher data processing speed.
3. Kingston DataTraveler 100 GZ. A simple and practical model with a sliding plastic body.
4. Transcend JetFlash Z50. A very small and convenient flash drive for work or study.
5. Kingston DataTraveler G4. Convenient fastening system, you can hang it on your keys so as not to lose it.

Which flash drive is better

When you decide to choose a removable drive for yourself, consider the purpose for which it is needed, the budget and the practicality of the model. The best flash drive is the one that meets your needs. If you only need to bring home a few text or graphic documents from your work computer, then 8 GB will even be a lot and there is no point in overpaying for the volume. Which flash drive to buy depends solely on your needs, and the most popular and reliable companies were described above.

Which flash drive to choose

If you're shopping at a brick-and-mortar store, don't hesitate to ask a consultant about the drive's specifications. The flash drive parameters indicated on the packaging will help you choose the appropriate option. As a rule, people pay attention only to the maximum storage capacity, but data transfer speed is a much more important parameter. You can take a 128 GB drive, but it will have a slow write speed and it will take you 30 minutes to transfer one movie. Below we will discuss in detail how to choose a flash drive that will suit your needs.

How to choose a good flash drive

You have the opportunity to overwrite the contents of the drive many times. Please note that the expiration date of the flash drive is not indicated, but there is a certain number of cleaning cycles. As a rule, there are so many of them that a person does not have time to use them all. More often, drives are lost and then you need to know how to choose a flash drive. This is done according to the following parameters.

Memory capacity

The first thing a buyer pays attention to when deciding to choose a drive. This figure can vary from 512 megabytes to 512 GB. As technology develops, the maximum memory capacity also increases, so a flash drive with a larger capacity may appear. You need to select the one that matches the files you are going to copy. If we are talking about text documents, then you will never need more than 4 GB. If this is a flash drive for a teenager. which can copy movies, games, then the volume will be needed more (from 32 to 128 GB).

Read and write speed

These two values ​​indicate how fast you can transfer data to and from the flash drive to your computer. The higher this indicator, the better; expensive modern models have a value of 50 Mb/s, cheaper ones – from 3 Mb/s of data recording. Read speed ranges from 35 to 90 MB/s (indicates how quickly you can copy files from a flash drive to your computer).

Not the most important parameter, but worth considering. If you often lose small things or the drive will be used by a child, then you should choose a model with a key mount. There is no need to take options with a cap, because it is also very easy to lose. Give preference to simple models without iron caps; they will serve you long and reliably.

Price

The spread in the cost of this product is large; the price will depend on the characteristics of the drive. The amount of memory especially affects pricing; the more GB, the higher the cost. All popular types of flash drives for a computer can be viewed and ordered on the Internet, because their cost there will be more favorable. Here are examples of some models you could choose:

Video

Almost everyone uses flash memory to one degree or another, even those who don't know it. Fast and convenient flash drives once replaced optical drives from the market and are only gaining popularity every year, moving into SSD drives. But not everyone can consciously choose a card for themselves, so today we will figure out how to choose a flash drive with high speed and reliable memory.

What you need to know to choose a fast and reliable flash drive.

To figure out which flash drive is better, you first need to dispel some myths and misconceptions about solid-state drives. The most common question that concerns all data storage devices, including SSDs and hard drives, is that people believe that they were “not told” about the memory. For example, a 32 GB flash drive actually turns out to be 29.9. Accordingly, the higher the denominations, the greater the difference. The point here is that we are not really told about memory, but for understandable reasons.

Manufacturers indicate the capacity of the drive in decimal kilo-mega- and gigabytes, and not in binary, as the operating system sees it, and as we are used to it. For a normal person and computer, one kilobyte is 1024 bytes, however, in decimal the prefix “kilo” is simply a thousand. That is, there are a thousand bytes in one decimal kilobyte. It would seem like a small thing, but the difference eventually accumulates noticeable.

Plus, the drive has a small section for replacing failed memory sectors. The disk, as it detects bad sectors, replaces them with backup ones; after the reserve is exhausted, bad sectors begin to accumulate on hard drives, and broken data also begins to appear. In a similar situation, the entire SSD disk becomes inaccessible, and all data can be considered lost. Flash drives die in the same way as SSD drives. One day the card simply will not be readable, and, most likely, its recovery will be impossible, although there are exceptions with the flash drive controller malfunctioning, but that is not what this article is about.

However, to clear up any confusion, it should also be said that data speeds and volumes are measured in bytes per second (B/s) and bits per second (b/s). Bit is the minimum amount of data, a conventional unit. A byte is 8 bits, respectively, the data transfer rate is the amount of information per unit of time, for example, 1 MB/s.

ATTENTION. Typically, when using bits, the letter “b” is written in lowercase, and when using bytes, the letter “b” is written in uppercase. MB/s - megabytes per second, MB/s - megabits per second. Sometimes this rule is not observed, especially during machine translation on the Internet or in instructions for equipment. In this case, the input measures both in megabytes and megabits.

In general, everything is clear here, we can get to the point.

What types of flash drives are there?

SD and microSD memory cards come in three types: SD, SDHC, SDXC. These names do not indicate hardware differences. SD and SDHC may be the same internally in terms of hardware elements. However, these consoles were invented for a reason; they characterize software compatibility with hardware. If the card is marked with a supported standard for equipment, a camera, for example, then by inserting it into the device, you will not encounter difficulties when the device will not be able to address the entire amount of memory, and therefore will not be able to read the flash drive. Or, for example, it will not be able to format the card into a file system accessible to the device.

In other words, the HC and XC prefixes denote only software compatibility and have nothing to do with speed, but they do have something to do with volume. The best USB flash drive for you can be of any type, it all depends on your needs. SDHC flash drives range from 4 to 32 GB, and XC from 64 GB to 2 TB. Memory cards with a capacity of two terabytes do not yet exist, but if your device supports XC, then it is already compatible with unreleased models of memory cards with a capacity of up to two terabytes.

You should have realized that the letters of the name markings, in general, do not in any way reflect the speed of flash drives. There are markings that display data on the speed of the cards - this is the class of the drive. The lowest class is 2, followed by 4,6,8 and 10. These numbers indicate the write speed in MB/s. For the second class - 2 MB/s, for the tenth - ten or more. The class of a memory card actually indicates the speed of sequential writing and sequential reading, but, as a rule, the read speed of the cards is higher, so, in fact, the class refers to the write speed.

Over time, the reading speed became higher than the reception limit of the transmitting part of the memory cards themselves, that is, the data exchange port itself would not allow increasing the reading speed, and then the UHS standard was developed, in particular UHS-1, which is now actively used, and UHS-2 , which is just waiting in the wings, and is not very relevant at the moment. This standard only says that the receiving and transmitting part has a higher throughput, namely up to 104 MB/s. This does not mean that the memory itself works at the same pace. In fact, a UHS-1 card may not even have class 10, that is, it may not load even 10% of the transmission channel width allowed for a flash drive when recording. In this case, the equipment itself may not support UHS, in which case the memory card will work like a regular SD card, without UHS.

It is now common that a UHS-2 card works like a UHS-1 card, since there are virtually no devices for UHS-2. Again, this is one of the markings that does not indicate the actual speed of the card. This time she talks about the port used, for example, how the blue USB port is USB 3.0, in the same way you can connect the oldest USB printer version 1.1 through it and wonder how long it takes pages with pictures to print, although the printer is connected via fast port. Labeling that gives nothing other than knowledge of compatibility.

With the advent of UHS, new speed classes of memory cards appeared. They are designated already inside a horseshoe like the Latin letter “U”, there may be numbers 1 or 3. Unit is exactly the same class 10, that is, sequential read and write speeds must be at least 10 MB/s or 80 MB/s . Accordingly, it’s not difficult to guess: the number 3 means that the speed should be at least 30 MB/s or 240 MB/s. Sometimes the manufacturers themselves indicate the speed of the flash drive on the packaging. If only one number is indicated, then it is one hundred percent read speed, not write speed, simply because read speed is usually several times higher than write speed. Only the most expensive flash drives indicate write and read speeds. Usually these are flash drives for which the U3 class is already too small, and faster markings simply do not exist. To promote their product, manufacturers simply indicate the recording speed; this is for knowledgeable people. Now, by the way, you are also knowledgeable.

How do you know which flash drive you need?

The best flash drives are those that are right for you, so you need to learn how to choose them. Nowadays, the most common cards are UHS-1 class U1, that is, also class 10. Their read and write speeds should be above 10 MB/s, the cheapest representatives have a write speed of exactly 10 MB/s and a read speed of about 30- 40 MB/s. Expensive flash drives of this class usually have a write speed of about 25 MB/s, and a read speed of about 80-90 MB/s. In other words, despite the abundance of markings, cards that are outwardly identical have differences of more than two times. And here there is already an important aspect: how much speed is needed for this or that job?

• Let's start with the bare minimum of needs, with old soap dishes. Any card is enough for them. As a rule, they do not have fast burst shooting, RAW recording, or high-bitrate video recording.
• Simple new point-and-shoot cameras, DVRs, old cameras that shoot in Full HD and smartphones in which you are not going to put applications on the card. There are enough flash drives from 6th grade and above. With a lower class, the camera will limit the recording time of a continuous video and become dull during continuous shooting. Phones will be less responsive in some circumstances, such as when creating photo gallery previews and when opening data.
• Modern point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, low- and middle-class DSLRs, cameras that shoot Full HD or 2K, as well as smartphones. For all this, the most common flash drive format is just right, namely UHS-1 of the first speed class. Such a flash drive will be enough for almost any task, but not every flash drive with the same marking will cope with every task.

We have already mentioned that the speed variation within U1 is very high. The peak speed for saving data in the first class, if we take the minimum, is 10 MB/s or 80 MB/s, but this is for sequential recording; when recording in separate chunks, the speed drops. Since media fragmentation is the norm, recording, for example, with a camera, cannot always be considered consistent. Even an honest first-class flash drive, but with minimal speed, in reality can, with almost sequential recording, produce 50–60 MB/s. The problem here is that the bitrate of 4K video when recording is usually 45–100 Mb/s. The flash drive can still cope with 45 MB/s, but not in cameras where compression is less effective. At the same time, a flash drive of the same class with a real write speed of 20 MB/s can already cope with recording 4K streaming video. Knowing this risk, 4K camera manufacturers set the minimum requirements for UHS class 3 speeds, since not every first class flash drive will do. At the same time, in fact, some U1 cards are still suitable. What is important here is real numbers, not labeling. Again, the Internet is full of reviews and tests, you can use them for yourself.

Drive testing

We did not create a rating of flash drives based on reliability; it is not necessary every time, especially since, as a rule, the brand name speaks for itself; buyers always have more confidence in a recognizable name. The best flash drive manufacturers are all in plain sight: Transcend, SanDisk, etc. For our own test, we decided to take something unusual and bought the cheapest Chinese Mixza Tohaoll Micro SD card of the most common class, that is, UHS-1 U1. We wondered if she would at least produce honest data for her class. It cost just over 600 rubles. Let's compare it with a flash drive of the same class from Transcend. Below is a screenshot of the tests performed.

To record a video stream, you need sequential recording speed, without any tricks. That is, what is in the third line of the test. Here you can see that Transend has a well-deserved U1 standard. A little less than 10 MB/s, but here everything is also muddy with decimal bytes, so the pure minimum of class 10 is exactly what Transcend achieved in this test. At the same time, the read speed is about 90 MB/s, a good indicator, this is important for smartphones, by the way. The flash drive is borderline between whether it will handle 4K recording, or whether the video will have a time limit after the buffer overflows, then it will be a little stupid and again allow you to shoot video. With some smartphones and cameras it will be enough, with some it will not, but for all other tasks this flash drive will be enough.

As for the Chinese flash drive, it also demonstrates good read speed, but the write speed exceeds the requirements for the U1 standard by two times. In other words, this is a good flash drive, it will be suitable for any task, including cameras with serial shooting in RAW and 4K. Additionally, we tested it for real speed when fully filled, and at the same time checked whether the Chinese had deceived us with the volume. The write speed was about 19 MB/s, and the read speed was above 60 MB/s. The indicators are slightly more modest than in synthetic tests, but still twice as high as the requirements of the standard indicated on the packaging, although, if you look at the packaging, the speed is indicated at 80 MB/s, in practice it turned out to be lower. As we said earlier, if one speed is indicated, then this is the reading speed; it is not so critical in any tasks except reading in smartphones.

Smartphone carrier

The fact is that both recording and reading are important in a smartphone, since top solutions can make videos in 4K, and the loading speed in games depends on the reading speed, for example, if the game cache is on a flash drive. If the programs or games themselves are on a flash drive, then the speed of random reading of small files is also very important. In our flash drives it is not very high, 4.9 and 4.3. If you have enough phone memory, then it is better to store the programs themselves in it, where the speed is much higher. It is also important for the phone to use cards exclusively of the UHS standard, since a good 10th class non-UHS card will lose in reading speed to UHS flash drives, simply because it will be limited by the old slow port on the memory card itself. If there is only music, photos or movies on the flash drive, then there will be no noticeable difference. As for UHS-2 flash drives, there is no point in buying them in 2017.

Conclusion

Understanding which flash drive is better from which company is one of the tests that you will have to go through on your own. Good performance indicators on a Chinese flash drive do not say anything about its reliability. We do not insist on buying cheap unknown brands. Branded flash drives usually have a 3-5 year warranty, and sometimes even a lifetime warranty. Here, if the Chinese miracle works, it’s already not bad, but the device itself, of course, is cheaper. If working with a card is part of your professional activity, then the risks are unjustified.

We hope that now, glancing at the packaging, you will be able to understand what awaits you inside and what the card is capable of.

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

By recording speed

Memory capacity

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

1. 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: Choosing 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.

Today our colleague Victor Mrikh will talk about the pains of choosing USB flash drives in the context of possible data recovery from them.

The emergence of a “different” view on choosing a flash drive

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

1. Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 - 4,630 rub. (RUB 72.34 per 1 GB)
2. Toshiba SUZAKU - 1,840 rub. (RUB 28.75 per 1 GB)
3. Kingston DataTraveler G4 - RUB 1,920. (30 rubles for 1 GB)
4. Qumo Aluminum 3.0 - RUB 2,120. (RUB 33.13 per 1 GB)
5. Transcend JetFlash 780 - 3,820 rub. (RUB 59.69 per 1 GB)
6. Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2 - RUB 1,840. (RUB 28.75 per 1 GB)
7. SanDisk Extreme - RUB 3,270. (RUB 51.09 per 1 GB)

Read and write speed

• 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

Analysis of intermediate test results

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

• 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

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...

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

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 - difficulties are possible (not yet solvable)

Drive components

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

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 considerations of the greatest 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

Download a special program from the website flashboot.ru that will help determine the composition of the drive components 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