USB2.0 was great while it lasted. But in
the case of external storage, when capacities started hitting multiple tens of
gigabytes, USB2.0 just couldn’t keep up. Spending more than a couple of minutes
waiting for data to copy from computer to flash drive became a chore.
Thankfully, USB3.0 is here to the rescue. Or in the case of SanDisk, it’s the
Extreme USB3.0 flash drive series.
SanDisk
Extreme USB3.0 64GB
For all functional purposes, this is
nothing more than a flash drive, except that it now comes with all the speed
benefits that USB3.0 has to offer. And fast this drive certainly is.
Testing with Crystal Disk Mark, the Extreme
USB3.0 clocked sequential read and write speeds of about 159MB/s and 156MB/s
respectively, miles ahead of the best USB2.0 flash drives which max out at
about an eight of that. It’s interesting to note that our tests were done on
the 64GB variant, which comes somewhat close to SanDisk’s rated speeds of
190MB/s and 170MB.s respectively. It’s even more interesting that while the
rated read speed remains constant across all capacities offered (i.e. 190MB/s),
the rated write speed drops to 110MB/s for the 32GB variant, and down to a mere
55MB/s on the 16GB drive.
Testing
with Crystal Disk Mark, the Extreme USB3.0 clocked sequential read and write
speeds of about 159MB/s and 156MB/s respectively
SanDisk throws in a limited lifetime
warranty on this line flash drives, and also includes 2GB of online backup via
the YuWaa cloud storage service. You also get SanDisk SecureAccess software for
128-bit AES encryption to secure your data.
$140 isn’t cheap for just 64GB, but for
your money, this is quite likely the fasted flash drive you can buy.
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Details
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Capacities: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
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Compatibility: USB3.0, USB2.0
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Dimensions: 71x21x11mmm
·
Price: From $44.50 (16GB), $139.50 (64GB)
Verdict: 8/10
·
Physique: 8/10
·
Features: 8/10
·
User-friendliness: 8/10
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Value: 8.5/10
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