I’ve always loved carrying one of the fastest if not the fastest USB flash drives. USB flash drives are probably one of the best invention where most will agree that it is way better than floppy disk, zip disk, even CD/DVD/BD discs because you can just plug in to any computer and immediately access/manage the files without installing any drivers or software. Plus there are some rugged USB flash drive models that has heat/cold resistance and withstand drops, making them really durable.
As useful as they are, what you should know is not all USB flash drives comes with the same read and write speed. Some are really fast while there are some with terrible speed, imagine having a huge 64GB USB flash drives and it takes hours to copy files into it. Normally these speedy USB flash drives cost more than the normal models. If you are looking for the fastest USB 3.0 flash drives, look no further because we’ve searched and compiled a list for your convenience.
The list contains the model number, read and write speed stated at the official website, price that is taken from Amazon.com and the link to the official product webpage.
1. Super Talent RAIDDrive USB 3.0 (64GB)
Model: ST3U64SRK
Read: 320 MB/s
Write: 180 MB/s
Price: $375.95 (Discounted $254.95)
Visit Official Product Webpage
2. Super Talent USB 3.0 Express RC8 (50GB)
Model: ST3U50GR8S
Read: 270 MB/s
Write: 240 MB/s
Price: $307.99 (Discounted $232.48)
Visit Official Product Webpage
3. LaCie FastKey (60GB)
Model: 130979
Read: 240 MB/s
Write: 125 MB/s
Price: UNKNOWN
Visit Official Product Webpage
4. Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 (64GB)
Model: DTHX30/64GB
Read: 225 MB/s
Write: 135 MB/s
Price: $193.00 (Discounted $94.74)
Visit Official Product Webpage
5. Corsair Flash Voyager GT USB 3.0 USB Flash Drive (64GB)
Model: CMFVYGT3S-64GB
Read: 220 MB/s
Write: 110 MB/s
Price: $115.99 (Discounted $103.82)
Visit Official Product Webpage
6. Patriot Supersonic Magnum USB 3.0 Flash Drive (64GB)
Model: PEF64GSMNUSB
Read: 200 MB/s
Write: 120 MB/s
Price: $199.99 (Discounted $79.99)
Visit Official Product Webpage
7. SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive (64GB)
Model: SDCZ80-064G
Read: 190 MB/s
Write: 110 MB/s
Price: $173.84 (Discounted $77.77)
Visit Official Product Webpage
8. ADATA N005 Pro Super Speed USB 3.0 Flash Drive (64GB)
Model: AN005P-64G-CGY
Read: 180 MB/s
Write: 90MB/s
Price: $119.99 (Discounted $64.95)
Visit Official Product Webpage
9. Lexar JumpDrive Triton USB 3.0 Flash Drive (64GB)
Model: LJDNV64GCRBNA
Read: 155 MB/s
Write: 150 MB/s
Price: $199.99 (Discounted $120.53)
Visit Official Product Webpage
10. Silicon Power Marvel (64GB)
Model: SP064GBUF3M60V1S
Read: 100 MB/s
Write: 70 MB/s
Price: $135 (Discounted $115.56)
Visit Official Product Webpage
I personally own an old 4GB Corsair Flash Voyager GT and Corsair 128GB Flash Voyager GTR which I paid few hundred bucks for it. It is really fast in file transfer at first but overtime the write speed becomes slower (but still faster than normal USB drives) because there is no TRIM support for USB flash drives, unlike the SSD drives.
If we missed any other brands or models of USB flash drives with higher performance, do let us know and we’ll include the suggested USB flash drive in the list.
nice info:-)
Thanks Ray!
I was looking for something like this since long time.
I was not sure on what to buy and now my ideas are really clear.
A big Thank you and a hug from Italy
You’re the best Ray!
Andrea
@raymond: thankx buddy for the important info.
can i get an exhaustive list of comparison of the current pen drives.
An SSD would cost you around the same price and you could get a case for it to make it portable.
One thing that may be missing from your benchmark is that once you have used all the NAND then it starts to bog down in write performance. So to get a realistic benchmark, try filling up the drive then delete all data then run your benchmark again. You may see a dramatic decrease in write performance. A tool like AS Cleaner may help restore performance. Use the FF option.
However an SSD with a controlller (I recommend a Sandforce Controler – OCZ Agility 2) is much more sophisticated in keeping performance high and lifetime as it is ment to replace your hard drive for the long term.
The downside I suppose is that you could not confortably carry it in your pocket.
good info.. thank raymond!
not too late to say hepi birthday.. ^^
Many thanks for the comparison.
I agree with you. It isn’t cheap but you can carry it in your pocket.
There are many manufacturers (my favorite is LACIE) in the market who sold USB HDD’s type ‘slim’ and they don’t need external power supply and they are ‘small’ enough that you can carry it in your shirt pocket. Sure they aren’t so fast and sure they weigh more than a flash drive but it’s a mid alternative if you love portability and reasonable low price.
Best regards.
wow, never knew that the sandisk that i love was so slow :/
thanks raymond :D
Great info ray.. thanks :)
thank you.
thanks for the writeup mate!
I will surely get one Corsair USB drive at this incoming PC FAIR..btw, thanks Ray for the info.. =)
usb3 is here. i’m using it and it’s 2x faster! That’s the way to go.
Thanks for writing this blog.
Thank you for the post Raymond. I have a few cheap 4 gig USB drives but they’re all sooooo slow. My Sandisk is too slow to even run portableapps, perhaps it’s time for me to upgrade too. Will be using your results as a guide. Thanks!