Fastest USB Flash Drives

[PhoenixOrion]

-I'm looking forward to buying a 4GB pen drive primarily to use for Vista's ReadyBoost.

Anyone know of a link with the latest roundup/review of the fastest USB flash drives?

Thanx.

 

[imported_cheapdude]

apacer steno

 

[Tegeril]

OCZ Rally 2 drives are quite fast sequentially and randomly.

 

[secretanchitman]

any of those dual-channel flash drives...they seem lightning fast.

 

[phaxmohdem]

I'll put another good word in for the OCZ Rally drives. I personally own 2 of them (1GB and 4GB), and would definately buy a third if the need arises.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Okay, I found one online review from October 2006 and their ReadyBoost capability. 3 had editor's awards
1. ATP
2. Apacer Steno
3. Patriot XT

Thoughts?

 

[Imyourzero]

I'm pretty sure the ATP was even faster than the OCZ Rally drives in a comparison that I read recently.

Any of those are gonna be fast. I'd just pick the one that has the best warranty (and that being equal, the one that looks the coolest). Flash drives don't really have any neat-o features that make them stand out from one another aside from choosing whether you want a cap and/or a lanyard (and of course different color LEDs).

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
I'm pretty sure the ATP was even faster than the OCZ Rally drives in a comparison that I read recently.

Any of those are gonna be fast. I'd just pick the one that has the best warranty (and that being equal, the one that looks the coolest). Flash drives don't really have any neat-o features that make them stand out from one another aside from choosing whether you want a cap and/or a lanyard (and of course different color LEDs).

I just want to make sure that my purchase has the fastest sequential AND random speeds. I don't want to plug it in and then Vista telling me that it's not fast enough to be used for ReadyBoost.

 

[V00D00]

Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
I'm pretty sure the ATP was even faster than the OCZ Rally drives in a comparison that I read recently.

Any of those are gonna be fast. I'd just pick the one that has the best warranty (and that being equal, the one that looks the coolest). Flash drives don't really have any neat-o features that make them stand out from one another aside from choosing whether you want a cap and/or a lanyard (and of course different color LEDs).

I just want to make sure that my purchase has the fastest sequential AND random speeds. I don't want to plug it in and then Vista telling me that it's not fast enough to be used for ReadyBoost.

At that point the problem isn't the fact that you are using a slow flash drive, it's the fact that you're using a slow operating system. har har har

"
Windows Vista runs a quick performance test to see if the device meets minimum standards required for ReadyBoost. Those standards are:

* 2.5 MB/sec throughout for 4 KB random reads
* 1.75 MB/sec throughout for 512 KB random writes
"
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=186

That seems like a good article that explains what you should look for. If you get one of those Rally drives you're already at overkill. At that point it's not if the drive will work, it's about how much faster it CAN be. With the ultra ultra fast usb drives you're paying a big premium though. It may be best overall to go with one of the older generation rally drives. They're still lightning fast, but won't drain your wallet.

edit

Here you go:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227112
OCZ RALLY 2GB OCZ Rally 2
$26.99 - $10 MIR = $16.99 + $5 s/h

I might get myself one of these!

 

[MagicConch]

Here is an interesting page on this issue:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/4gb-usbflash-roundup_14.html


I noticed it doesn't have Corsair Flash Voyager GT though