Need a decent USB stick

[arsta]

I need a USB stick to have live OS in and to store various data. I know that the "average" USB sticks are usually pretty bad...

So what would you recommend? I'd like something like 16-32-64GB, I'm not sure about the prices (and I don't want to break my wallet), so I'm not sure which one I'll be buying. Probably 32Gb, as I bet 32-64 is a huge price jump. The point is, could you recommend me a decent USB stick for my needs (probably 3.0 too?)?

 

[kbp]

I use Corsair Voyager GT's and Kingston Ultimate G2's for USB 3.0
Look on the egg for "hot deals".

 

[dma0991]

I run Slax on a Kingston SE9 which is a run of the mill USB 2.0 stick. Works fine in terms of load/write speed while running the OS which isn't loaded to RAM. I recommend Transcend's USB 3.0 sticks as they're among the cheapest when it comes to USB 3.0 sticks. Performance is not a concern as it causes a significant increase in price.

 

[R0H1T]

Here you go !

 

[aarontpx]

I recommend a patriot supersonic magnum 64gb, sandisk extreme 3.0 64gb, corsair voyager gt 64gb, or a kingston datatraveler hyper x 64gb. All under 100 bones. The difference between an average usb 3.0 drive and a high quality one is like night and day (write speeds of like ~30-50 Mbps vs 100-150+).

**EDIT**
Note that 32gb versions will perform worse in all likelyhood.
Also if those are too expensive then look at the ones R0H1T posted as they are in the 50 dollar range.

 

[arsta]

Here you go !

Thanks, I'm keeping these an option, but I want to discuss more about USBs with the poster below before I make a decision.

I recommend a patriot supersonic magnum 64gb, sandisk extreme 3.0 64gb, corsair voyager gt 64gb, or a kingston datatraveler hyper x 64gb. All under 100 bones. The difference between an average usb 3.0 drive and a high quality one is like night and day (write speeds of like ~30-50 Mbps vs 100-150+).

**EDIT**
Note that 32gb versions will perform worse in all likelyhood.
Also if those are too expensive then look at the ones R0H1T posted as they are in the 50 dollar range.

I suppose I need random write speeds. I will look into the USBs you've posted, but not today. No time today, but will do tomorrow morning while I'll be having breakfast. (yea, I'm the kind of guy who does the best with his time)

Just mentoining the random write speeds as a question.

 

[tweakboy]

Grab a OCZ Rally 64GB

 

[aarontpx]

You want a high read and write performance (both sequential and random) since you are going to put an OS on it.

 

[yefi]

I use the Sandisk Cruzer Extreme. At the time it was the cheapest drive with good 4k speeds (~10MB/s on USB 3.0).

 

[imported_bman]

If you are using Windows 8 avoid the Corsair Voyager GT 3.0, can not get it to work with USB 3 on either my AMD laptop or my Intel desktop. Only works when it is plugged into USB 2.

http://usbflashspeed.com/ is good for finding out speeds.

 

[dma0991]

I forgot to mention. Most USB 3.0 devices aren't detected at boot. As you would need the device to be detected at POST, I do not recommend using USB 3.0 thumb drives as an OS drive. It is probably due to USB 3.0 not having or have yet to have native support at boot. Which is probably why there are USB 3.0 drivers and not USB 2.0 these days.

 

[Sleepingforest]

There's a deal right now on a USB 3.0 32GB drive. It's like $17 w/shipping after you use the 20% off code on the page (valid until the 18th).

One Newegg Verified Owner review claims "Fast reads (79.4MB/s)" but "Slow writes (15.0MB/s ish)" (and claim a pretty high tech level). Here's the rest of the review:

"So, I was a little skeptical about the speed ratings in the reviews, because they are all over the board. I ran my own. The write test is a 1.5GB file copied from an SSD to the drive using Windows 7 as the bench mark. The read test is HD Tach."

 

[badmatahfingha]

i tried this but ran into the problem that DMA mentions, couldnt see the drive listed at boot options

 

[tweakboy]

I need a USB stick to have live OS in and to store various data. I know that the "average" USB sticks are usually pretty bad...

So what would you recommend? I'd like something like 16-32-64GB, I'm not sure about the prices (and I don't want to break my wallet), so I'm not sure which one I'll be buying. Probably 32Gb, as I bet 32-64 is a huge price jump. The point is, could you recommend me a decent USB stick for my needs (probably 3.0 too?)?

Get a OCZ Rally 64GB.

gl

 

[taq8ojh]

I use Corsair. Voyagers are pretty decent.

 

[Insomniator]

I forgot to mention. Most USB 3.0 devices aren't detected at boot. As you would need the device to be detected at POST, I do not recommend using USB 3.0 thumb drives as an OS drive. It is probably due to USB 3.0 not having or have yet to have native support at boot. Which is probably why there are USB 3.0 drivers and not USB 2.0 these days.

smart

 

[blastingcap]

I forgot to mention. Most USB 3.0 devices aren't detected at boot. As you would need the device to be detected at POST, I do not recommend using USB 3.0 thumb drives as an OS drive. It is probably due to USB 3.0 not having or have yet to have native support at boot. Which is probably why there are USB 3.0 drivers and not USB 2.0 these days.

I've run into this problem, but it's not a big deal because I simply plug it into a USB 2.0 port in the back.

 

[Remobz]

Look at this chart for the best value sticks for the money. They also rate reliability and speed.

This should help you make up your mind.

http://www.whoratesit.com/Best-Flash-Drive/Comparison/1


Sandisk Extreme for the win!

http://www.whoratesit.com/Best-Flash-Drive/Comparison/1#rank1

 

[dma0991]

I've run into this problem, but it's not a big deal because I simply plug it into a USB 2.0 port in the back.

There's a workaround to the problem but it nulls the performance benefit of having a USB 3.0 thumb drive in the first place.

 

[blastingcap]

There's a workaround to the problem but it nulls the performance benefit of having a USB 3.0 thumb drive in the first place.

yeah, but if you're booting off a USB stick it's probably not for long-term high-performance usage, you know? i use mine for booting NAS4Free after which the data resides mostly in memory, not on the USB stick and thus performance is irrelevant... also, many USB 3 sticks aren't much better than USB 2 when it comes to random 4k read/write which many OS'es use tons of. I've tested my Kingston USB 3.0 stick for instance and the difference was marginal at USB 2.0. Later on I can repurpose the stick to USB 3.0 storage if necessary.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd do the same thing--pay a few bucks premium for a USB 3.0 stick so that it's not obsolete right out of the gate and can be repurposed or even used on future systems that have native USB 3.0 read ability.