This USB 3.0 Flash Drive 16GB (sku.103478) is a genuine ADATA S102 device (according to Dealextreme) with read and write speeds of 64 Mbps and 30 Mbps respectively (see note 1). Its design is equal those USB pen drives with a cover (pull and push manually) and with a little hole to put those straps (not included). By the way, following the universal standard, it has a blue USB port to indicate that it is compatible with USB 3.0 high speeds.
Like others devices with USB 3.0 interface, it is backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, although it will operate on lower speeds.
Its dimensions are 6.1 cm x 1.9 cm x 0.9 cm (approximately) and its weight are 24 g.
Style
This one being reviewed is produced in black and dark grey colors, but it seems there are also blue versions for sale. Also, if you are looking for a device that isn't 16GB of capacity, there are versions of 8GB and 32GB.
The only warning that we leave here is that we are not sure if the other versions (color or capacity) have the same performance (transfer rate) as this pen drive being reviewed (genuine ADATA S102). Anyway, you can check the other versions on the links below:
Ease of Use
Just plug and use it, but make sure that the device you are plugging the flash drive (computer, laptop, tablet, media player, etc.) also is USB 3.0 compatible or else this USB 3.0 flash drive will operate on lower speed (transfer rate).
Price
This ADATA S102 USB 3.0 flash drive is on sale for about $27 at Dealextreme. On other stores it is on sale for about $19, which is about %30 cheaper. Our recommendation is that you do a deep research to find out if these cheaper ones have the same performance that the one sold on Dealextreme (labeled as genuine).
As an extra, there is also an USB 3.0 cable for sale on Dealextreme (for about $6).
Build Quality
Regarding your shape, it will probably fit in any device since its shape is simple and small, so no problem here.
Now, to check speed performance, which is related to build quality and is probably the main aspect, we made some speed tests (read speed and write speed) using two different softwares. As there are people who do not know quite well how to interpret numeric results, we also did the same tests on a USB 2.0 device so it'll be easier to compare the results and know how fast this USB 3.0 device is compared to others. Just to be clear, the tests aren't professionals and the results can differ on other systems with a different hardware (see note 2).
USB 3.0 flash drive speed test with the software NovaBench
We used the version 3.0.4 of the NovaBench and we made the test under the menu "Tests" -> "Hardware Tests" -> "Drive Write Speed". As you probably realized, this option only tests the write speed of the USB flash drive.
The test results are:
- USB 2.0 Write Speed: 5 MB/s (a Kingston DataTraveler 102 just for comparison)
- USB 3.0 Write Speed: 23 MB/s (about 4.6 faster)
USB 3.0 flash drive speed test with the software USBDeview
We used the version 2.20 of the USBDeview and we made the test by right clicking on the device and selecting the option "Speed Test".
The test results are:
USB 2.0 flash drive (a Kingston DataTraveler 102 just for comparison)
- Write Speed: 3.48 MB/s
- Read Speed: 20.91 MB/s
USB 3.0 flash drive (the one being contemplated in this review)
- Write Speed: 16.25 MB/s (about 4.6 faster)
- Read Speed: 24.04 MB/s (about 1.1 faster)
As we already told, those tests aren't professional and are related with our system. Their purposes are just to let you know which performance to expect.
Usefulness
Generally, people who use USB flash drive with high frequency are users who need to transfer files between computers. They will take more advantages if using USB 3.0 flash drives because of the high speeds (read and write).
Over time, the use of USB 3.0 devices will be more frequent, thus sooner or later you will have to buy these new type of devices.
Note 1: Mbps and MB/s are different transfer rate units (1 Mbps = 0.125 MB/s).
Note 2: The system specification used on the tests are
- SO Windows 7 Ultimate Edition x64
- CPU Intel Core i7 2600k
- Motherboard Asrock Z77 Pro4
- 1x Memory 4GB Corsair Vengeance (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9)
Where can I buy this USB 3.0 Flash Drive 16GB?
This USB 3.0 Flash Drive 16GB (ADATA S102) is on sale at Dealextreme, more specifically in this link.
0 comentários:
Post a Comment