Almost everyone uses flash memory to one degree or another, even those who don't know it. Fast and convenient flash drives once replaced optical disks from the market and are only gaining popularity every year, moving into SSD drives. But not everyone can consciously choose a card for themselves, so today we will figure out how to choose a flash drive with high speed and reliable memory.
What you need to know to choose a fast and reliable flash drive.
To figure out which flash drive is better, you first need to dispel some myths and misunderstandings regarding solid state drives. Most frequently asked question, which applies to all data storage devices, including SSDs and hard drives- people believe that they were “not told” their memory. For example, a 32 GB flash drive actually turns out to be 29.9. Accordingly, the higher the denominations, the greater the difference. The point here is that we are not really told about memory, but for understandable reasons.
Manufacturers indicate the capacity of the drive in decimal kilo-mega- and gigabytes, and not in binary, as the operating system sees it, and as we are used to it. For a normal person and computer, one kilobyte is 1024 bytes, however, in decimal the prefix “kilo” is simply a thousand. That is, there are a thousand bytes in one decimal kilobyte. It would seem like a small thing, but the difference eventually accumulates noticeable.
Plus, the drive has a small section for replacing failed memory sectors. The disk, as it detects bad sectors, replaces them with reserve ones, after the reserve is exhausted, with hard drives Bad sectors begin to accumulate, and broken data also begins to appear. In a similar situation, the entire SSD disk becomes inaccessible, and all data can be considered lost. Flash drives die in the same way as SSD drives. One day the card simply will not be readable, and, most likely, its recovery will be impossible, although there are exceptions with the flash drive controller malfunctioning, but that is not what this article is about.
However, to clear up any confusion, it should also be said that data speeds and volumes are measured in bytes per second (B/s) and bits per second (b/s). Bit is the minimum amount of data, a conventional unit. A byte is 8 bits, respectively, the data transfer rate is the amount of information per unit of time, for example, 1 MB/s.
ATTENTION. Typically, when using bits, the letter “b” is written in lowercase, and when using bytes, the letter “b” is written in uppercase. MB/s - megabytes per second, MB/s - megabits per second. Sometimes this rule is not observed, especially during machine translation on the Internet or in instructions for equipment. In this case, the input measures both in megabytes and megabits.
In general, everything is clear here, we can get to the point.
What types of flash drives are there?
SD and microSD memory cards come in three types: SD, SDHC, SDXC. These names do not indicate hardware differences. SD and SDHC may be the same internally in terms of hardware elements. However, these consoles were invented for a reason; they characterize software compatibility with hardware. If the card is marked with a supported standard for equipment, a camera, for example, then by inserting it into the device, you will not encounter difficulties when the device will not be able to address the entire amount of memory, and therefore will not be able to read the flash drive. Or, for example, it will not be able to format the card into a file system accessible to the device.
In other words, the HC and XC prefixes denote only software compatibility and have nothing to do with speed, but they do have something to do with volume. The best USB flash drive for you can be of any type, it all depends on your needs. SDHC flash drives range from 4 to 32 GB, and XC from 64 GB to 2 TB. Memory cards with a capacity of two terabytes do not yet exist, but if your device supports XC, then it is already compatible with unreleased models of memory cards with a capacity of up to two terabytes.
You should have realized that the letters of the name markings, in general, do not in any way reflect the speed of flash drives. There are markings that display data about the speed of the cards - this is the class of the drive. The lowest class is 2, followed by 4,6,8 and 10. These numbers indicate the write speed in MB/s. For the second class - 2 MB/s, for the tenth - ten or more. The class of a memory card actually indicates the speed of sequential writing and sequential reading, but, as a rule, the read speed of the cards is higher, so, in fact, the class refers to the write speed.
Over time, the reading speed became higher than the reception limit of the transmitting part of the memory cards themselves, that is, the data exchange port itself would not allow increasing the reading speed, and then the UHS standard was developed, in particular UHS-1, which is now actively used, and UHS-2 , which is just waiting in the wings, and is not very relevant at the moment. This standard only says that the receiving and transmitting part has a higher throughput, namely up to 104 MB/s. This does not mean that the memory itself works at the same pace. In fact, a UHS-1 card may not even have class 10, that is, it may not load even 10% of the transmission channel width allowed for a flash drive when recording. In this case, the equipment itself may not support UHS, in which case the memory card will work like a regular SD card, without UHS.
It is now common that a UHS-2 card works like a UHS-1 card, since there are virtually no devices for UHS-2. Again, this is one of the markings that does not indicate the actual speed of the card. This time it says the port being applied, like blue USB port- this is USB 3.0, in the same way you can connect an ancient USB printer version 1.1 through it and wonder how long it takes pages with pictures to print, although the printer is connected via a fast port. Labeling that gives nothing other than knowledge of compatibility.
With the advent of UHS, new speed classes of memory cards appeared. They are designated already inside a horseshoe like the Latin letter “U”, there may be numbers 1 or 3. Unit is exactly the same class 10, that is, sequential read and write speeds must be at least 10 MB/s or 80 MB/s . Accordingly, it’s not difficult to guess: the number 3 means that the speed should be at least 30 MB/s or 240 MB/s. Sometimes the manufacturers themselves indicate the speed of the flash drive on the packaging. If only one number is indicated, then it is one hundred percent read speed, not write speed, simply because read speed is usually several times higher than write speed. Only the most expensive flash drives indicate write and read speeds. Usually these are flash drives for which the U3 class is already too small, and faster markings simply do not exist. To promote their product, manufacturers simply indicate the recording speed, this is for knowledgeable people. Now, by the way, you are also knowledgeable.
How do you know which flash drive you need?
The best flash drives are those that are right for you, so you need to learn how to choose them. Nowadays, the most common cards are UHS-1 class U1, that is, also class 10. Their read and write speeds should be above 10 MB/s, the cheapest representatives have a write speed of exactly 10 MB/s and a read speed of about 30- 40 MB/s. Expensive flash drives of this class usually have a write speed of about 25 MB/s, and a read speed of about 80-90 MB/s. In other words, despite the abundance of markings, cards that are outwardly identical have differences of more than two times. And here there is already an important aspect: how much speed is needed for this or that job?
- Let's start with the bare minimum of needs, with old soap dishes. Any card is enough for them. As a rule, they do not have fast burst shooting, RAW recording, or high-bitrate video recording.
- Simple new point-and-shoot cameras, DVRs, old cameras that shoot in Full HD and smartphones in which you are not going to put applications on the card. There are enough flash drives from 6th grade and above. With a lower class, the camera will limit the time it takes to record a continuous video and become dull when shooting in bursts. Phones will be less responsive in some circumstances, such as when creating photo gallery previews and when opening data.
- Modern point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, low- and middle-class DSLRs, cameras that shoot Full HD or 2K, as well as smartphones. For all this, the most common flash drive format is just right, namely UHS-1 of the first speed class. Such a flash drive will be enough for almost any task, but not every flash drive with the same marking will cope with every task.
We have already mentioned that the speed variation within U1 is very high. The peak speed for saving data in the first class, if we take the minimum, is 10 MB/s or 80 MB/s, but this is for sequential recording; when recording in separate chunks, the speed drops. Since media fragmentation is the norm, recording, for example, with a camera, cannot always be considered consistent. Even an honest first-class flash drive, but with minimal speed, in reality can, with almost sequential recording, produce 50–60 MB/s. The problem here is that the bitrate of 4K video when recording is usually 45–100 Mb/s. The flash drive can still cope with 45 MB/s, but not in cameras where compression is less effective. At the same time, a flash drive of the same class with a real write speed of 20 MB/s can already cope with recording 4K streaming video. Knowing this risk, 4K camera manufacturers put minimum requirements UHS class 3 speed, since not every first class flash drive is suitable. At the same time, in fact, some U1 cards are still suitable. Here they are already important real numbers, not labeling. Again, the Internet is full of reviews and tests, you can use them for yourself.
Drive testing
We did not create a rating of flash drives based on reliability; it is not necessary every time, especially since, as a rule, the brand name speaks for itself; buyers always have more confidence in a recognizable name. The best flash drive manufacturers are all in plain sight: Transcend, SanDisk, etc. For our own test, we decided to take something unusual and bought the cheapest Chinese Mixza Tohaoll Micro SD card of the most common class, that is, UHS-1 U1. We wondered if she would at least produce honest data for her class. It cost just over 600 rubles. Let's compare it with a flash drive of the same class from Transcend. Below is a screenshot of the tests performed.
To record a video stream, you need sequential recording speed, without any tricks. That is, what is in the third line of the test. Here you can see that Transend has a well-deserved U1 standard. A little less than 10 MB/s, but here everything is also muddy with decimal bytes, so the pure minimum of class 10 is exactly what Transcend achieved in this test. At the same time, the read speed is about 90 MB/s, a good indicator, this is important for smartphones, by the way. The flash drive is borderline between whether it will handle 4K recording, or whether the video will have a time limit after the buffer overflows, then it will be a little stupid and again allow you to shoot video. With some smartphones and cameras it will be enough, with some it will not, but for all other tasks this flash drive will be enough.
As for the Chinese flash drive, it also demonstrates good speed read, but write speed exceeds the requirements for the U1 standard twice. In other words, this is a good flash drive, it will be suitable for any task, including cameras with serial shooting in RAW and 4K. Additionally, we tested it for real speed when fully filled, and at the same time checked whether the Chinese had deceived us with the volume. The write speed was about 19 MB/s, and the read speed was above 60 MB/s. The indicators are slightly more modest than in synthetic tests, but still twice as high as the requirements of the standard indicated on the packaging, although, if you look at the packaging, the speed is indicated at 80 MB/s, in practice it turned out to be lower. As we said earlier, if one speed is indicated, then this is the reading speed; it is not so critical in any tasks except reading in smartphones.
Smartphone carrier
The fact is that both recording and reading are important in a smartphone, since top solutions can make videos in 4K, and the loading speed in games depends on the reading speed, for example, if the game cache is on a flash drive. If the programs or games themselves are on a flash drive, then the speed of random reading of small files is also significantly important. In our flash drives it is not very high, 4.9 and 4.3. If you have enough phone memory, then it is better to store the programs themselves in it, where the speed is much higher. It is also important to use exclusively UHS standard cards for your phone, since good map Class 10 non-UHS devices will be inferior in reading speed to UHS standard flash drives, simply because it will be limited by the old slow port on the memory card itself. If there is only music, photos or movies on the flash drive, then there will be no noticeable difference. As for UHS-2 flash drives, there is no point in buying them in 2017.
Conclusion
Understanding which flash drive is better from which company is one of the tests that you will have to go through on your own. Good performance indicators on a Chinese flash drive do not say anything about its reliability. We do not insist on buying cheap unknown brands. Branded flash drives usually have a 3-5 year warranty, and sometimes even a lifetime warranty. Here, if the Chinese miracle works, it’s already not bad, but the device itself, of course, is cheaper. If working with a map is part of your professional activity, then the risks are unjustified.
We hope that now, glancing at the packaging, you will be able to understand what awaits you inside and what the card is capable of.
It is unlikely that anyone reading this article does not know what a flash card is, but I will still allow myself to remind you that it is a storage device that uses flash memory. The latter received enormous success due to its low cost, compactness, strength, fairly large volume and speed of operation. Most often, flash memory is found in portable devices.
The creator of this ingenious technology is Toshiba engineer Fujio Masuokoi. The event took place in 1984. He came up with the name of the technology together with his colleague; it comes from the English word Flash (“Flash”), because the process of erasing memory was reminiscent of a flash.
According to data at the end of 2008, the world leader in flash memory production is Samsung company, and Toshiba, together with its enterprises, is in second place. It is unknown who is the leader at the moment (end of 2013).
Now let's go directly to , namely internal memory. So, in 2009 the world saw the storage device Kingston DataTraveler 300 , one of the leaders in this field. The company presented a flash drive, the volume of which reached a fantastic 256 GB of memory! At that time, the result was simply phenomenal! The read speed is 20 MB/sec, and the write speed is exactly half that. Externally, the flash drive is no different from other devices. The only negative is that, for unknown reasons, the drive can only operate at above-zero temperatures. Whether the Kingston DataTraveler 300 goes on sale or not is unclear.
The premiere took place in 2013 Kingston HyperX Predator USB 3.0, flash cards whose memory capacity reaches 1 TB! In fact, a whole hard drive in your pocket! The read speed is an incredible 240 MB/sec, and the write speed is 160 MB/sec, which is even faster than the average hard drive. It’s a pity that few people will be able to afford the Kingston HyperX Predator - the preliminary cost of the gadget is just over $3,000 (there are no more accurate data at the moment), and for the version with 512 GB of memory the manufacturer is asking about $1,700.
Well, in the end I will tell you HyperStor-6200— a flash drive with a capacity of as much as 100 TB! Is this possible? Certainly! And right now you will understand why this is so. ViON Corporation introduced HyperStor-6200 back in 2009. The manufacturer claims that the device is capable of performing about five million operations per second, and the average speed of one operation is only 0.07 seconds. HyperStor-6200 is used for work in corporations and is a rather impressive unit that will not fit in a pocket, or even a bag. However, it can also be considered a flash drive, but with a very big stretch. The cost of the device could not be determined, but it is likely to be in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Hello, dear readers!
From this article we will learn what USB drives are, how to choose them, and list the TOP 10 popular manufacturers.
Do you remember the times when a PC owner's shelves were full of floppy disks and CDs? Today, Flash drives are used to store information and provide convenience.
Flash memory is a very convenient tool with large storage capacity and high data transfer speed. Today there is a huge range of storage devices. That is why, when purchasing such a gadget, you need to understand the device with what characteristics you need.
We know perfectly well what a USB drive looks like, but what is a flash drive anyway? Flash drive is removable media information from specific type file system, which has no moving elements in the structure.
Criteria for choosing a USB drive
Which device is better (why)? When choosing a flash drive, you should pay attention to its type, data transfer speed and, of course, memory capacity.
Types of information storage devices
There are only three types of USB drives: 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1. But flash drives are divided into types based on appearance:
– With removable cap. The most popular plate protection option.
The caps are made from different materials to prevent the entry of debris and moisture.
– Rotary. Such a drive consists of a bracket and the body of the device, and they rotate sideways in relation to each other. In this case, the plate is protected from scratches, but is susceptible to debris and moisture.
– Sliders. In such a device, the connector is hidden inside the housing. Protection from mechanical damage is good, but not from moisture and debris.
Devices with a combined protection system are considered the best. For example, a metal body with a rubberized base. These are the most reliable flash drives, but, of course, they are more expensive.
It is also necessary to take into account that the fewer moving parts a flash drive has, the longer it will last, because after a month or two of using it nothing will break.
Data transfer rate
One of the main criteria when choosing a device is the data transfer speed. This criterion includes the write speed to the flash device and the read speed of the flash drive. The speed of interaction between the drive and the computer depends on them. USB storage can be rewritten many times, so maximum speed data transfer would be appropriate.
This parameter is expressed in megabits per second (Mb/s) and is always indicated on the packaging. High-speed drives cost more.
Memory capacity
How to choose usb flash drive from memory.
The volume of the device is the most important characteristic that is important for the person who purchases a flash drive. This characteristic expressed in gigabytes. Today, USB drives are designed for 32/64/128/more GB, and if necessary, you can purchase 2/4/8 GB. That is, today the maximum capacity of a flash drive is 2048 GB.
Don't forget that a flash drive is compact device for storing information.
Based on memory capacity, the following types of drives can be distinguished:
– cheap, but with a small volume – 2-8 GB;
– affordable price and the optimal volume is 16-64 GB;
– high cost, but large volume – 128 GB or more.
USB storage performance
Also, one important criterion when choosing a device is its performance, which depends on the following factors:
Chips used in flash memory. The most common trade-off is between high-speed, expensive chips that have single-level cells, and low-cost flash chips that have few levels with multi-level (MLC)/triple-level (TLC) cells at regular speed.
Flash memory device controller. The flash memory controller is a special chip that controls the interface and controls all actions with the drive. If the controller supports fast data transfer, it saves time.
The host device to which the device connects. A limited host device will not provide high drive performance. Let's give an example: if the computer supports speed 2.0, then a usb 3.0 flash drive will not work at the required speed.
Rating of USB drive manufacturers
You already know that today huge amount companies are engaged in the production of USB drives. Everyone who wants to purchase such a device wonders which flash drive is best for a computer. Yes, yes, specifically for the computer, because there are special storage devices (SD) for cameras and phones. Of course, they also connect to the computer, but only through special adapters (card readers).
Well, let's look at the TOP 10 companies whose flash drives are preferred by users:
1. Transcend. This is a well-known company that began its work back in 1988. Flash drives from this company are known for their individual style and long service life.
2. Silicon Power. Devices of this form are sold in more than 90 countries around the world.
3. Kingston. This company is an old-timer among manufacturers of USB drives. It was created back in 1987 and today is not inferior to other manufacturers.
4. Team Group. Regarding this company, it is worth noting that its range is growing every year.
5. SanDisk. Another fairly old company on the market. Devices with a simple design and at a reasonable price.
6. Apacer. The company produces flash drives, which are famous for the quality of data storage.
7. Pretec. And the drives of this company are used for military and industrial purposes. This is probably the very indicator of quality and reliability that many users are looking for.
8. Adata is a company with the motto: “Trust and reliability.” And I would like to note that since its formation in 2011, the company has been justifying it.
9. P.Q.I. And this company began its work with the production of USB drives.
10. Corsair. This company produces exclusive products, such as flash drives with a body made of natural rubber, whose flash drives are long-lasting.
The most reliable flash drives
Of course, it is better to buy devices for storing information, especially large volumes, from official stores, because today a huge number of fakes are produced in China. Let's look at the five most reliable USB drives:
1. . A device with a simple design. This model Suitable for users who need high performance at a low price.
This device is distinguished by its cell design, allowing data processing to be performed at a high level.
This model is simple and practical and has a sliding plastic body.
A flash drive that is perfect for work or school because it is small in size and convenient.
This model has a convenient fastening system.
Do not forget that defects occur in production, and therefore the rating changes.
So, when you finally decide to buy yourself a USB drive, first decide what it is intended for in order to decide on the device that will suit you. If you need a flash drive to copy work files, then a device with a memory capacity of 8 GB is suitable.
When purchasing, consult with a consultant, because, as a rule, people only look at the memory capacity. You can purchase a device with a memory capacity of 128 GB, but the speed will be low and the movie will take a very long time to copy.
Flash drives, or flash memory devices, are used today both for PCs and laptops, as well as for digital cameras, tablets and smartphones. Most of these media can be connected to a USB port, but some types must be inserted into a special drive or card reader.
What types of flash drives are there? There are two common types of these drives. They use similar technology but have differences in physical format and interface.
Secure Digital (SD cards)
It is a non-volatile memory format developed by the SD Card Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by a joint effort of SanDisk, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric) and Toshiba, and later became an industry standard. What sizes are flash drives of this type?
In January 2000, the companies also created the non-profit organization SD Association (SDA) to promote and create standards for such flash drives. The miniSD format was introduced in March 2003 by SanDisk Corporation, which announced and demonstrated this innovation. It was adopted as a small form factor extension to the SD card standard. Although these new flash drives were designed specifically for mobile phones, they were originally sold with an adapter that made them compatible with a standard SD memory card slot. Since 2008, the latter have no longer been produced.
Miniature microSDs were originally called T-Flash or TF, which is an abbreviation for TransFlash. They are functionally identical to miniSD and can work in any portable devices. SanDisk developed this variant when joint projections with Motorola concluded that current memory cards were too large for mobile phones. The flash drive was originally named T-Flash, but shortly before the product launch the name was changed to TransFlash.
In 2005, SDA announced a small form factor microSD along with secure digital formatting(SDHC) with high throughput more (2 GB). These storage devices had a minimum read and write speed of 17.6 Mbps. SanDisk management pushed the SDA to administer the microSD standard. The final specification for these flash drives was registered on July 13, 2005. MicroSD cards were initially available in capacities of 32, 64 and 128 MB.
It became the first mobile phone to which you could connect a TransFlash card (later microSD). A few years later, their competitors began using these flash drives in all devices.
What types of flash drives are there for phones today? Currently, smartphones use micro memory cards, the capacity of which is most often 32 or 64 GB. Smaller data storage devices are gradually going out of use, and higher capacity ones are not currently supported by all phone models.
What is the significance of these media?
Memory cards are used in many electronic devices and have become a widespread means of storing several gigabytes of data in a small size. What types of flash drives are there today? Devices in which the user can frequently remove and replace flash drives ( digital cameras, video cameras and game consoles), as a rule, use the mini format. Devices where small size is of paramount importance (e.g. mobile phones), tend to use microSD cards.
This type of flash drive has helped propel the smartphone market, giving both manufacturers and consumers greater flexibility and freedom. Due to their compact size, microSD cards are used in many portable devices. Latest versions major operating systems, including Windows Mobile and Android Marshmallow, allow applications to launch with microSD cards, creating additional functionality for new device models.
However, SD cards are not the most cost-effective solution for devices that require only a small portion of non-volatile memory (for example, station presets in small radios). They also don't perform best choice for applications that require higher storage capacities or speeds. These limitations may be further addressed by evolving memory technologies. Today, the world's largest microSD card has a capacity of 256 GB. Therefore, it is difficult to predict even in the near future what types of flash drives there are and what types will appear soon.
Many personal computers of all types, including tablets and smartphones, use SD cards either through built-in slots or through an active electronic adapter. The latter exist for PC cards, ExpressBus, USB, FireWire and port parallel printer. Active adapters also allow SD cards to be used in devices designed for other formats, such as CompactFlash.
USB flash drives
A USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with a built-in USB interface. It is typically removable, rewritable, and much smaller than an optical disc. Most of them weigh less than 30 grams. Since its introduction to the market in 2000, the trend has been the same as with all other computer storage devices. This is reflected in the fact that storage capacity has increased and prices have fallen. How big are flash drives today? The most commonly sold drives today are those with capacities ranging from 8 to 256 GB; 512 GB and 1 TB are less common. In the near future, the proliferation of flash drives up to 2 TB is predicted, with a constant improvement in their size and cost. Some of these devices can handle up to 100,000 write and erase cycles, depending on the type of memory chip used, and can last between 10 and 100 years under normal circumstances.
USB drives are often used for the same purposes that floppy disks or CDs were once used for, i.e. storage, backup data and transfer of computer files. However, they are smaller, faster, have thousands of times more power, and are more durable and reliable because they have no moving parts. They are also immune to electromagnetic interference (unlike floppy disks) and are not susceptible to surface scratches (unlike CDs). Until 2005, most desktop and laptop computers came with a floppy disk slot in addition to USB ports, but today such functionality is missing as outdated.
Device Compatibility
USB flash drives use a standard storage class supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Linux, MacOS and other Unix-like systems, as well as many BIOS boot ROMs. Drives with USB support 2.0 can store more data and transfer it faster than much larger optical discs (such as CD-RW or DVD-RW), and can be read by many other systems, including XboxOne, PlayStation 4, and DVD players. In addition, such a flash drive can be read and modern smartphones and tablets, although an SD memory card is better suited for this purpose.
Flash drive structure
The flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board, carrying circuit elements and a USB connector, insulated and protected using a plastic, metal or rubberized casing. This allows the carrier to be carried safely in a pocket or on a chain. The USB connector can be protected by a removable cap or retracted into the drive housing. In this case, it is not susceptible to damage in an unprotected state. What types of flash drives are there by type of connection? Most drives use a standard USB Type A connection to connect to a port on a personal computer, but drives are also available for other interfaces. All flash drives are powered from the computer via a USB connection. Some devices combine the functionality of a portable media player with a USB flash memory. They only require a battery when used to play music.
What formats of flash drives are on sale?
It is worthwhile to dwell separately on the numerous types of flash drives that are available for sale these days. Each removable drive is differentiated based on the service it provides. What are there on the modern market based on their functions?
Some of them can be classified according to the services they offer, but there is also a basic need to understand the functionality of each of them. Therefore, the capacity of flash drives is not the only factor that needs to be assessed when choosing a device.
Drive for use with standard drive
These devices are designed for those who are looking for maximum capacity at the lowest price. They are the best choice for storing and moving data. In terms of design and size, they offer a wide range of options. Typically, they are equipped with a plastic housing and the least expensive control circuits. This makes them slow to work and they are not very durable. However, few users care about speed and hence have no problem using this type of drive. What size are flash drives of this type? Their capacity can reach 256 GB.
High performance storage
This type of removable drive is designed for users who require increased performance. These flash drives usually cost more and cater to the professional sector. The data transfer speed in them is improved, thanks to USB connection 3.0. They also use more durable impact-resistant materials and other accessories that help them withstand extreme weather conditions. One more distinctive feature of these devices is an increase in read and write cycles, sometimes up to 100,000. What types of flash drives are there in terms of memory capacity with high performance? Their capacity can reach 2 TB. When we're talking about For storing critical data and greater reliability, these higher-performance drives are preferred.
Media with a protective function
The digital age has opened up opportunities for various hacks and unlimited access to confidential data, which makes many users worry about the safety of information. For this reason, flash drives with a security function appeared. These devices have additional built-in hardware to limit access to the information stored on them. Many public and private companies are actively starting to use these flash drives for internal data transfer. When downloading such media, a login is required to access its contents. There is also encryption of stored data, which prevents its theft or unrestricted access to it.
Media containing WindowsToGo installation files
This one is designed for those who like to carry operating systems entirely. WindowsToGo media is designed for portable use Windows 8 Enterprise Edition with advanced features. When you start this flash drive, system administrator a command is passed to create a bootable system drive that allows the remote machine to recall appearance personal computer. Devices running WindowstoGo come with perfect technical characteristics.
Music storage
They were created specifically for professionals in the music industry. These flash drives are designed for those who like to listen to music on the go. They come pre-installed software applications, which help in managing audio files. If you want plug-n-play options, this is the drive you should choose. They offer large storage space, better speed transmission, and, most importantly, sufficient durability.
Creative flash drives
At their core, these are ordinary drives created according to an original design. What types of flash drives (GB) are there in this category? Their capacity and functional characteristics can be anything. But often their volume does not exceed 256 GB, and in terms of data transfer speed and durability they correspond to drives with a standard drive. Today you can find flash drives on sale in the shape of movie, cartoon and comic book characters, as well as animals and various advertised products. These drives attract people of different age groups, especially children. In most cases, they have the functionality of standard flash drives, but lack the specifications found in rugged, high-performance devices.
Business card drives
For those who want to store exclusively business and financial information, it is recommended to use business card drives. What sizes are flash drives of this type? Typically, their dimensions are small, and their capacity can range from 128 MB to 32 GB. At the same time, they are very simple in functionality and available operations. This type of drive is used various companies all over the world. With their help, they usually transfer working samples along with their credentials.
Flash drive key
What types of USB flash drives with combined functionality are there? These types of drives are flooding the market as they provide users with the ability to have their own key and drive at the same time. This type of drive has the functionality standard device storage, but at the same time contains a built-in magnetic key. Some caution should be exercised when using them as they are more susceptible to adverse external conditions.
Today our colleague in the workshop Victor Mrikh, who will talk about the torment USB selection flash drives in terms of possible data recovery from them.
The emergence of a “different” view on choosing a flash drive
Very often, friends and acquaintances, knowing the specifics of my work, ask me about choosing a good/reliable/stylish drive for storing data. Some people need another flash drive, others need a memory card for a new gadget or camera. I usually answer that all carriers are almost equally unreliable, but as a rule, such an answer suits few people and is perceived as an act of disrespect and indifference towards the questioner. The most persistent ones continue to insist: “This is how you choose flash drives and memory cards?” And I decided to answer...
I choose drives from which, if something goes wrong, I can most likely recover data. The specifics of my work are as follows: our company for research includes absolutely new Flash disks and the main task is to simulate the failure of this flash drive and restore the contents from it.
It was restored quickly, with the help of existing developments - good, it was not restored - we need to figure it out and replenish the base of knowledge and experience. Thus, a situation has arisen in which a list of flash drive manufacturers and specific models media from which data recovery, in the event of a hardware failure, occurs without any problems.
This is important, since it should be noted that today there are flash drives, data recovery from which has not been studied not only within our company, but also since we closely communicate with all the leading specialists around the world and keep our finger on the pulse, we know that some devices are not yet recoverable in principle.
An idea came to mind. Why not review flash drives from this batch on behalf of a data recovery engineer? Perhaps this information will be useful to someone, and they will read it before the flash drive dies, burying files that were not backed up in time.
Flash drives 64 GB. Prices
In this article we will talk about seven USB Flash drives. All of them were purchased in one of the chain stores on the same day.- Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 - 4,630 rub. (RUB 72.34 per 1 GB)
- Toshiba SUZAKU - 1,840 rub. (RUB 28.75 per 1 GB)
- Kingston DataTraveler G4 - RUB 1,920. (30 rub. for 1 GB)
- Qumo Aluminum 3.0 - RUB 2,120. (RUB 33.13 per 1 GB)
- Transcend JetFlash 780 - 3,820 rub. (RUB 59.69 per 1 GB)
- Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2 - RUB 1,840. (RUB 28.75 per 1 GB)
- SanDisk Extreme - RUB 3,270. (RUB 51.09 per 1 GB)
Read and write speed
For the speed test, I deliberately did not use software written by my colleagues. To check the speed of the drives, the publicly available CrystalDiskMark version 3.0.3 program was selected. A very simple and understandable software that shows:- Sequential read/write speed
- Random read/write speed of 512 KB blocks
- Random read/write speed of 4 KB blocks (Queue depth 1)
- Random read/write speed of 4 KB blocks (Queue depth 32)
Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Toshiba SUZAKU
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Kingston DataTraveler G4
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Qumo Aluminum 3.0
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Transcend JetFlash 780
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Kingston DataTraveler 101 G2
USB 3.0 port
Here an inattentive reader will say: “Why so little???” An attentive reader will pay attention to the packaging of this flash drive and see that it has a USB 2.0 interface installed. Most likely, this explains the lowest price in this group of flash drives.
USB 2.0 port
SanDisk Extreme
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
Subtotal of tests
Leader in speed reading became a storage device Transcend JetFlash 780Leader in speed records became a storage device SanDisk Extreme
Analysis of intermediate test results
After conducting read and write speed tests, we will calculate several important coefficients that will help determine the most profitable drive in terms of several parameters.Having counted ratio of reading speed to cost of 1 GB of memory
Having counted ratio of recording speed to cost of 1 GB of memory, we received the following values (the larger the value, the more profitable it is to use the drive):
It will also be useful to know ratio of write speed to read speed. The closer the value is to 1, the more versatile the device is, and the more “comfortable” it is to use the drive.
Logical conclusions
So, it's time to draw some basic conclusions from this bunch of pictures:- If your budget is very limited and you need to find the cheapest option, the obvious choice is Toshiba SUZAKU for 1,840 rubles.
- If needed best option, taking into account reading speed and cost, then the choice would fall on Qumo Aluminum 3.0 for 2,120 rubles.
- Therefore, if I were shown all these tests and asked, “What would you choose for yourself?”, I would answer that in terms of price-performance ratio, I would take myself SanDisk Extreme.
Honesty test
Some manufacturers put read/write speed indicators on the packaging of their drives in the hope that when choosing, the buyer will pay attention to this and make a choice in favor of this product. Let's check how much the declared values differ from the real ones.Reading
Record
It is clear that next to each declared value there is a small " * ", which refers to barely noticeable text. It says that real data may differ, testing took place in special conditions and UAV UAV UAV.
The most “honest” flash drive is Transcend JetFlash 780. Missing percentages can be attributed to measurement error. In second place - SanDisk Extreme And Toshiba SUZAKU.
If something went wrong...
Flash drives tend to break at the most inopportune moments. And it contained important data that was needed two hours ago. Frustrated, you search and find a data recovery company and go there with the hope of hearing an answer that everything will be ready in a few days.Then the specialist in data recovery from flash drives begins his work. He disassembles the drive and begins to shamanize and get the data piece by piece, step by step. And he thinks to himself: “Well, why again these low-quality microcircuits, again a complex controller, etc.”
We tried to look at the flash drives presented in the review through the eyes of a data recovery engineer and evaluate them. And this is what happened.
Methodology and evaluation criteria
Let's try to evaluate drives using a 9-point system. 4 criteria will be considered:Removing memory chips
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties
- 2 points - possible under certain conditions
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties
- 2 points - time-consuming/labor-intensive, impossible
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties (solvable)
- 2 points - possible difficulties (at at the moment unsolvable)
- 0 points - no problems
- 1 points - possible difficulties (solvable, labor-intensive, time-consuming)
- 2 points - difficulties are possible (not yet solvable)
Drive components
Any flash drive includes a controller (a microprocessor responsible for distributing user data) and memory chips (at least 1, but there may be several. In fact, the memory chips store data in a specific form). The task of an engineer for data recovery from flash drives is to emulate the operation of a controller that has failed. Let's see what our drives consist of:1. Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0
- Phison PS2251-01-L controller
- Memory chips 4 pcs in TLGA-52 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- Toshiba TC58NC2303GST controller (relabeled Phison PS2251-03-v)
- Memory chips 2 pcs in TSOP-48 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- Phison PS2251-07-V controller
- Phison PS2251-07-6 controller
- Memory chips 1 pc in BGA-132 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- Innostor IS903 controller
- Memory chips 2 pcs in BGA-132 package, manufactured by Samsung
- Phison PS2251-68-5 controller
- Memory chips 1 pc in TLGA-52 package, manufactured by Toshiba
- SanDisk controller 20-82-08369-1
- Memory chips 1 pc in TLGA-52 package, manufactured by SanDisk
Recovery test results
Having gone through all the necessary steps to recover data from these flash drives, we received the following results:
The winner in the category of the most likely successful recovery of files in the event of a failure was the drive Toshiba SUZAKU, because this flash drive scored the lowest number of points. If I were choosing a drive for myself based on the best chance of successfully recovering files in the event of a hardware failure, I would choose this one. Data recovery from it is the fastest, and the probability of recovering data is very high. To be fair, it should be noted that USB drives under the Toshiba brand appeared relatively recently. This new player on the market, so low prices are associated with the company's marketing efforts, and prices for these products are expected to increase.
Practical conclusions
Each of you will be able to quickly and effortlessly assess the likelihood of data recovery from your flash drive by following two simple steps:Downloaded from flashboot.ru special program, which will help determine the composition of the drive components without disassembling it. For example, Flash Drive Information Extractor 7.5
Having found out the controller’s markings, go to the “Solution Systems” website of AceLab and search for your controller. If the controller is on the list, then your data can be recovered using special equipment. If trouble happens and the flash drive does break, then look for specialists who use the PC-3000 Flash hardware and software complex in their work. If your controller is not on the list, then my advice is to replace your flash drive with one from which you can recover data.
Finally, I would like to add - when choosing a drive, carefully study the prices, read reviews and look at our Habra blog or the Hardmaster website. We may have already reviewed this flash drive, and the test results will help you make the right choice.
That's all. And remember, Lost forever still can be found...
Tags:
- data recovery
- flash drive recovery
- flash drive recovery
