How to check whether flash drive is USB 3.0?

itm · Oct 30, 2015

I just bought a Sandisk Ultra USB flash drive which claimed to be USB 3.0, but file transfer via a USB 3.0 port on my desktop is only 25MB/sec. The packaging on the product did not clearly indicate which USB version it supported, so I was wondering if there was any way I could check it (from a Windows 7 machine)?
The flash drive model number seems to be SDDD2-065G

Phillip Corcoran · Oct 30, 2015

Check the connector. It should have a blue-coloured contact plate inside it instead of black.

itm · Oct 30, 2015

Yes it's a blue connector (as is the connector on the motherboard's USB port). Maybe the problem is with the motherboard (Asus P8Z68-VLX). How can I tell?

itm · Oct 30, 2015

I just ran a flash checking utility and it shows 118MB/s read speed and 24.62MB/s write speed - definitely not what I was expecting from a USB 3.0 flash drive!

jsmithepa · Oct 30, 2015

Just because a HD is said to be SATA3 (6 gbit max bandwidth) doesn't mean, by far, it will run at that speed. Same with Flash. Toms has a Flash USB3 review, tells you all about what they can ACTUALLY do.

Barty1884 · Oct 30, 2015

itm :

There's good. there's bad, and there are absolute waste of money USB 3.0 drives out there.

Not the same drive, but this shows the performance of another Sandisk Ulra USB "3.0" Drive - unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any Sandisk 3.0 drive performing on the upper-end of USB 3.0 potential.

itm · Oct 30, 2015

I wasn't expecting anything near 6gbit but is 25MB/s really a realistic expectation for a USB 3.0 flash drive?

Barty1884 · Oct 30, 2015

Sorry, didn't actually paste the link....
http://usb.userbenchmark.com/SanDisk-Ultra-USB-30-16GB/Rating/1658

Average Seq Write of 28.6MB/s
Average Seq Read of 72.8 MB/s

So you're getting 25MB/s write speeds? Looks like you're getting around the average speeds for these drives, unfortunately.

Definitely homework to be done before buying USB3.0 flashdrives, especially cheap or on sale drives.

itm · Oct 30, 2015

Interesting benchmarks. I'll be doing more homework next time - I bought this one mainly because it was a dual USB/MicroUSB for use in OTG mode. It looks like the Sandisk Extreme is the one to go for.

Many thanks for all the feedback.

Barty1884 · Oct 30, 2015

itm :

No worries.

Unfortunately USB 3.0 Flash is really a situation where "you get what you pay for". I got a fairly poor one, an 8GB Kingston DataTraveller G4, getting 32MB/s, but I only paid $5 (although I only needed it to clean install W10 after upgrading). Served it's purpose for me, but anybody who will give a 3.0 Flash drive some frequent use should probably look into benchmarks etc to make sure the actual, real-world performance is in line with what they need.

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How to check whether flash drive is USB 3.0?

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