Different speeds of USB Flash Drives

[bigpollack]

I have 2 USB Flash Drives.

A 512 meg PNY Attache and a 2 Gig generic one I picked up at Microcenter.
Both drives say they support USB 2.0

The 512 Meg drive is faster....... at least 5 times faster than the 2 Gig one.

I thought all USB 2.0 flash drives would be basically the same speed.
If there are different speeds, how do I look for a fast one, as I don't see any download speed ratings in the descriptions ??

I am using this as a backup of my word, excel, etc files, and the difference in speed is VERY noticable.

 

[31computers]

Both drives may be rated 2.0 but sockets on front and back of PC can be either 1.1 or 2.0 so it depends where you are plugging them in? 8O

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Even if they're both USB 2.0 and plugged into USB 2.0 sockets, there can still be a large difference in speeds, especially write speed.

It has to do with the particular type of flash memory each drive uses. Some types are much faster than others.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found a reliable way of looking up what types of flash each manufacturer is using. Some manufacturers even use different types in different products within their own line.

One of my fastest flash drives is a 1GB from a no-name manufacturer (found it in a bin at Fry's for $19.99). I also have a 512MB SanDisk Cruzer (name brand drive), it's slower than molasses.

Thus, it's a toss up, your guess is as good as mine, your mileage may vary, do not hold in hand, objects in mirror are closer than they appear, do not taunt Happy Fun Ball, etc. :roll: 8)

 

[flasher702]

trying to get some Flash USB drive information together here:
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/USB-flash-drive-reviews-benchmarks-ftopict221870.html