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31 USB 3.0 Thumb Drives, Tested And Reviewed
By , Achim Roos,
1. 31 USB 3.0 Thumb Drives, Rounded-Up

Most of us have had pretty bad experiences with thumb drives, dating back to USB 1.1 and 2.0. Heaven forbid you had a DVD-sized video file that you wanted to move to another machine. So, it's a little weird to think that a USB 3.0-connected thumb drive should be able to outperform the mechanical disks inside of your desktop PC. But the fastest models in today's round-up are indeed quite a bit faster. In fact, two drives manage to serve up sequential read speeds in excess of 300 MB/s. That's more throughput than a previous-gen SATA 3Gb/s port even allows. 

At the same time, we're going to see that not all USB 3.0-compatible thumb drives are fast. Plenty of them are straight-up duds. Knowing a drive's performance is very important before you decide to drop your hard-earned cash on it. To that end, we're benchmarking 31 different products to help you in your search for the right one.

Because we have so many drives in the lab, we're not going to introduce each one individually. Instead, we're going to focus on the ones we recommend and find most interesting. This includes the winner, the fastest seven drives, the most robust drives, and drives with special functionality.

The Technical Specifications

ManufacturerAdata  Adata  Corsair
ModelS102 ProS102 ProFlash Voyager Slider
Model Number
AS102P-16G-RGYAS102P-64G-RBLCMFSL3-32GB
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity16 GB64 GB32 GB
Removable Cap
YesYesNo
Weight9 g10 g13 g
ManufacturerCorsairCorsairCorsair
ModelFlash Voyager SliderFlash Voyager GTFlash Voyager GT
Model NumberCMFSL3-64GBCMFVYGT3A-32GBCMFVYGT3A-64GB
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity64 GB32 GB64 GB
Removable CapNoYesYes
Weight13 g20 g20 g
ManufacturerDane ElecExtrememory
Extrememory
Model
USB Drive designed by brinellXplorer
Model Number-EXMEUFD332GDBSEXMEUFD332GXPLB
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity16 GB32 GB32 GB
Removable CapNoYesNo
Weight8 g23 g12 g
ManufacturerIntegralKingstonKingston
ModelCrypto DualDataTraveler HyperX 3.0DataTraveler R3.0
Model NumberINFD32GCRYPTODL197DTHX30/64GBDTR30/32GB
InterfaceUSB 2.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity32 GB64 GB32 GB
Removable CapYesYesYes
Weight10 g17 g16 g
ManufacturerLaCieMach XtremeMach Xtreme
ModelRuggedKey MX-ESMX-FX
Model Number9000146MXUB3SES-32GMXUB3MFX-32G
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity16 GB32 GB32 GB
Removable CapYesYesYes
Weight30 g10 g25 g
ManufacturerMach XtremePatriotPatriot
ModelMX-FXSupersonic Rage XTSupersonic Quad
Model NumberMXUB3MFX-32GPEF32GSRUSBPEF64GSUSB
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity32 GB32 GB64 GB
Removable CapYesNoNo
Weight25 g8 g8 g
ManufacturerPatriotPatriotPQI
ModelSupersonic Boost XTSupersonic MagnumNano
Model NumberPEF32GSBUSBPEF64GSMNUSB-
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity32 GB64 GB32 GB
Removable CapYesYesYes
Weight12 g24 g10 g
ManufacturerPQISandiskToshiba
ModelTiffyExtremeTransmemory-EX
Model Number-SDCZ80-064G-
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity16 GB64 GB32 GB
Removable CapNoNoYes
Weight6 g11 g14 g
ManufacturerToshibaTranscendTranscend
ModelTransmemory-EXJetFlash 700JetFlash780
Model Number-TS32GJF700 TS64GJF780 
InterfaceUSB 3.0USB 3.0USB 3.0
Capacity64 GB32 GB64 GB
Removable CapYesYesYes
Weight15 g7 g10 g

Benchmark System

System Hardware
HardwareDetails
CPUIntel Core i5-2400 (32 nm, Sandy Bridge, D2), 4C/4T, 3.2 GHz, 4 x 256 KB L2 Cache, 6 MB Shared L3 Cache, w/ HD Graphics 3000, 95 W TDP, 3.6 GHz max. Turbo
MotherboardGigabyte G1.Sniper M3, LGA 1155, Revision: 1.0, Chipset: Intel Z77 Express, BIOS: F10c
RAM4 x 2 GB DDR3-1333, OCZ OCZ3G2000LV4GK
SSD System DriveSamsung 470, 64 GB, Firmware 0901, SATA 3 Gb/s
ControllerIntel PCH Z68 Express, SATA 6Gb/s
Power Supply
Seasonic X-760 760 W, SS-760KM Active PFC F3
Benchmarks
SoftwareCrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64
AS SSD 1.7.4739.38088
Xcopy Benchmarks
System Software and Drivers
Operating System
Windows 8 x64 Pro
2. Results: Sequential Read And Write Performance

Toshiba's TransMemory-EX 32 GB and Patriot's Supersonic Magnum achieve sequential read speeds that blow through the 300 MB/s barrier. Even the PQI Nano, which finishes in twelfth place, hits almost 200 MB/s and outpaces any conventional disk drive's top-end read numbers. So, if you read a file from the Nano and write it to your PC's hard drive (even the 3 TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.14, with its impressive 191.5 MB/s sequential write performance), the mechanical device won't be able to keep up.

Of course, these numbers are achieved under perfect conditions, and aren't necessarily representative of real-world performance. The rest of our benchmarks show that you don't have to have an SSD to take advantage of the fastest USB 3.0-capable thumb drives. Really, this is just something to keep in mind if you're really looking for smoking-fast sequentials and are still working with spinning media.

The sequential write performance of these thumb drives is slower than the reads, as we might have expected. SanDisk's Extreme is the only model that outperforms spinning media, and you'd need to hook it up to an SSD-equipped system to achieve the drive's 220.7 MB/s potential.

Four other offerings also turn in impressive numbers in excess of 145 MB/s: the Mach Xtreme MX-ES hits 182 MB/s, Patriot's Supersonic Magnum achieves 159.2 MB/s, the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 pushes 146.4 MB/s, and Transcend's JetFlash 780 does 145.8 MB/s.

On the other end of the performance spectrum, the Dane-Elec USB 3.0 finished dead last at 11 MB/s. That sort of performance shouldn't even be allowed to carry a USB 3.0 sticker.

3. Results: 4 KB Random Read And Write Performance

All of the USB 3.0 thumb drives finish relatively close to each other in our 4 KB random read and write performance benchmarks, regardless of queue depth.

One exception is SanDisk's Extreme, which posts 4 KB random write numbers in excess of the competition. Aside from Toshiba's TransMemory-EX and Patriot's Supersonic Magnum, the other drives fall apart in this benchmark. The Toshiba TransMemory-EX places second, but it's four times slower than SanDisk's offering. Still, it fares much better than most of the competition. Crazily, the drives in tenth place and below are more than 100 times slower than the winner.

4. Results: 512 KB Random Read And Write Performance

The TransMemory-EX posts the fastest 512 KB random reads in the round-up, hitting 256 MB/s. Five other USB 3.0 thumb drives break the 200 MB/s barrier, including the drive that wins our round-up overall, SanDisk's Extreme. The Kingston DataTraveler R3.0, with its not-so-inspiring 67.5 MB/s, reminds us that not all USB 3.0-connected thumb drives are fast.

The Extreme repeats its stellar 4 KB random read performance in our 512 KB random write metric. Calling the other drives "competition" gives them far too much credit, as SanDisk posts a 45.2 MB/s result, which is three times faster than the runner-up (Adata's S102 Pro 64 GB) and more than five times faster than Adata's third-place N0005.

5. Results: Copying Small Files

When we look at peak read and write performance using a synthetic benchmark, you already know that you'll rarely (if ever) see those numbers in the real world. Practically, you're more likely to load a thumb drive up with a handful of big files and a bunch of smaller ones. This negatively affects performance. Our copy benchmarks should give you a much better idea of how these drives will behave in practice.

Copying Pictures

Our first real-world test reads and writes 790 pictures with a combined size of 2 GB to and from the thumb drives. Interestingly, the finishing order is about the same for reading the pictures as it was for sequential read performance in CrystalDiskMark. Transfer rates are slower across the board, though.

The Patriot Supersonic Magnum wins this metric with a transfer rate of 250.8 MB/s. Four other drives also achieve speeds in excess of 200 MB/s: the Toshiba TransMemory-EX 32 GB, Toshiba's TransMemory-EX 64 GB, the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0, and SanDisk's Extreme. Only the drives in the lower third of the field read our picture files at less than 100 MB/s. Last place is almost a draw between Adata's S102 Pro 64 GB with 40.2 MB/s and the Patriot Supersonic Boost XT with 40.1 MB/s. Unfortunately, those numbers aren't much better than last generation's USB 2.0-compatible thumb drives.

The Mach Xtreme MX-ES writes our workload fastest, averaging 106.9 MB/s. It’s followed (though not very closely) by SanDisk's Extreme, which posts 79.4 MB/s.

Copying MP3s

The results for copying 356 MP3 files with a combined size of 2 GB are, perhaps not surprisingly, similar to those for copying pictures. The same five USB 3.0 thumb drives achieve speeds of more than 200 MB/s in our read test: the Patriot Supersonic Magnum, Toshiba's TransMemory-EX 32 GB, the Toshiba TransMemory-EX 64 GB, Kingston's DataTraveler HyperX 3.0, and the SanDisk Extreme.

Patriot's drive takes the crown in reads by averaging 259.5 MB/s. The Mach Xtreme MX-ES wins the writing benchmark once again by hitting 134.6 MB/s. This time, though, it’s followed closely by SanDisk's Extreme, which posts 122.2 MB/s. The Patriot Supersonic Magnum and the Transcend JetFlash 780, which share third place in this benchmark, are quite a bit slower at 82.0 MB/s.

Copying Many Small Files

There's not much left of these drives' impressive sequential write speed once we start sending a lot of really small files through them (22,704, with a combined size of 350 MB, to be exact).

A good thumb drive should at least maintain bearable performance under these conditions, and three of the products in our round-up do get there: the Mach Xtreme MX-FX, which actually writes faster (at 15.0 MB/s) than it reads (11 MB/s), Adata's N0005 at 9.0 MB/s, and the SanDisk Extreme, achieving an acceptable 7.9 MB/s.

6. Results: AS SSD Copy Benchmark

AS SSD’s three copy benchmarks render a unanimous verdict: the SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 thumb drive wins the game copy, ISO copy, and program copy metrics.

7. The Winner: SanDisk Extreme

The phrase “fast USB thumb drive” used to be an oxymoron. But today's USB 3.0-capable models show that this generalization is no longer true. Our benchmarks show that a lot of the latest drives offer incredible speeds in a small package.

You also have to be careful, too, though. Not all USB 3.0-based thumb drives live up to what their interface facilitates. The performance of a modern USB 3.0 drive can range anywhere from what the previous generation could do (around 35 MB/s) to almost 10 times that number.

Just because a vendor plasters USB 3.0 branding all over its thumb drive's advertising doesn't mean the product is going to maximize the interface's potential. Our tests make this painfully obvious in some cases. Each drive demonstrates very different levels of performance, ranging from amazing to abominable.

Sequential read and write performance is a good example. Toshiba's TransMemory-EX 32 GB, which blows away any single hard drive on the market with its 310.1 MB/s, is worlds apart from the Patriot Supersonic Boost XT with its disappointing 36.6 MB/s that essentially makes it a really fast USB 2.0 drive. The other USB 3.0 thumb drives we benchmarked fall somewhere in between.

The Winner: SanDisk Extreme

We do come away with a recommendation, though: SanDisk's Extreme USB 3.0 thumb drive. It offers good to excellent read and write performance across all of our benchmarks. Consequently, in this field of 31 contenders, we confidently give it our Elite honor.

The 64 GB model sells for about $71, which gets you a quick USB 3.0-rated repository able to outperform mechanical storage. Seriously consider using it with an SSD-equipped system to utilize its full potential. Some of the other models in our round-up beat the Extreme in a handful of our tests, but this is the most consistently-fast performer in the workloads we threw at it.

8. Some Of The Other Fast USB 3.0 Thumb Drives

If a drive achieved more than 100 MB/s in our CrystalDiskMark sequential write benchmark, we categorized it as a high-performance product. Those speeds touch the top and bottom bounds of hard drive transfer rates.

  • SanDisk Extreme (64 GB, $71): 220 MB/s
  • Mach Xtreme MX-ES (32 GB, Price Not Available): 182 MB/s
  • Patriot Supersonic Magnum (64 GB, $80): 159.2 MB/s
  • Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 (64 GB, $121): 146.4 MB/s
  • Transcend JetFlash 780 (64 GB, $73): 145.8 MB/s
  • Toshiba TransMemory-EX (64 GB, $83): 102.8 MB/s
  • Adata S102 Pro (64 GB, $43): 100.3 MB/s

9. The Toughest USB 3.0 Thumb Drives

Not all thumb drives are designed with performance in mind. The models on this page are being called out for their ruggedness. Some handle aggressive handling well, others are built to cope with hot and cold conditions, and a few are even marketed as waterproof. This doesn’t mean they don't perform, per se. Corsair's Flash Voyager GT managed to hit 52 and 94 MB/s at 32 and 64 GB, respectively, in the CrystalDiskMark sequential write benchmark.

  • Corsair Flash Voyager GT (32 GB, USB 3.0, $37): shockproof and waterproof
  • Corsair Flash Voyager GT (64 GB, USB 3.0, $75): shockproof and waterproof
  • Kingston DataTraveler R3.0 (32 GB, USB 3.0, $59): shockproof
  • LaCie RuggedKey (16 GB, USB 3.0, $36): heat and cold resistant, shockproof, and water resistant
  • Patriot Supersonic Boost XT (32 GB, USB 3.0, $35): shockproof and water resistant

10. USB 3.0 Thumb Drives With Special Functionality

Three of the thumb drives we're reviewing (the PQI Tiffy, Integral's Crypto Dual, and the LaCie RuggedKey) are in this category for very different reasons.

PQI's Tiffy is the slimmest drive in our round-up. With its height of 4.5 mm, it’s just as thick as a USB port. This makes it significantly smaller than the other products we benchmarked. The size difference is especially notable compared to the rugged drives on the previous page. It might not stand up to rough treatment like they can, but we're a lot more comfortable with the Tiffy in our key chain.

The Integral Crypto Dual, as well as the LaCie RuggedKey, encrypt data using 256-bit AES. They only allow access to that data once you've entered a password that's set through bundled software.

LaCie's RuggedKey employs a modified version of TrueCrypt. It also includes a simple data backup utility called LaCie Timeline, which unfortunately doesn’t feature disaster recovery.