reliable USB 2.0 flash drive comparisons

While I know most USB 2.0 flash drives are limited to read speeds around 30-40MB/s, some drives have really crappy writes. I've searched around a bit; however, I feel most of the reviews are pretty poor. I'm looking to compare the current 16GB versions of the OCZ ATV, Corsair Flash Voyager (regular and GT versions), and Patriot Xporter (XT Boost and Rage). Not sure if there are any similar semi-rugged drives out there, doesn't need to be super durable like the Corsair Survivor.

 

ive always bought corsair usb drives never failed me once

i got the gtr and it flies like the day it was bought

 

I own a Patriot Xporter XT Boost 16 GB and been working great, but speed wise, more like 25mg/s read, 18mg/s write. If i was buying probably would go with the Patriot Xporter XT Rage 16 GB, good user reviews in most sites, has some quad design that helps with speed. But im done with USB2, im waiting to see good USB3 flash drivers, there are some, but still not convinced.

 

Patriot Rage XT, hands down. I go through a lot of USB flash drives, and hate having USB drives that perform like garbage. So over the past 2 years, I have exclusively bought Patriot drives (first Patriot XPorter drives, and most recently a Patriot Rage XT).

A Patriot Rage XT is going to be more expensive than other USB flash drives you can get. But if you are like me and care about performance, then they are worth every single penny. The drive reads and writes at near full USB 2.0 speeds (30MBps read / 25MBps write). Absolutely fantastic drive.

I will continue to buy nothing but Patriot-branded USB drive for myself, and would highly recommend the Patriot Rage XT to anyone who cares about performance out of a USB 2.0 flash drive.

I can only hope that they maintain their solid track record and reputation of releasing top-performing flash drives when they eventually roll out their line of USB 3.0 flash drives.

edit: This is one of the reviews I read before deciding to buy the Patriot Rage XT (paid about $33 for a 16GB model). It includes several other drives that you're also researching, such as the Corsair Flash Voyager GTR, Corsair Survivor, and the SuperTalent Godfather.

Patriot Xporter XT Rage 32GB Review - Page 6 - Conclusion

"In this real-world test, the Xporter XT Rage 32GB raped all the other drives."
"...the Xporter should be praised for is its excellent writing performance."
"Overall, this Patriot offering should be considered if one wants...the best possible writing performance"
​

Here's another review:
Patriot Xporter XT Rage 32GB Flash Drive Review - Overclockers Club

"With the amazing write speeds, due to the quad channel design, the Patriot Xporter XT Rage transfers the files much faster than the competition."
"The Patriot Rage had... consistently great write scores, which is the edge that this drive has over others."
"When it came to the write speeds, however, the Patriot Rage was the clear winner."​

Reviews that consistently show the Patriot Rage XT as the top-dog in write speeds is exactly the reason why I bought one for myself.

 

How are the R/W speeds of the GTR? The only reason why I didn't look at these is because they start at 32GB and I was just looking for something $20-30.

Yeah, I currently have a Patriot Xporter XT but only 4GB and wanted 16GB (damn Blu-Rays lol). I got my gf the OCZ ATV Turbo which performs wonderfully but they only sell the regular ATV Turbo which isn't nearly as fast. Never owned a Corsair.

 

I updated my last post with links to benchmarks that I used to make my purchasing decision.

I also owned a Patriot Xporter XT 4GB. When I bought it, it was consistently ranked as the top-performer in USB flash drive roundup reviews. So when I went shopping just recently for another drive, I specifically wanted another Patriot Xporter XT... and I would have bought one, if I didn't see this "Patroit Rage XT" drive that I had never heard about before, and started digging around to see what that was all about. I was blown away by how great of a drive it is.

 

Thanks for the info kent, I just ordered a 16GB Rage for $33 - $5 MIR. Will let you guys know how it performs against my (correction) 8GB Xporter XT, before I give it to my mom.

 

i agreed with the rage and boost usb cards and sgo your generous with usb....30MBps is tops and nothing really stays steady at 30. I got an external hardrive in eSATA connection puts out 70-140MBps depending on location on platter and in usb 2.0 i am lucky if i get 30MBps. it usually bonuses from 25-30MBps. Also if you use google shopping you can find some decent deals on the rage/boost drives.

 

The Rage doesn't seem much faster on benchmarks, but as stated in reviews, in real life testing, it flies! Filled up the entire 16GB with movies and random small files and it transferred everything over in almost the same time it took to fill up half of that into the Xporter XT!

 

The Patriot RageXT is nice, isn't it? I'm glad to see that you made a purchase that ended up working out for you.

As ridiculous as this sounds, I actually enjoy copying files to/from the drive, just because I like watching how fast it is for a USB 2.0 flash drive. I have recently been using Steam's Backup / Restore feature a lot to install Steam games on multiple computers, and use the Patriot RageXT to transfer the large archive files.

 

can't use the network? we always just copied the file folders from steam and pasted them in the same place in the other computer. Much faster that way and than steam just does and self check and d/ls patches

 

Usb 2.0 is faster than the network. my ltop is not cpnmected via ethernet to my router. And even if it was, it dpes not habe gigabit ethernet, so it would max out at around 10MBps. Meanwhile, USB 2.0 maxes at 25-30MBps

 

I own an 8GB Patriot Xporter and it is FAST! Mines the older version so I can't imagine how good this version is. Plus, it's very well built and protected by a thick rubber outer cover.

 

Patriot Xporter is an awesome drive. I have owned one for a few years, and bought it because of the speed.

The RageXT is faster than that. Almost unfairly fast

 

Is it just fast on sequential read/write or it also has low latency on random read/write too ?

 

It's faster on both counts.

 

hehe, now I may want to buy me new USB stick

... not that I use one often though, but I got my tax return check of 26 dollars today