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SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive


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#1 Holmes.Sherlock

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Posted 27 May 2014 - 05:31 PM

Has anyone tested SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive?

  • Available capacity: 128GB
  • Performance/Speed: Up to 240MB/s write; Up to 260MB/s read
  • Dimensions: 11.0 x 21.0 x 71.0 mm; 0.45 x 0.84 x 2.79 in
  • Operating Temperature: 0 C to 45 C
  • Storage Temperature: -10 C to 70 C
  • Compatibility: USB 3.0 and USB 2.0

Internet is flooded with +ve reviews on this product. I wonder what they have used to attain this blazing fast speed.



#2 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 27 May 2014 - 05:54 PM

Like all this "kind" of newish devices they are not "flash sticks" anymore, but rather a USB3 to Sata bridge and a SSD.

See:

http://www.thessdrev...drive-review/2/

 

And:

http://reboot.pro/to...drive/?p=177221

 

:duff:

Wonko



#3 Holmes.Sherlock

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Posted 27 May 2014 - 06:08 PM

 

How does the compressibility of data affect benchmark?



#4 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 27 May 2014 - 06:27 PM

How does the compressibility of data affect benchmark?

Broken google? :dubbio:

http://www.userbench...g/1285&tab=Wiki

http://www.tomshardw...bps,3110-5.html

http://www.tomshardw...bps,3110-6.html

http://macperformanc...sible-data.html

 

It is "inherent" with Sandforce technology (that probably, but it has to be verified) is used in *all* this kind of fastish USB3 sticks.

 

 

:duff:

Wonko



#5 Holmes.Sherlock

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Posted 27 May 2014 - 06:32 PM

Broken google? :dubbio:

 
http://reboot.pro/to...e-2#entry136647
 

Well this contradicts the original assumption that Indian skilled labour is cheap. :ph34r: If you value so much your time, I mean.



#6 dencorso

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 11:10 PM

Well, I don't know about the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive, but I have a Kingston DataTraveler Workspace 64 GB, bought on Feb 7, 2013, which also uses a SandForce controller, and is quite impressive, IMO.

I've tested it in my rather oldish Athlon XP / Asus A7V600-X and it blazes ahead of other USB 3.0 and, in "USB 2.1" mode, ahead of the best USB 2.0 pendrives, too. Moreover, because it was intended for Windows-To-Go, it reports itself as a "fixed disk" so that one can boot from it, and even put the pagefile on it, without needing to add Karyonix's DiskMod, and, then, booting full XP from it (in "USB 2.1" mode, of course) takes about the same time as booting from the internal PATA 100 HDD.

The manufacturer claims as its Max Sequential Read/Write speeds: 250/250 MB/s, which, of course, are impossible to verify on my hardware, not only due to using a PCI (not PCI-e) USB 3.0 add-on board, but also because the VIA 8237 southbridge's limits are around 150 MB/s max (since it's an early SATA I capable southbridge). The max I actually measured for this board is 132.9 MB/s of sustained sequential read on my Gigabyte i-RAM SATA 150 hardware ramdrive, on the same conditions the attached pendrive tests were performed.

Attached Files



#7 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 08:53 AM

.... because it was intended for Windows-To-Go, it reports itself as a "fixed disk" ....

I don' t think that is the actual reason.

IMHO, since it contains a USB3 to SATA bridge with a SSD connected to it, then it reports itself as a "fixed disk".

 

Though miniaturized, that is conceptually nothing but an external hard disk enclosure with a SSD inside it instead of a rotating disk.

 

:duff:

Wonko



#8 dencorso

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 09:59 PM

Though miniaturized, that is conceptually nothing but an external hard disk enclosure with a SSD inside it instead of a rotating disk.

Now, isn't that precisely what a "pendrive", "thumbdrive", "USB flash drive", or whatever else one may choose to call it, is supposed to be? dubbio.gif
Come on, technology evolves: if Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher exchanged cars, I doubt either would win any race (because of how different their racing cars were), and, yet, the machines they drove were examples of bleeding edge technology of their respective times.
So, let's not split hairs over ontology: the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive, the Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate USB 3.0 (not the G2 or G3, however), the Kingston DataTraveler Workspace USB 3.0, the Super Talent Express RC8 USB 3.0 and the Super Talent Express RAIDDrive... all of them use SandForce controllers and SATA 600 to USB 3.0 bridges and are defining examples of what a cutting-edge technology pendrive is, nowadays. And they report themselves as "fixed drives" by design, not as an afterthought, because they are meant to be used as bootdisks, even if you may be right and that stems from the fact that an SSD controller is employed. And, BTW, I'm not sure whether the 1st generation Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate USB 3.0, which was AFAIK the first pendrive to use a STA/USB bridge and a SandForce controller did actually report itself as a "fixed drive" or not (I own a G2, but I've never been able to find a 1st gen Ultimate, not even used...), although now you've given me one good reason to presume it did so.
Anyway, my take is: let's celebrate that nowadays we have pendrives displaying such fast random write times we can boot our machines from, and have fun!  :cheers:



#9 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 08:42 AM

No. (let's agree to disagree ;)).

 

That is exactly the kind of "vagueness" that helps in making what should be an (almost) exact science a mess of (contrasting) definitions :w00t: :ph34r:.

 

Basically it amounts to taking Manuel Fangio's Mercedes-Benz W196, open it's bonnet, remove from it the 8 cylinder 2.5 liters engine and replace it with a jet engine.

 

The car remains a car, but conceptually it's innards have become more similar to a jet plane, it has not anymore pistons, it uses a different fuel (and the pilot will be a tadbit warmer in the cockpit ;)), a mechanical engineer with years of experience on 4 strokes engines will be unable to service it, and the racing team will hire new engineers with aeronautical experience and buy/create new speecific tools to service and tune the new engine.

 

As a more similar item, consider the good ol' microdrives (that as a side effect allowed us to have CFADISK.SYS), you had something in the size (and same connections) of a CF card that was NOT a CF card, but rather a (very small) hard disk.

For most practical effects they were identical, yet they were different, and the idea is that people in the knows should actually be aware of these differences.

 

:duff:

Wonko



#10 dencorso

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Posted 12 June 2014 - 09:07 PM

[...] the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive, the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate USB 3.0 (not the G2 or G3, however), the Kingston DataTraveler Workspace USB 3.0, the Super Talent Express RC8 USB 3.0 and the Super Talent Express RAIDDrive... all of them use SandForce controllers and SATA 600 to USB 3.0 bridges [...]

 
A small correction is due: the original Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate USB 3.0 (not the G2 or G3, however) really used a SATA to USB bridge but the controller it used wasn't a SandForce, but actually, a Jmicron JMF612, instead. The original Kingston DT Ultimate, released Sep 2010 was also the 2nd USB 3.0 ever released, having being preceeded (Mar 2010, AFAIK, although it was first announced Nov 2009) only by the above mentioned much higher performance Super Talent Express RAIDDrive (which did use a SandForce controller). Both are out of production for quite some time already. Additionally, the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive uses a 20-82-00270-1 SanDisk controller, so, actually, not a SandForce either.
 
 

sandiskExtrem64_inside.jpg

 
 
Now, back to the main subject of this thread: this roundup features the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive, among common, garden-variety, USB 3.0 pendrives, and highlights how different an animal the SATA to USB bridge plus SSD controller driven pendrives are. Notice in particular the 4k random-write speeds.
 
And, BTW, the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 Flash Drive seem to be set as "Removable Media" nowadays, so that even for pendrives using SSD controllers, that's just a seeting in the firmware, as always. See the reviews on this amazon page from which I've selected the quote below:
 

My name is Allen from SanDisk support. For a limited period in 2013, SanDisk USB Flash drives were produced with Fixed Disk configuration. At the end of 2013 SanDisk reverted to producing USB Flash Drives with Removable Disk configuration". For detailed information, please contact SanDisk support at 1-866-SANDISK or submit a support request at www.sandisk.com/support.






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