I like the convenience of having Windows To Go available via a USB thumb drive that I carry around with me on my keys. Sadly the plastic SanDisk ultra fit I previous used did not survive long. It was not robust enough to cope with being carried around in my pockets and part of the plastic case snapped off (part of the bit that fits into the USB port).
I have tried a few different designs and had high hopes for some all metal drives including the Kioxia U366 and Kingston DataTraveler Micro. Sadly USB thumb drives are not all created equal and whilst the physical design was perfect for my needs these drives were simply not fast enough to run Windows To Go.
@steve6375 states that -
....USB transfer Speed is very dependent on 4k random I/O rd/wr speed of the USB drive. Use Crystal DiskMark to measure. 4KiB Q1T1 - ignore manufacturers quoted sequential access speeds!
Some 'fast' USB 3 drive have terrible 4k block speeds!
For WinToGo to be usable, should be at least 1MB/s 4k random rd/write.....
After experimenting with a few drives I have settled on using a Samsung Fit Plus - 64 GB version purchased from Amazon UK for £12.
Unlike the SanDisk ultra fit I was using previously the part that fits into the USB port is metal. This drive appears to be more robust (than the SanDisk) and does not appear to get as hot in use. It is part plastic (including the bit that connects to the keyring) and time will tell whether it stands up to everyday carry.
Flash memory has a limited write cycle andI have no idea how long the flash memory will survive windows usage, however this is for occasional rather than everyday usage.
I will post some pictures and results from CrystalDiskMark soon.
misty