USB 3.0 isn’t really that new. PC manufacturers have been incorporating it into their machines since last year, and external hard drive manufacturers like Western Digital and Seagate have also been taking advantage of the faster 3.0 spec for almost a year now. But 2012 is building up to be the year of USB 3.0, as Apple has just released a complete line of new MacBook Pro/Air that’s equipped with USB 3.0. Now, Sandisk has joined in on the fun with their Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drives.

Very angular in design, the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive looks very much like a futuristic concept device. It’s obvious that Sandisk wanted to impart a cutting edge feel to the product. This flash drive is of the sliding variety and I quite like the way the USB connector literally pops in and out of the matte plastic housing. The sliding mechanism seems to be spring loaded which raises a bit of concern as to how it’ll hold up in the long run, but as of now, it seems to be pretty sturdy. The Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive emits a blinking blue light when in use.

The design is but a small part of what makes a good USB flash drive, and it’s the read and write speed that makes or breaks a flash drive. Being billed as USB 3.0 flash drive puts a certain amount of pressure on Sandisk, the speed gains of the Extreme USB 3.0 must have a huge gap from the USB 2.0 variants. To verify the claims, I did a set of read/write  tests to compare the speed between the Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive and a Cruzer Fit USB 2.0 Flash Drive.

Size comparison from left to right: Sandisk Cruzer Fit, Sandisk Cruzer Blade, Sandisk Ultra Backup, Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0

Using two 1.67 GB files (for a total of 3.34 GB), I copied the files to and from the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 and Cruzer Fit USB 2.0. The file transfers were performed on a 2012 MacBook Pro with a USB 3.0 port. Here are the results:

Sandisk Cruzer Fit USB 2.0 on a 2012 MacBook Pro (has USB 3.0 ports)

• Read (copying files from flash drive to MBP) = 3 minutes 2 seconds
• Write (copying files from MBP to flash drive) = 12 minutes 45 seconds

Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 on a 2012 MacBook Pro (has USB 3.0 ports)

• Read (copying files from flash drive to MBP) = 16 seconds
• Write (copying files from MBP to flash drive) = 43 seconds

The difference is huge! Copying the two 1.67 GB files took only seconds on the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 while it took more than 12 minutes to copy the two 1.67 GB file into the Cruzer Fit USB 2.0.

For curiosity’s sake, I proceeded to test the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 on both a 2010 MacBook Air (which has USB 2.0 port) and a 2012 MacBook Pro (which also has USB 3.0 port). I wanted to see how big was the speed difference between using a USB 3.0 flash drive on a USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 port. For this particular test, I used a single 13.79 GB file. Here are the results:

Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 on a 2010 MacBook Air (has USB 2.0 ports)

• Read (copying files from flash drive to MBAir) = 6 minutes 11 seconds
• Write (copying files from MBAir to flash drive) = 7 minutes 41 seconds

Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 on a 2012 MacBook Pro (has USB 3.0 ports)

• Read (copying files from flash drive to MBP) = 1 minute 7 seconds
• Write (copying files from MBP to flash drive) = 3 minutes 27 seconds

Obviously, using the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 on a computer with a USB 2.0 port will negate any speed benefit and the result of the test was of no surprise.

Bottomline:

The result of the test speaks for itself. If your computer already has USB 3.0 ports, the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive is a good buy. The speed with which it reads and writes files definitely pays for itself. In todays digital media heavy world, the speed that USB 3.0 provides is a godsend and the Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 definitely sets the standard.

Price:

16 GB Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive = Php 1,150

32 GB Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive = Php 1,950

Availability:

All Digital Walker, Digital Hub and Beyond the Box outlets

Howard

Gadgets and video games are what Howard loves and he was fortunate enough to have dabbled in both worlds professionally. A former Editor-in-Chief of a local gaming magazine, Howard is currently busy jumping from one industry to another, analyzing and writing about all of the electronic toys he loves. His favorite noodles: Pork Leg Bihon.

email: howard@technoodling.netwebsite: http://www.technoodling.net