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Who makes the best USB thumb drives?

M

mshan

Diamond Member
Who makes the best USB thumb drives?

Is there a MB size that most people prefer as the "sweet spot" between storage capacity and price?

And is it safe to get one wtih the USB port unprotected (especially if I would like to leave it on my car key chain)?
 
I think Kingston has some of the better ones...but they're all good. I would advise you to get one with a cap, to prevent damage to the input. And I believe the "sweet spot" you're looking for is 256mb. You can get it for around $25.
 
arstechnica had a review of a bunch of them a couple months ago. I won't get anything less than 1GB now. Anything less is a waste.
 
What I do......is purchase a flash card reader....CF or SD......many times you
can get these from OfficeMax free AR...........
Then buy yourself a flash card.............easy to use, easy to upgrade........
Greg
 
Originally posted by: GregMal
What I do......is purchase a flash card reader....CF or SD......many times you
can get these from OfficeMax free AR...........
Then buy yourself a flash card.............easy to use, easy to upgrade........
Greg
Click to expand...

Yup, those work pretty good. Personally I've found all thumbdrives to work just fine. Definitely would recommend getting one with a protected end and that won't get separated from it's keychain easily. Also size makes a difference. Some won't fit into tiny USB ports.
 
The Imation thumb drives are sweet, small, spin/cap = rugged. The 2GB variation is the one I use (I didn't buy it though, I use it for work... so sweet though!)
 
The Imation 2GB are going for a cool $300... glad I didn't have to pay for mine 😉 (2GB is sooo sweet though 🙂 ) *edit* especially w/ transfer rates of ~10MB/s faster than burning a disk 😛
 
Hands down, SanDisk make the best thumb drives there is. I love their Cruzer Micro line. I currently own a 256mb Cruzer Micro and have plans to purchase their 2GB Cruzer Micro.
 
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Hands down, SanDisk make the best thumb drives there is. I love their Cruzer Micro line. I currently own a 256mb Cruzer Micro and have plans to purchase their 2GB Cruzer Micro.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
Can someone tell me how the data is retained on these drives ? I assume they are some type of small solid state drives. What power source keeps the data on the drive.

Also, how long will these drive hold information/data on them ?? Indefinately ??

Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Hands down, SanDisk make the best thumb drives there is. I love their Cruzer Micro line. I currently own a 256mb Cruzer Micro and have plans to purchase their 2GB Cruzer Micro.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. The only thing I don't like about the Micro is for a lot of antec cases you can't plug it in the front port because it uses a lot of power and so you need to plug it directly into the motherboard ports (at least on my and my dad's pcs). I didn't know they have a 2gb MICRO out, I would definately have to check that out. Also don't get anything below 512mb, I got my micro for 25 bucks.
 
Originally posted by: wpshooter
Can someone tell me how the data is retained on these drives ? I assume they are some type of small solid state drives. What power source keeps the data on the drive.

Also, how long will these drive hold information/data on them ?? Indefinately ??

Thanks.
Click to expand...

did you forget to take computers 101?

RAM which is most commonly found in your Desktop computer, stands for Random Access Memory and is used for temporary data storage, as once its external power source is removed, it no longer maintains the data it has stored.

ROM which is used in thumbdrives stands for Read Only Memory, maintains the data it stores permenently without the need for an external power source.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/rom.htm
 
DrCool:

No external power, thus that must mean it has some internal power source/supply. Am I correct in then assuming that there is some type of battery power supply in these drives and if so, what happens to your data when the battery decides to go south ?? If the power supply is an internal battery, what is the general expected life of same and does it give some type of warning when it is about to fly away ?

Thanks.
 
DrCool:

Here is a statement that my research just found.

"There is generally a 5-year warranty for flash drives, but this type of memory is normally rated for memory retention for 10-plus years. (Incidentally, flash drives are altitude-rated to 80,000 feet. Who got to do that test?)"

Although these drives apparently have need for neither an internal or external power supply, there is a fairly definative limit as to how long they will hold data. I do understand that 10 years is a fairly long period of time, especially as related to computer technologies.

Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Hands down, SanDisk make the best thumb drives there is. I love their Cruzer Micro line. I currently own a 256mb Cruzer Micro and have plans to purchase their 2GB Cruzer Micro.
Click to expand...

1 more vote for the Cruzer - my 512 has been through the wash 3 or 4 times even and it's still tickin'.

 
I have a 1gig cruzer mini, figured it would be a bit faster copying files but its not so bad(8megs/sec).
 
Originally posted by: shabby
I have a 1gig cruzer mini, figured it would be a bit faster copying files but its not so bad(8megs/sec).
Click to expand...

This is the only downfall of the Cruzer line, the speed is USB 2.0 but if you're copying multiple files as opposed to copying one large file, it will slow the transfer speeds down.
 
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