Testing all 128GB’s of Flash Memory Goodness
QuickBench and CrystalDiskMark were both used to test the capacity and USB performance of the Magnum. Between these two benchmarks, we feel you’ll get the information you need without taking up too much of your precious time. And, no, we can’t overclock USB drives, although, we wished we could. On with the benchmarks!
QuickBench
Here we see what kind of transfer rates you can expect connected to the common garden variety desktop system. QuickBench is perfect for sniffing out weaknesses in a drives ability to handle from smaller 4 KB file sizes all the way up to moderate 1024 KB (1 MB) file sizes. Naturally, some data block sizes work with flash drives better than others. Of course, this reveals why we find ourselves waiting much longer when copying something to a USB pen drive.
CrystalDiskMark
Here are some real world average transfer rates that further validate the QuickBench findings. Again, it’s not uncommon to see USB performance around 29 MB/s given the limits of the USB 2.0 interface. Too bad we can’t overclock USB pen drives.
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Making sense of USB performance can be frustrating unless you know the basics. USB 2.0 is the fastest current standard supported by motherboards, controller cards, and operating systems. The theoretical maximum throughput of USB 2.0 is 480Mbps, or 40 MB/s. However, performance grade USB 2.0 Flash Drives have been pushing around 29 to 33 MB/s depending on the motherboard (or controller card). The ideal test for the 128GB XPorter Magnum would be connecting the drive to a system, or motherboard, that supports the next generation USB 3.0 standard. Though this would more fully test the capabilities of the Magnum, there are currently no USB 3.0 adapters or motherboards available on the market, but they are coming.
That leaves us with what we can say conclusively about the Patriot Memory 128GB XPorter Magnum based on current standards. It works as well as it can on current supporting platforms. If nothing else, the 128GB capacity now makes it far easier to transport huge amounts of data safely without the bulk of a conventional external USB hard drive.
However, this little marvel is going to cost you. Around $350 to $375 US to be exact. If you’ve got money to burn, definitely go for it and declare yourself the winner in any current USB flash drive showdown. However, for the rest of us, we’ll have to brand this with the Ultra Blingy Award for a little too rich for our blood.
Pros
- Largest storage capacity pen drive available
- Uses the latest flash drive memory
- Rigid, attractive casing
- Works on all Windows OS
- Beneficial in some professional environments
- Makes you want a 128GB TorqX SSD & Convoy XL
Cons
- Currently costs $350-375
- Not cost effective for regular users
- No USB 3.0 options available
Overall Score: 7.5 / 10.0
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