Testing, Use, and Conclusion:
The Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 is best used in a USB 3.0 port but is of course compatible with USB 2.0. When used in a USB 2.0 port you do get the advantage of optimized data transfer at full USB 2.0 speeds of 30MB/s Read and 20MB/s Write. I have used all too many thumb drives that ended up having real transfer rates between 2 to 7MB/s. I want proof and so should you, proof that the DataTraveler actually attains the claimed speeds. Let’s take a look.
HD Tune
This is the definition of “Under promise and over deliver”. The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 never touches its rated speed of 150MB/s, instead it exceeds it by 41.9MB/s to achieve an average read speed of 191.9MB/s! As you can see from the chart above it spent most of its time nearer the 200MB/s mark dipping at its lowest to 171MB/s, a full 21MB/s faster than Kingstons claims. Let’s confirm this and check the read speed.
Crystal Disk Mark
Crystal Disk Mark confirms the information we were receiving from HD Tune and raises the bar to a full 192MB/s read. We can also see here the write speed of 88.92MB/s. This is a phenominally fast thumb drive that at a 64GB capacity becomes useful for all manner of files.
As you can see this is no where near the 191MB/s to 192MB/s we were getting above. This is probably a lot closer to what you can expect if you purchase the drive for casual use. The drive is still very fast all things considered.
About the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3:
This drive is available in 32 and 64GB capacity, has a five year warranty with free tech support. I can’t remember the last time or any time for that matter that I called tech support for a thumb drive. It usually boils down to either an RMA or a lost file. Either “He’s Dead Jim” or breakout the file recovery software. It is still nice that Kingston has made the option available.
Conclusion:
Given the size, durability, speed, and warranty of the new DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 I am happy to award it our Editor’s Choice Award. It represents an excellent value and quality and is a drive I would choose to purchase and use myself.
” As you can see this is no where near the 191MB/s to 192MB/s we were getting above.”
That is because you are copying *to* the drive and hence the write speed is 70-80mb/sec.