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Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 64GB USB Thumb Drive

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 64GB USB Thumb Drive

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I am continually impressed with Kingstons products and as a company. I had an opportunity to visit their factory a few years back and was very impressed with their use of technology and how modern their facilities were. It is no wonder to me that they produce superior products to most companies and that their memory is among the most reliable and highest performing.

Today I am taking a look at the new Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 64GB USB thumb drive. As its name implies this is a USB 3.0 drive and according to the specifications supports transfer rates of up to 150MB/s Read and 70MB/s Write. I will test the reality of that a little later in this review. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

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According to Kingston:

Kingston’s DataTraveler® Ultimate 3.0 Generation 3 (DTU30G3) features USB 3.0 technology, which enables incredible data transfer speeds up to 150MB/s read and 70MB/s write (in USB 3.0). Now you can transport high-resolution photos, HD videos, music and more with incredible speed and ease. Its attractive, capless design complements Mac products and other stylish mobile devices. DTU30G3 is Mac and Windows compatible and backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports. It’s backed by a five-year warranty, free technical support and legendary Kingston® reliability.

 Space and Speed:

When it comes to USB thumb drives there are two primary factors involved; space and speed. They are important in that order as well. Remember functionality wins every time so if the drive doesn’t have enough space it doesn’t matter how fast it is it is not useful. Likewise you an have a large capacity thumbdrive but if its slow then you are less likely to use it even though it is still functional. Don’t discount speed when it comes to USB thumb drives. Speed is a critical factor and will determine how often you use the drive in the end.

How often have you found yourself on the way out the door and waiting for a file or files to finish copying to your external or thumb drive? Do yourself a favor and get a faster drive.

The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3:

The new G3 DataTraveler Ultimate announced at CES 2013 brings even greater performance to the DT line. The Ultimate 3.0 G3 sports an aluminum over plastic enclosure that should offer the drive some protection from bumps, bangs, and cracks. The brushed aluminum housing is not just for show either as it is quite thick and looks to wrap around the device on the corners and each end is made of a solid piece.

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Testing, Use, and Conclusion:

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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

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 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

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 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.

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 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.

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7 Comments... What's your say?

  1. ” 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.

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