Kingston Technologies DataTraveler HyperX 4GB Author:  Michael Bosse Date:  2008.06.30 Topic:  Storage Provider:  Kingston Manufacturer:  Kingston

3. Benchmarks and Testing

SiSoft Sandra

The long respected SiSoft Sandra test shows that this drive has average performance when compared to four other drives in its class. In this test, the highest numbers are the best numbers. A key thing to note is that while this drive has relatively bad performance for small files, as files get larger the performance begins to climb and is nearly the same as the best drive on the list at the very end. These results are pretty decent, but we need to get some more perspective about how this drive really performs on its own.

CrystalDiskmark 2.1

The advertised read speed was 30MB/sec, and my measured speed was 26.86 MB/sec. This is a difference of 13% from the advertised speed. Percentages aside, consider that the non HyperX DataTraveler drives sport a typical read speed of around 15MB/sec, this product is a marked improvement. As for the advertised write speed of 20MB/sec, this benchmark has the product exceeding it by well over 4MB/sec. This is a 23% increase over the advertised speed; awesome!

Datamarck 0.0.4

One issue that is important are the spikes up and down in the other tests that I performed. Datamarck is known for reliable and accurate results. Overall, the average read speed was 30.9MB/sec, well over the advertised speed of 30.0MB/sec. If you notice, the curves are fairly smooth and there was very little change in the transfer rate for the duration of the test. These results are a testament to the reliability of both this test and the drive.

HD Tune 2.55

The HD Tune tool measures not only the performance of the drive over its entire length, but it also measures latencies. Latency is defined as the length of time required to seek to and open a file handle on a drive. Because there are no moving parts inside of a flashdrive, obviously the access times are going to be very low: 0.7ms in this case. The typical access times for a hard disk range anywhere from 3 to 30ms, this drive is an order of magnitude faster! Overall, the read performance was exactly on par with the manufacturers advertised speed, which leads me to believe that CrystalDiskmark may be using a different access method with extra overhead as compared to this test. Anyway, I've now confirmed that the drive is capable of performing up to specification on the read test.

4. Conclusion

The Kingston Technologies, the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 4GB flashdrive has passed the acid test with flying colors. This drive is extremely well constructed. I have been known to easily destroy flash drives; So far, I've had this drive for two weeks and it still looks as good as new. My only real complaint is that it lacks a way to hang it from a lanyard. However, it more than makes up for this gripe with an extendable tip. The tip is extensible by using a switch on the side of the device. This design keeps dirt and grease from accumulating inside the tip and rendering the drive useless. Buildup on the contacts of flashdrives is one of the most common causes of drive failure. When you consider that the average selling price of this drive is around $80, you really are getting what you pay for. In the tests that I carried out, the drive exceeded every listed specification. All in all, Kingston Technologies has a real winner here!

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