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Patriot Xporter XT 4 GB Ruggedized Flash Drive
In-Depth Analysis
All tests done with HD Tune 2.55 with the fast/accurate slider one notch away from most accurate. Analysis of the transfer rate continued from the minimum the software was capable of - half-kilobyte blocks - until the transfer rate plateaued. The data was then graphed from largest block size to smallest, starting from the point of diminishing returns using a logarithmic base-2 scale - the native rate of binary computers. The big plunge starts after a block size of 64 Kb, which is capable of near-full-speed transfers. Beyond that, as the block size decreases, the transfer rate decreases logarithmically, as the block size approaches zero, so does the transfer rate. (For you math majors out there, the limit of the transfer rate fucntion as block size approaches zero is zero)
This here is the raw data that was used in computing the above curve, provided for your verification. Block sizes this small rarely if ever crop up in real-world data transfers - except where vCard files or small text files are brought into the picture. Copy operations involving writing large amounts of either of these file types or anything similar may in fact result in rather poor performance - but like I said before, these will thrash most drives and the alternative - small files in large blocks - can result in inflating the disk space requirements by more than double. (I'd recommend compressing any folder consisting of lots of small files using something like WinRAR or 7Zip and the 'solid archive' option - this takes into account the block size of small files, and by compensating for that when compressing, results in marked improvements in compression)
Raw Benchmark Data
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Conclusion
My only complaint is that the keychain loop - which will also retain the cap while the drive is in use - is cast from the same rubber that the drive is encased in, and while it will soak up impact just fine, it may not have sufficient tensile strength to stand up to a good hard tug. Despite this, everything else about this drive is excellent, sturdy, and lightning-fast. I must wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone looking for something solid, reliable, and useful but not requiring the ultra-rugged indestructableness of the Corsair Survivor. As I said earlier, the Xporter XT has become my new pocket-carry drive, a niche that I left unfilled since I started to worry about how my cheap Radio Shack drive would hold up. This one cost about what I paid for that - but with the benefits of speed, ruggedness, and supporting Vista ReadyBoost.
REAL TIME PRICING
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