Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Generation 2 USB Flash Drive

Performance:

The test system used in this review was an HP dc7900. The computer came equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR2 800MHz memory, Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB SATA hard drive, NVIDIA Quadro FX570 256MB PCIe graphics card and Intel 82567LM-3 gigabit network card. For the operating system, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 Enterprise.

To test the performance of the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2, I ran a series of benchmarks using CrystalDiskMark 3.0, HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0, ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46 and SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2010.SP2. To get a feel for the drive's "real world" performance, I also copied and pasted 500MB of random files and directories in Windows Explorer.

CrystalDiskMark 3.0:

First, I ran a few quick tests using CrystalDiskMark. This benchmark tool measures the performance of a storage device by testing its sequential read and write speeds as well as its random read and write speeds using blocks 512K and 4K in size.

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 - USB 3.0

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 - USB 2.0

According to Kingston, the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 is capable of reading at 100MB/s and writing at 70MB/s when connected to USB 3.0 port. Looking at the screenshot above, you can see that the drive had no problems exceeding these speeds in our tests.

HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0:

Next, I used HD Tach to test the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2's read, write and burst speeds as well as its seek times and CPU usage.

When connected to the computer's USB 3.0 port, the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 had average read and write speeds of 130.7 MB/s and 77.7 MB/s, respectively, as well as a burst speed of 136.1 MB/s. As you'd expect, the drive wasn't nearly as fast when using USB 2.0. Compared to what we saw with USB 3.0, the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2's read speed dropped by more than 90MB/s.

ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:

I also used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2's sequential read and write speeds. The test was run using blocks ranging in size from 0.5KB to 8192KB and the total length set to 256MB.

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 - USB 3.0

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 - USB 2.0

When tested with ATTO, the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2's read speeds topped out at about 107 MB/s and its write speeds at 52 MB/s.

SiSoft Sandra File System Benchmark:

While I am not a big fan of SiSoftware Sandra's optical drive benchmarks, it is a great tool if you want to test a system's performance quickly and easily. One of Sandra's more useful tests is the File System benchmark. This benchmark gives each drive an overall score, or "Drive Index," based on the results of its read and write tests.

SiSoftware Sandra Removable Storage/Flash Devices Benchmark:

Designed with removable storage and flash devices in mind, this benchmark tests a drive's read, write and delete performance using six different file sizes (512 Bytes, 32kB, 256kB, 2MB, 64MB and 256MB).  The results are then given in both operations per minute and the corresponding net transfer rate in MB/second. This benchmark also computes an "Endurance Factor," representing the wear and life expectancy of flash devices.

While there were a few cases where the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 lagged behind the Express Duo, it had a clear advantage when writing larger files.

As I mentioned above, Sandra also expresses performance in operations per minute. To keep things simple, I've limited the results to the combined index and the total number of read/write/delete operations for each file size.

The Endurance Factor represents the wear and life expectancy of a flash device. According to SiSoft, this number is computed by "dividing the average performance (normal condition, i.e. sequential write) to the lowest performance (high-stress condition, i.e. same block re-write)."

"Real World" Benchmark:

To test the "real world" performance of Kingston's new flash drive, I copied and pasted 500 MB worth of randomly generated files and directories. All of the files are between 10 bytes and 32MB in size and no more than four directories deep.

The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 performed very well here, taking less than a minute to write our test data and a mere 12 seconds to read it back.

Final Thoughts:

The Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Generation 2 is a great choice for any enthusiast looking to take advantage of the performance offered by USB 3.0. The drive performed very well in our tests, reading at speeds as high as 130 MB/s and writing at nearly 80 MB/s. The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2's read speeds dropped considerably when plugged into a USB 2.0 port. However, with read and write speeds in excess of 30 MB/s, it was still faster than most of the flash drives we've tested. The only real issue I had was the size of the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 as the drive is so thick that it can partially block the USB port next to it.

The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 is available now in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. Suggested retail prices range from $77 to $233 depending on the size. However, the drive can be picked up for considerably less from Amazon or through some of the vendors on PriceGrabber.

Highs:

• Excellent read and write speeds
• Backwards compatible with USB 2.0
• Powered off the USB bus
• Compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7
• Well constructed
• Five year warranty

Lows:

• May block adjacent USB ports
• Pricey