Super Talent Express DUO USB 3.0 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 Super Talent Express DUO, 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.

Super Talent Express DUO - USB 3.0

Super Talent Express DUO - USB 2.0

According to Super Talent, the Express DUO is capable of reading at 67 MB/s when reading. When connected to the computer's USB 3.0 port, the drive had no problems reaching that speed in our tests. Using USB 3.0 didn't have much of an effect on the Express DUO's write speeds though. In both cases, it maxed out at 16 MB/s.

HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0:

Next, I used HD Tach to test the Express DUO'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 Express DUO had average read and write speeds of 67.0 MB/s and 20.4 MB/s, respectively, as well as a burst speed of 68.6 MB/s. Using USB 2.0 didn't have much of an effect on the drive's write speeds. However, its read speeds dropped by nearly half.

ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:

I also used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the Express DUO'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.

Super Talent Express DUO - USB 3.0

Super Talent Express DUO - USB 2.0

When tested with ATTO, the Express DUO's read speeds topped out at about 67 MB/s and its write speeds at 20 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 Express DUO lagged behind the other drives, 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 Super Talent'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 Express DUO performed very well here, taking less than 3 minutes to write our test data and a mere 13 seconds to read it back.

Final Thoughts:

If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, the Express DUO just might be it. While not the fastest USB 3.0 flash drive in Super Talent's lineup, the Express DUO performed very well in our tests, reading at 67 MB/s and writing at speeds up to 20 MB/s. The drive's read speeds dropped by nearly half when plugged into a USB 2.0 port. However, it was still faster than most of the flash drives we've tested.

Aside from the fact that you can't store the Express DUO's cap on the opposite end when in use, my only real issue is the drive's construction. Given, this is a budget priced drive and its not going to be bulletproof. However, things like the USB connector shouldn't be loose right out of the packaging. Thankfully, the Express DUO is backed by a 5 year warranty so if it would fall apart, you should be covered.

The Express DUO is available now in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities with suggested retail prices ranging from $14 to $59 depending on the size.

Highs:

• Fast transfer rates
• Backwards compatible with USB 2.0
• Powered off the USB bus
• Five year warranty
• Reasonably priced

Lows:

• Weak construction
• Cap cannot be placed on opposite end of drive