Test Setup

USB 3.0

The Maximum theoretical bandwidth of USB 3.0 is 5Gbps (625 MB/s); under the most common data encoding parameters this figure drops to ~400MB/s, still dwarfing the spec limits of the majority of USB 3.0 thumb drives. Though the absolute maximum data transfer rate for the drive under reasonable conditions is generally of primary importance, it's also sensible to monitor sequential performance which is regarded much more rigorous.

Up against the Voyager GTX we have Samsung’s S2 Portable 3 and Sandisk’s ExtremePRO – two other USB 3.0 flash drives. This comparison helps to demonstrate how a reliable, popular and affordable USB 3.0 drive competes against Corsair’s current fastest USB storage device.

Since Windows 7 does not natively support UASP, results using this operating system can be somewhat restricted. ASUS motherboards unlock UASP via ‘USB 3.0 boost’ as part of AiSuite 3 – we will therefore test both standard and boost performance using Windows 7.

Testing Notes:-

1. Poorly configured or malfunctioning USB 3.0 ports may not recognise USB 3.0 devices, but still work in USB 2.0 mode for USB 2.0 devices. Do not assume that the drive is at fault if this occurs, especially if other USB 3.0 devices have yet to be tested.

2. For reasons unknown, some USB 3.0 ports may be limited to ~135MB/s read/write operation. Though not an issue for most drives, external USB 3.0 SSD enclosures and flash drives which are capable of greater speed will suffer.