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Corsair Flash Voyager 512MB USB Flash Memory Review
Corsair Flash Voyager 512MB USB Flash Memory Review - PCSTATS
Corsair, a name we're all familiar with for their enthusiast quality SDRAM and DDR memory has recently entered the flash drive industry with the aptly named Flash Voyager.
Filed under: Memory Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: Corsair Dec 22 2004   C. Sun  
Home > Reviews > Memory > Corsair Corsair Voyager 512MB

Testing the Flash Voyager

We've tested a couple different USB flash drives at PCstats, and realistically speaking there isn't too much of a difference when it comes to file transfer speeds and such. The main spec you'll want to watch out for is if the device is 'USB2.0' compliant, not just if it will work with a USB2.0 port. Devices which communicate at USB2.0 speeds do so at 480Mbits/second. This is sometimes also called Hi-Speed USB. On the other hand, USB1.1 (or just USB) devices communicate at a paltry 12Mbits/second by comparison.

Not all PCs have USB2.0 ports, but you can quickly check your system by going to the 'Device Manager' under 'My Computer', and expanding the 'Universal Serial Bus' section. If you see an entry along the lines of 'Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller' present, then your system has USB2.0 ports. Different motherboard chipsets support different numbers of USB2.0 ports, so consult your motherboard manual to find out which USB ports on the board are 'Hi-Speed.'

SiSoft Sandra 2005 Source:Sandra

Sandra is designed to test the theoretical power of a complete system and individual components. The numbers taken though are again, purely theoretical and may not represent real world performance. Higher numbers represent better performance.

Sandra 2005 Benchmark Results

Corsair Flash Voyager

Crucial Gizmo 2.0

Crucial Gizmo Gigabyte GO-U0128B
Interface: USB2.0 Interface: USB2.0 Interface: USB1.1 Interface: USB2.0
Size: 512MB Size: 512MB Size: 256MB Size: 128MB

Buffered Read : 17 MB/s
Sequential Read : 17 MB/s
Random Read : 14 MB/s
Buffered Write : 2641 kB/s
Sequential Write : 11 MB/s
Random Write : 7 MB/s
Average Access Time : 15 ms

Drive index 14000

Buffered Read : 5 MB/s
Sequential Read : 5 MB/s
Random Read : 3559 kB/s
Buffered Write : 1657 kB/s
Sequential Write : 5 MB/s
Random Write : 1117 kB/s
Average Access Time : 5 ms

Drive index 3440

Buffered Read : 898 kB/s
Sequential Read : 898 kB/s
Random Read : 898 kB/s
Buffered Write : 765 kB/s
Sequential Write : 892 kB/s
Random Write : 759 kB/s

Drive Index 718

Buffered Read : 8 MB/s
Sequential Read : 8 MB/s
Random Read : 8 MB/s
Buffered Write : 3382 kB/s
Sequential Write : 7 MB/s
Random Write : 2264 kB/s

Drive Index 6193

The results SiSoft Sandra 2005 reports is pretty close to what Corsair quotes the Flash Voyager as being capable of. Buffered and Sequential read is 17MB/s, which is extremely fast, and Random read is still quick at 14MB/s. The Flash Voyager is also very quick at writing with Buffered write at 2.6MB, Sequential Write at 11MB/s and Random Write at 7MB/s. Access time of the Flash Voyager is a little high at 15ms, I ran the test a few times and got the same results.

Definitely Different!

When it comes to moving data around nothing can beat a good USB flash drive. With more manufacturers jumping on the flash memory bandwagon, the increased competition has driven down prices drastically. Earlier in the year I paid $170 CDN for a 512MB USB 2.0 drive, now for that price you can almost buy a 2GB model that's substantially faster!

With a retail price of $73 CDN ($59 US) , the Corsair Flash Voyager is quite a good deal for a 512MB drive that's so fast. Performance in SiSoft Sandra speaks for itself, and there the Flash Voyager is more than three times faster than the Crucial Gizmo 2.0 in reading, and twice as fast when it comes to writing.

The rubber casing makes the Flash Voyager extremely durable and if you're hard on your components you won't have to worry about the Corsair Flash Voyager breaking! We dropped it down a flight of stairs which didn't even leave a mark on the USB drive, and was good to go when we got back into the office. The only things we have to complain about are purely cosmetic, the rubber casing is sticky and a magnet for dirt and dust. If you're looking for one of the fastest USB 2.0 drives on the market, the Corsair Flash Voyager is exactly what the doctor ordered!

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Related Articles

Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. Crucial Gizmo 2.0 512MB USB Hard Drive Review
2. Crucial 256MB 'Gizmo' USB Hard Drive Review
3. Gigabyte GO-U0128B 128MB USB Hard Drive Review
4. Transcend Wireless 128MB JetFlash Review
5. Gigabyte GN-WLBZ201 USB/802.11b Dongle Review

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Contents of Article: Corsair Corsair Voyager 512MB
 Pg 1.  Corsair Flash Voyager 512MB USB Flash Memory Review
 Pg 2.  — Testing the Flash Voyager

 
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