Mach Xtreme USB3.0 32GB Flash Drive [Archive]

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DarkSamus

January 23rd, 2011, 03:45

Today I am reviewing the Mach xtreme 32GB USB3 flash drive

MX-FX series :: Flash :: Products :: Mach Xtreme Technology (http://www.mx-technology.com/en/product/flash2.php?sid=8#fragment-14)

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu328/DarkSamus75/Image0103.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu328/DarkSamus75/Image0106.jpg

This little sucker set me back $129 Aussie dollars and honestly I feel every cent was worth it

I bought this to use with my DVD player that has USB and plays .avi files for the purpose of getting the files on the drive quicker then my VERY substandard USB2 drive that only writes at 4MB/s

8GB (USB2.0 only)
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213572d1295753536-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-usb2.0-8gb.jpg

I ran some speed tests to see how the new one performs and here are the results

32GB in USB2.0 mode (Plugged into my cases front USB2.0 port)
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213573d1295753536-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-usb2.0-32gb.jpg
Even in USB2.0 mode this drive slaughters my old one

32GB in USB3.0 mode
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213574d1295753536-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-usb3.0-32gb.jpg
Insane speeds

There are also 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions too however I would not recommend the 16GB due to its slow write speed of only 50MB/s

However the 128GB is rated at 90MB write speed where as this 32GB (and 64GB) one I bought is rated at 80MB/s which is certainly good enough for my usage

All in all I would say its close to the best money I have ever spent and my only issues I have is with the Shintaro USB3.0 addon card I bought which was about 2mm too long to fit into the PCI-E port I wanted to use

9/10 for pure unadulterated speed minus a point for the fact its a little bulky making it block the adjacent USB port on my case

SCHUMI_4EVER

January 23rd, 2011, 08:23

What's up with it's USB2 verification taken over twice as long as your crappy old stick?
Edit: bah, missed that you were writing the full drive space...to be honest that doesn't really make it an apples to apples comparison though ~4GB would have been better. Plus it's unnecessarily reducing the life of both sticks testing writing to the whole thing like that.

DarkSamus

January 23rd, 2011, 09:35

Any specific tests I should put the drive through then?

Have never spent time testing such devices before

SCHUMI_4EVER

January 23rd, 2011, 09:37

try running the test with only 4000 Mbyte for instance, that would be more apples to apples

Phil

January 23rd, 2011, 10:26

Are these USB3 sticks really worth the price? A 160gb hdd running eSata might be a better bet

DarkSamus

January 23rd, 2011, 10:28

Re-tested with the 4000MB setting

8GB (USB2.0 only)
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213575d1295778401-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-8gb-usb2.png

32GB in USB2.0 mode (Plugged into my cases front USB2.0 port)
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213576d1295778401-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-32gb-usb2-mode.png

32GB in USB3.0 mode
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213577d1295778401-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-32gb-usb3.png

If anyone knows of other programs I should test with let me know

Are these USB3 sticks really worth the price? A 160gb hdd running eSata might be a better bet

I guess it depends what you need it for!
As a USB drive for my DVD player its perfect and makes the adding of files/videos to it painless due to its speed

But as a portable storage device I would certainly advice against it

Also I do a lot of work on other peoples PC's. Not everyone has eSata, but they do have USB. So having a good sized one means I can put a lot of tools/software I need to do the work required and doesn't take up as much space as a portable HDD so can always have it at the ready

PsyMan

January 23rd, 2011, 12:00

Hmmm, nice speeds you have there. :p

Recently got one of those WD "my passport" drives here, cause of need for portable storage, but even though it uses USB 3.0 the drive is slow as hell compared to other USB 3.0 drives.
I'm talking about half the throughput+ here which is awful no matter how you look at it. If the drive was not on discount and I cared for speed then it would be a really bad buy (fortunately only cared for size and lack of additional power cable).

Anyway, that flash drive looks sweet and the fact that you went for the faster version is even sweeter. :)

n_w95482

January 23rd, 2011, 12:20

If anyone knows of other programs I should test with let me know

Try this (http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskMark/index-e.html).

What's up with it's USB2 verification taken over twice as long as your crappy old stick?
Edit: bah, missed that you were writing the full drive space...to be honest that doesn't really make it an apples to apples comparison though ~4GB would have been better. Plus it's unnecessarily reducing the life of both sticks testing writing to the whole thing like that.

Once you get beyond 50 MB or so with a flash drive, they've pretty much hit their max speed, so it shouldn't matter whether it uses the whole thing or not. One write pass is also not really going to affect their longevity. If anything, it's a good thing to do at least once to test all of the cells.

SCHUMI_4EVER

January 23rd, 2011, 13:50

DarkSamus

January 23rd, 2011, 14:46

Try this (http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskMark/index-e.html).

8GB (USB2.0 only)
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213578d1295793921-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-8gb-usb2.png

32GB in USB2.0 mode (Plugged into my cases front USB2.0 port)
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213579d1295793921-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-32gb-usb2-mode.png

32GB in USB3.0 mode
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/hardware-reviews/213580d1295793921-mach-xtreme-usb3-0-32gb-flash-drive-32gb-usb3.png

n_w95482

January 23rd, 2011, 20:50

Looking good :).

Silenus

February 9th, 2011, 15:27

Bought a USB 3.0 2.5" hdd sata enclosure for my 160gb 7200rpm 2.5" seagate drive.
Copying at max 36MB/s according to TeraCopy on a USB 2.0 slot.

It's great, I wonder how fast it would be on a USB 3.0 slot.