Are all USB drives created equal?
 Iâm sure the first thing everyone thinks of before buying a thumbdrive/pendrive/flashdrive is how big the storage is and how cheap it cost. However just because they all look almost the same, has the same familiar USB port means they all perform the same. The difference is in the type of memory used and to a certain extent they type of I/O (input/output) controllers used by the USB drives can impact the performance as well as the reliability of the device.
Just because the nice USB 2.0 logo is slapped on the packaging does not translate to equal performance with all devices. Dependant on brands some can be 2-3 times faster and last 8-10 times longer. Sadly for the average user, there are no proper industry standards to dictate what is inside a USB 2.0 drive sold to us at a store. Without consulting tech sites or blogs for reviews and benchmarks, we can only come to an educated guess the more expensive and better known brands will probably be faster and last longer.
Casual users who averagely move data files in the size ranges of 30-50MB at any one time would not need to worry about getting slower drives. However if you need to store critical information, large amounts of data and using it to supplement system memory using the ReadyBoost feature offered in Windows Vista, the difference could be immeasurable.
USB 2.0 standard supports a maximum throughput of 60MB/sec, not that anybody is pushing those limits used in current USB drives. The significant difference in USB drive performance is whether is contains one of two types of memory, SLC (single-level cell) or MLC (multilevel cell). SLC stores one bit and MLC stores in two bits of data in each memory cell. SLC is twice as fast as MLC with maximum read speeds of about 14MB/sec and write speeds of about 10-12MB/sec. No prize for guessing that most USB flash drives are built on MLC memory since SLC costs about twice as much to make.
Currently the only way you know whether youâve bought a drive that uses SLC or MLC memory is dependent on how much it costs. The more expensive the drive, the higher chance it was built using SLC. Another dependable way to judge the quality of the drive besides the price is the Windows ReadyBoost logo attached to an already well known flash drive makerâs logo. This indicates that the flash drive can be used to supplement RAM which means it speeds up the performance of the Windows Vista-equipped PCs. With that said however, the minimum specifications for Windows ReadyBoost are merely 2.5MB/sec which means even the lower-price and speed USB flash drives can in fact be used.
In a nutshell the average consumer who prioritizes price over speed of reliability, any reasonably priced USB drive would do. But if the need for longer life cycle and speed is critical, look for drives advertised as high performance, do your research online and expect to pay more. Even then, you can never be absolutely sure you are getting more bang for your buck. Happy hunting!
