USB Keys (Windows to go).

[Chewy509]

Hi Guys,

We've started to play with Windows to Go at work (both Win8 and Win10), and the area we are having issues with, is finding decent 64GB/128GB USB keys that perform well in this role.

Has anyone used a set of keys that they are happy with in this role?

 

[Howell]

Not getting into it yet. In what way does it not perform well? Are you using certified drives?

 

[Chewy509]

The main issue is the current set of keys we have, all tend to have really sluggish moments when starting applications and when any IO is involved.

None of our drives are on the official list...

 

[B4RSK]

I haven't tried this but I have a couple of shots in the dark...

I expect it would work fairly poorly over USB2. Are you using USB3?

If you're using USB3 and still having issues then perhaps buy & try one of the certified drives to see if that resolves the issues.

 

[time]

You need a flash drive with a proper SSD multi-channel controller and appropriate firmware. The only one I can see available in Oz (but it's one of the best) is the Corsair Voyager GTX. Megabuy at Chermside has the 128GB version in stock for AU$159.

Anandtech has some tests where they try to use USB flash drives as SSDs - scroll down to the Adobe Photoshop tests. This one here shows how badly Patriot screwed up with the same controller.

Of course, if you don't need the stick/pen/key/thumb form factor, it's much cheaper to just stick a 120GB SSD in a USB 3.0 case.

 

[Chewy509]

@time, thanks for references. I've tested a few of the keys that we tried previously, and most top out at 40-50MB/s sequential read/write, yet when I eventually found the specs of some of the certified usb keys, most are way above 200MB/s sequential read/write...

I'll pass on the idea to throw a standard SSD in an enclosure, as it appears that our options here are very limited, and as far as I'm aware form-factor is not an issue.

 

[Stereodude]

The Sandisk Extreme CZ80 are the fastest flash drives I have tried in general use (as a flash drive). A Samsung 850 Pro in a USB 3.0 enclosure would be a very solid way to go if form factor isn't critical.

 

[time]

"CZ80" is the model code for all SanDisk Extreme USB drives. It is both fast and affordable and the first thing I thought of when Chewy said he was looking for decent performance. But on the Anandtech Photoshop tests, it is nearly 4 times slower in reads and nearly 7 times slower in writes than the Corsair GTX. The Extreme Pro is better but not by that much.

Here's a suggestion for a USB 3.0 enclosure: http://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/products_review.phtml?id=10&bid=2&id2=93&sid=79347&Enclosures

It's better designed than most (I have one here but haven't benchmarked it).

Personally, I think the 850Pro is overkill for this application - I would just pick whatever looks good for under AU$60, eg Kingston V300 or SanDisk Plus. You can always upgrade.

 

[ddrueding]

Better form-factor and probably faster:

M.2 SSD to USB3

 

[time]

That is a truly excellent idea. But it's a little too bleeding edge for Oz at this stage; you can *pre-order* one from Computer Alliance for only A$69.

 

[Stereodude]

"CZ80" is the model code for all SanDisk Extreme USB drives. It is both fast and affordable and the first thing I thought of when Chewy said he was looking for decent performance. But on the Anandtech Photoshop tests, it is nearly 4 times slower in reads and nearly 7 times slower in writes than the Corsair GTX. The Extreme Pro is better but not by that much.

I have two 64gB CZ80 drives. The nice thing about them is they're the size of a normal flash drive like you're used to, which isn't the case of the GTX or Extreme Pro which will block other USB ports, or make the other ports very hard to use. However, it's not quite as good of a performer. There are always tradeoffs.

However, Chewy said form factor wasn't important...

 

[Chewy509]

Thanks for the input guys. We've decided to go with a few Kingston V300's in USB3 enclosures. (AU$85 for a 120GB V300 + enclosure).