Corsair Flash Voyager GTX Promises SSD-Level Performance
by Jarred Walton on June 2, 2014 12:27 PM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
- Corsair
- USB 3.0
- Flash Drive
- Computex 2014
When you need an easy way to carry around a bunch of data you generally have two options: for fast storage you need an SSD with some sort of USB 3.0 (or eSATA) adapter; otherwise you’re stuck with a small and portable USB stick that likely has much lower overall performance. There have been a few companies offering faster USB stick alternatives, but of course the price tends to scale rapidly. Corsair is offering another entrant into this category with their new Flash Voyager GTX, available in 128GB and 256GB capacities.
In terms of raw specs, the Flash Voyager GTX boasts read/write speeds of up to 450/350 MB/s. The drives feature support for USB Attached SCSI, SMART monitoring, and TRIM. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of information still missing; I’d like to see performance numbers for transferring lots of small files, and random I/O would be interesting as well; there’s no specific mention of the controller or NAND type either. That means we’ll have to wait for a full review before we can truly compare performance with that of SSDs.
Given the storage capacity these are obviously slightly larger USB stick enclosures. Availability is scheduled for July, with an MSRP of $120 for the 128GB model and $200 for the 256GB model.
Source: Corsair
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marc1000 - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
what is wrong with external HDD? they are cheap, even overseas, and get the job done. on usb 3.0 they reach 90/100 mb per second, and around 20 on usb2.0. for personal use that's pretty fast, and for professional use a gigabit network between the computers would get the job done.of course, a few insane people will want a pen-drive faster than his main SSD/HDD, but I just don't see this much people waiting for this product.
JarredWalton - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
It's definitely a niche product, but there are times where it's simply far more convenient to carry around a USB stick instead of a USB enclosure with a cable.mga318 - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
I'd say that its niche enough that an msata ssd and enclosure is still going to be cheaper and not much larger at all.inighthawki - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
I can't realistically attach an SSD+Enclosure on my keychain ;)tokyojerry - Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - link
I agree. Not having to deal with, full around with, a USB3 cable and an external hdd/ssd enclosure dangling off the end of the cable. If I am sitting down on a train (often the case) it is easier and more convenient to insert a high performance USB flash memory stick into a USB3 port on my Macbook Pro, then having to deal with a dangling cable / enclosure setup. Basically convenience and form factor are the considerations here for 'on-the-road' mobile production.Drasca - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
When it comes to travel, shock (dropping/falling) is to be expected, and external HDD's are toast. They also take up more space. I've got a lot of friends that use them due to price and convenient availability, and I've also got a lot of friends that frequently drop them and lose time & data. Myself included in hdd failure. Heat, shock, cold, humidity... none of these are good for hdd's, but barely affect flash.There is a price barrier, but there is definitely demand for high speed transfers on a safe travel friendly (compact & light) medium.
I think travelers & photographers would like this a lot.
ganeshts - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
These type of drives make great portable Steam drives for storing games on-the-go.Whitereflection - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
The Corsair Fanboys are obviously ignoring the fact when they are paying $120 for a 128GB USB drive, I am getting a 250GB MLC SSD for <$100 and use a cheap adapter to hook it up to my computer. In the end I am spending less, Achieved more storage with a faster speed.bji - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
Some people have enough money that choosing the most convenient storage option for their needs is a possibility. Sorry if this is not you.Morawka - Monday, June 2, 2014 - link
great for tablets with full size usb port. your solution is big, heavy, and has a wire dangling down