My purpose in buying these was to create boot drives to install Windows Server 2012 R2. The idea is to boot to USB so as to leave all of the internal drive ports available to run a hard drive array.
Other reviewers have complained that this USB drive shows up as a hard disk and not a removable device. That is an absolute PLUS for what I am doing because I want this to be recognized as a static hard drive.
And now for the best part. The OS runs so fast that there is no appreciable difference between using this USB and booting off of a Solid State Disk. My server OS boots in about 5-6 seconds after the POST is finished. Creating a new profile after I joined it to the domain took about 2-3 seconds.
Granted, this USB drive costs as much as a 64GB SSD. But as a boot drive, it has no equal. I have used other high-speed USB drives to boot, such as the Patriot Rage XT. But I would get system stuttering consistent with a lack of IOPS. The OS running on the SanDisk Extreme responds instantly.
Honestly, if all you want to do is store files, this drive may be too much. This is way more speed than a normal user needs. But if you want a USB that can double as a hard drive for Windows 8.1 To Go or Server 2012 R2 To Go, there is nothing better than this.
As far as physical characteristics, this drive is a little on the long side. The plug is extended by a switch on the side, and hides cleanly when not in use. The plug locks into place well and does not accidentally slide back in when inserted into the port. Many slide-out drives I have used would have an issue where the plug would slide back in and I would literally have to hold the switch while inserting the drive. That does not happen. Incidentally, while working on the computer I still had the drive plugged into the back and leaned the computer on its back! I was mortified to see my brand new, expensive USB drive bent at a 45 degree angle! Amazingly, the plastic cover popped open and gave way without cracking. I was able to snap the cover back together and bend the plug all the way back to straight with almost no appreciable damage. I was extremely relieved.
I would give this 10 stars if I could. For what I do with my servers, this is an absolute gift.
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This Item  SanDisk Extreme 64 GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive up to 190 MB/s SDCZ80-064G-X46 | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $34.30 | $85.00 | $39.95 | $7.25 | $8.38 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 8 | Get it Nov 13 - 20 | — | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 8 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | — | eTECH | #1 In Service | SiliconValleySeller (SN# Recorded) | OEMPCWorld | CWP Online |
| memory capacity | 64 GB | 256 GB | 128 GB | 512 GB | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| write speed | 190 | — | — | 15X | — | 150 |
| read speed | 190 megabytes per second | 100 megabytes per second | — | — | — | 130 megabytes per second |
Yes, Virginia, there IS a difference in USB drives... and you pay for it.
Wonderful. I bought this Sandisk Extreme and a PNY Turbo 3.0 64GB together. The PNY was much cheaper, but I was willing to put my money up front to be able to test them side by side.Well, the results were great! At least for Sandisk... lol.Using ATTO Bench32, the results were thus on the largest segments:PNY Turbo USB 3.0 64GB:Read: 101487 MB/secWrite: 73644 MB/secSandisk Extreme USB 3.0 64GB:Read: 204133 MB/secWrite: 175448 MB/secSamsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD:Read: 540474 MB/secWrite: 465831 MB/secSee attached picture for more complete results.
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