Hey gang, Valkor here. And I'm back with another tasty treat from the folks at Kingston. Last round the Val-Cave took on the HyperX with its SSD-like speeds and USB 3.0 compatibility. Well we're gonna stay in the 3.0 realm, but take things down a slight notch with a mid-level entry, let's dive into Kingston's DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 16GB flash drive - or G2 Ultimate for short.
On the outside, the G2 Ultimate stands at about the same size as the HyperX (pic below). The differences between the two are shape and color; the G2 Ultimate is more rounded with a grey and white color scheme, and a removable cap that can be placed at the tail end of the drive. We received the 16GB version, but the drive also comes in a 32 and 64GB as well.
The G2 Ultimate touts speeds of 100MB read and 70MB write; definitely a step down from the HyperX, but still no slouch when it comes to the quick. I used the same set up as with the HyperX, including the files to measure just how fast this baby can fly; in short I used a 90MB, 700MB, and a 1.45GB file on a souped up Dell.
- Read speeds (from the drive) of the drive is as follows: 1.45GB – 15s, 700mb – 7s, 90MB – under a second
- Write Speeds (onto the disk) checks in at: 1.45GB – 26s, 700MB – 14s, 90MB – 3s
So real world transfer rates rank just under the HyperX, but still impressively fast. Like always speeds may vary depending on your setup, but you should see similar results; and now on with the TOV Breakdown.
The Bang:
The G2 Ultimate 3.0 is a drive that mid-level to major players can really make use of. It's all about transfer speeds and while the G2 clocks in just under the HyperX, it still does a pretty swank job of holding its own against its big brother. The G2 Ultimate makes for a nifty travel companion for use with your laptop, netbook, or ultrabook, allowing you to move and store huge chunks of data without slowing you down on the transfer, giving you the speeds you need when you need it the most.
The Slack:
Another nitpick, no issues or points taken off but I really love the look of the HyperX and I wish the G2 a style along those lines. Not exactly the same, but something just as cool and edgy. I'll shut up now.
In the end Kingston G2 Ultimate 3.0 is an impressive drive and the perfect storage unit for large data files such as movies, music, or HD images. It's great speed at an affordable price (last checked on the Kingston site – on sale for 37.50). And out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving the G2 Ultimate a 4 and it's been Valkor tested, TOV Approved!