Solved Flash Drive Help

bigmck

Very Senior Member
Guru
Gold Member
VIP
Local time
11:35 PM
Messages
4,745
Location
Houston, Texas
I have never needed a Flash Drive before so I have never looked at prices. Since I have a laptop now with very little on it besides Win 7 and a few programs, I thought I would get a 32 GB Flash Drive to backup my C: partition. I was amazed at the spread of prices. The same size can go from $25 to $125. When I have bought DVD's in the past I have always gotten the cheapest and never had a problem with them. Is it the same way with Flash Drives or do I need to buy something besides the cheaper ones for my back ups? Thanks,
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
CPU
Intel Core i3-2120 3.30Ghz
Motherboard
Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Socket H2 ATX
Memory
Kingston 4 GB DDR3 1333 mhz
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD6670
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Audigy SE 24-Bit
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus VE228
Screen Resolution
1440 X 900
Hard Drives
OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB Sata 3 SSD ==
Kingston SH103/S3 120 G Hyper X 120 GB SSD ==
Western Digital 500 GB Caviar Green 7200 RPM ==
PSU
Corsair CX600M == 600 Watt
Case
NZXT Apollo - Silver with Clear Side Panel
Cooling
Three 120 mm Fans
Keyboard
Microsoft Natural 4000
Mouse
Microsoft Custom Optical 3000
Internet Speed
AT&T Fiber Optic Wireless Network
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials
Browser
Chrome
Other Info
120 mm Blue LED Fan -- Three Blue LED Lazer Light Sticks
I have never needed a Flash Drive before so I have never looked at prices. Since I have a laptop now with very little on it besides Win 7 and a few programs, I thought I would get a 32 GB Flash Drive to backup my C: partition. I was amazed at the spread of prices. The same size can go from $25 to $125. When I have bought DVD's in the past I have always gotten the cheapest and never had a problem with them. Is it the same way with Flash Drives or do I need to buy something besides the cheaper ones for my back ups? Thanks,


Only buy what you need and choose a decent brand other then that Price wise it depends on what features some Flash cards have fast reads and writes just depends if you just want a data stick any will do that is acceptable size for you
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
CoreI7-6700K MrFingerIII Special Builds
OS
Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
CPU
Intel I7-6700K @ 4.6 Ghz 1.344 volts everyday OC
Motherboard
Asrock Fatality K6 Z170 Socket 1151
Memory
32GB G-Skill TridentZ 3200mhz 16-18-18-38 DDR4
Graphics Card(s)
Sli Gigabyte Windforce GTX 980 G1
Sound Card
AC97 Creative Rage Tactic 3D Headphones Bluetooth
Monitor(s) Displays
27" Asus ROG Swift PG278Q G-Sync 48" Vizio Smart HD TV
Screen Resolution
2560x1440p 27"- 48" Currently Gaming at 2560x1440p Res 2K
Hard Drives
250GB Samsung Evo840SSD Seagate baracuda 500 GB WD Mybook 500Gb 1TB Seagate Barracuda
PSU
HX1050w Corsair Silver 80plus certified crosfire/sli
Case
Enthod Pro Full Tower
Cooling
Corsair H110i GT 280 mm High Performance WaterBlock
Keyboard
Logitech wireless keyboard
Mouse
Logitech wireless mouse
Internet Speed
Cox Cable 100+ mb
Antivirus
WebRoot Spysweeper with Antivirus
Browser
IE-10, Chrome, Opera
Other Info
My Other Rig is a AMD FX8320E @4.6Ghz 16GB Ballistic Sport Ram
Mobo Asrock Fatality 990FX 120GB OCZ SSD 1TB Seagate Barracuda Corsair H75 Cooling PSU Corsair CX750
GPU GTX Gigabyte 970G1
The prices of flash drives vary because there is a big spread in terms of speed. Unfortunately the US websites don't tell you what speed you can expect. If you have decided on a particular model, let me know. I can check on a German website what the speed will be and whether that is good or bad.

But for system backup I would really recommend an external disk - maybe 500GB. Those images are pretty big and even a 32GB flash drive will not hold a lot. My images are around 25GB a piece. And I make a new image 2 or 3 times per week. An old image from 6 weeks ago is not really worth a lot because you would lose 6 weeks worth of work if you restored that. But I always keep about 10 vintage images just in case there was a problem for a while that I did not notice immediately.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
When I have bought DVD's in the past I have always gotten the cheapest and never had a problem with them
When I started with dvds, I also bought the least expensive.
When I went to play them in the future, many had degraded.

I then started using Taiyo Yuden https://www.google.com/search?q=tai...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
They are probably the best on the market and not much more expensive than the "cheapies". FWIW

Also agree with WHS - external hdd is best for backup image.

Just wanted to add - You can get a portable external - 500gb for $50,00 (no need to plug into an outlet, for the same price as a 30 gb flash) http://www.amazon.com/External-Hard-Drives-Storage-Add-Ons/b?ie=UTF8&node=595048
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built
OS
Windows 7 Professional X64
CPU
Core i7 (2nd gen) i7-2600K / 3.40GHz
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z77-V Intel 7 Series Motherboard
Memory
DDR3 2400MHz (OC) 16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000, -1988 Mb
Sound Card
8 ChannelsAudio Chipset Realtek ALC892
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 29UM65 Black 29"
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1080
Hard Drives
840 EVO 250 GB SSD ;2tb (2);Seagate;1tb Seagate; 750 gb Seagate; wd ext (2) 750 gb,WD 2tb X 2;WD 3TB Black
PSU
750 watt
Case
Thermaltake RX -1
Cooling
2120mm Fans Included 1Other Fan Ports 5x 200mm Fan Ports
Keyboard
Microsoft Digital Media Pro
Mouse
Microsoft Wireless 6000
Internet Speed
U-verse 18 mbps
Antivirus
MSE
Browser
Firefox, Chrome and my favorite: Pale Moon
Other Info
HdHomerun Dual Tuner.
SRS Audio Lab,
Pioneer BDR 208-DBK
PS3-What a difference in my Surround Sound Receiver!
HP 4540s - My new Toy.
Epson R280 Printer- To personalize my Dvds.
Canon MP 560 - For scanning.
Thanks a lot for all of your ideas. I appreciate it.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
CPU
Intel Core i3-2120 3.30Ghz
Motherboard
Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Socket H2 ATX
Memory
Kingston 4 GB DDR3 1333 mhz
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD6670
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Audigy SE 24-Bit
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus VE228
Screen Resolution
1440 X 900
Hard Drives
OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB Sata 3 SSD ==
Kingston SH103/S3 120 G Hyper X 120 GB SSD ==
Western Digital 500 GB Caviar Green 7200 RPM ==
PSU
Corsair CX600M == 600 Watt
Case
NZXT Apollo - Silver with Clear Side Panel
Cooling
Three 120 mm Fans
Keyboard
Microsoft Natural 4000
Mouse
Microsoft Custom Optical 3000
Internet Speed
AT&T Fiber Optic Wireless Network
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials
Browser
Chrome
Other Info
120 mm Blue LED Fan -- Three Blue LED Lazer Light Sticks
You've given me enough - they were just a little return.:)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built
OS
Windows 7 Professional X64
CPU
Core i7 (2nd gen) i7-2600K / 3.40GHz
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z77-V Intel 7 Series Motherboard
Memory
DDR3 2400MHz (OC) 16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000, -1988 Mb
Sound Card
8 ChannelsAudio Chipset Realtek ALC892
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 29UM65 Black 29"
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1080
Hard Drives
840 EVO 250 GB SSD ;2tb (2);Seagate;1tb Seagate; 750 gb Seagate; wd ext (2) 750 gb,WD 2tb X 2;WD 3TB Black
PSU
750 watt
Case
Thermaltake RX -1
Cooling
2120mm Fans Included 1Other Fan Ports 5x 200mm Fan Ports
Keyboard
Microsoft Digital Media Pro
Mouse
Microsoft Wireless 6000
Internet Speed
U-verse 18 mbps
Antivirus
MSE
Browser
Firefox, Chrome and my favorite: Pale Moon
Other Info
HdHomerun Dual Tuner.
SRS Audio Lab,
Pioneer BDR 208-DBK
PS3-What a difference in my Surround Sound Receiver!
HP 4540s - My new Toy.
Epson R280 Printer- To personalize my Dvds.
Canon MP 560 - For scanning.
Back
Top