Review: OCZ Rally2 Turbo USB 2.0 Dual Channel Flash Drive
Don Bradbury compares the characteristics and performance of a highly developed modern USB Flash Drive with older alternatives
| Product | Rally2 Turbo USB 2.0 Dual Channel Flash Drive |
|---|---|
| Company | OCZ Technology |
| Web | www.ocztechnology.com |
| Price | £28.99 from Overclockers |
| We like | Extremely fast dual channel technology; strong metal casing |
| We don't like | Rather expensive; physically larger than some of the competition |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Requirements | Windows XP and Vista |
Technical developments in the application of flash memory in general - and USB flash drives in particular in terms of this report - have been huge in recent times. We decided to take a look at the highly regarded, dual channel, OCZ Rally2 Turbo USB 2.0 memory stick, and went for the 4GB option. That's probably typical of the capacity favoured by the majority of current PC users, and it should prove ample for most common applications.
We ranked this device principally alongside a much cheaper current Flash Drive, the Sandisk Cruzer Micro Skin, also with 4GB of nominal capacity available, as well as a three year old USB 2.0 flash drive that came to hand to see just how much advantage there was to be had by availing oneself of recent technical developments. While Sandisk had gone principally for the ergonomics of handling, OCZ clearly went for all-out performance.
So first, the physical presentation of the drives. The OCZ unit was not tiny; the working body of the metal-encased device was 40% longer than the plasic shrouded Sandisk unit, or 21% longer if you include the USB connector and the man-sized flashing LED end of each device. The OCZ was also 16% thicker, and correspondingly heavier. Not that weight is likely to be a very persuasive point, but these things are for carrying around and, coupled with size, just might enter the equation for some users.
We believe it's the performance of the flash memory that's going to be the deciding factor for many, weighed against the per GB price. The dual channel OCZ Rally2 Turbo was, at the time of writing, available at £28.99 from Overclockers, while the Sandisk device we tested was, also at the time of writing, available at £7.48 from Tesco, and from Amazon at an amazingly inexpensive £4.95. Readers will bear those facts in mind while they contemplate the peformance figures.
We didn't think most folks would be interested in theoretical throughput data, based on optimum conditions that are not likely to be met in practise. We have preferred a straight comparison of direct data transfer rate from an up-to-date copy of Windows Vista, the timings taken to and from the hard disk of a typical working PC that's of the level of capability likely to be found in the average home. With that in mind, the figures should be taken purely comparitively, so the performance of the PC itself - which would obviously bring its own features into play - become less significant.
Data transfer rates
We used a 324MB AVI for our large-single-file first comparison, and then a 394MB batch of MP3 files for our smaller-files tests. These we felt would be typical of the sort of data transfer operations likely to be carried out by many PC users. They will not represent the maximum transfer rates you could possibly see, but they serve to illustrate the differential between the drive types.
The table below summarises our findings. From it you'll note the outstanding performance of the OCZ drive. It fairly blitzed its way though the sort of data transfer operations that many of us carry out daily. Those who would stand to gain by significantly cutting the time taken to make such common data movements will have in mind the obvious gains alongside the additional cost of the units which are involved, but cost aside, the performance gains were highly significant and they demonstrate state of the art at the present time.
Originally the OCZ drive included a dedicated USB cable in the pack. This was intended to offset the problem of USB ports being typically hidden at the back of PCs and thus improve access. It had a female port at one end to accept the drive. Nowadays, most PC's bring a couple of ports to the front, so the extra cost of the lead could safely be saved by OCZ. But if they find themselves in this condition, users should be careful to use a USB lead that is fully up to the job of transporting computer data at USB 2.0 spec speeds if they decide to replicate what was originally included in the OCZ pack.
The technology
Dual channel technology, as used in the OCZ Rally2 Turbo, uses two chips instead of one to handle the data flow, and this permits data streams to be read and written simultaneously. Twin chip data handling becomes significant in applications that manipulate large amounts of data in memory, and from our figures its application in the OCZ flash drive is clear to see.
Readers wanting to add to their understanding of dual channel technology might go to:
www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/133/2
And for its application to OCZ's next push in dual channel application, this time in the OCZ Throttle Drive which operates via an eSATA port for data transfer as well as USB for the power supply, might take a look at:
www.ocztechnology.com/products/flash_drives/ocz_throttle_esata_flash_drive
In conclusion
The OCZ Rally2 Turbo Flash Drive was undoubedly very fast, as our tests indicate, but it had physical strength, too. The Aluminium case felt very solid and protective. The provided lanyard may or may not be considered necessary, and the eminently losable protective cap may be thought rather naff in this day and age of pop-out USB connectors. However, it serves to keep dust out of the connecting end of the device and that's the main thing.
When you couple the real-world performance of the drive with OCZ's lifetime warranty, the deal might be considered sealed for anyone who needs out-and-out performance from their USB drives at any cost. They should certainly consider the OCZ Rally2 Turbo as a serious option in that case.
The diminutive Sandisk drive gained in terms of size/weight, and the plastic coating did a good job of protecting the device. This sort of drive might be considered by those where transportability was the prime consideration, and performance less so.
Our thanks to OCZ Technology for providing the Rally2 Turbo for this report
