INTRODUCTION

   A couple of weeks ago we tested the latest Kingston DataTraveler Micro 128GB model a very compact (tiny really) USB 3.1 Gen 1 USB flash drive which produced very good read performance but was nowhere near as impressive at write. Unfortunately as mentioned back then technology has yet to reach a point where high-end components can fit inside such tiny enclosures so a hit in write performance is to be expected right from the start. Of course for the majority of the consumer base USB flash drives like the DT Micro are more than enough but since there are always those who demand the best in both read and write performance larger (and more expensive) USB flash drives like the HyperX Savage or the Mushkin Impact are far more suitable. Today we'll be testing one such model and more specifically the latest SuperSonic Magnum 2 256GB USB 3.1 Gen 1 flash drive by our friends over at Patriot Memory.

   Patriot designs, manufactures and markets high performance, enthusiast memory modules, flash memory, and mobile accessory products. Patriot products have become world renown for their extreme performance, reliability and innovation. Patriot sells its products through original equipment manufacturers, retailers, e-tailers and distributors throughout the world with operations in North America, Asia and Europe. Patriot Memory LLC was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Fremont, California, USA. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

   Thanks to its somewhat large enclosure Patriot was able to squeeze the Phison PS2251-08(PS2308) dual-channel ultra-high-speed USB 3.0-to-Flash micro-controller chip (supports wear-leveling for increased durability) along with Toshiba MLC NAND flash inside the SuperSonic Magnum 2 256GB USB 3.1 Gen 1 flash drive so once again we see a similar high-end configuration just like the HyperX Savage by Kingston and the IMPACT by Mushkin. Unfortunately since USB 3.1 Gen 2 flash drives haven't made their debut yet in the market (the Samsung T3 and SanDisk Extreme 900 are pretty much regular sized SSDs) we expect to record similar read & write performance levels as the two mentioned models from the SuperSonic Magnum 2 (with 400MB/s read and 300MB/s write advertised speeds that's not really a bad thing). The only question is whether or not the SuperSonic Magnum 2 will be faster (or slower) so time to test it and see.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

THE SUPERSONIC MAGNUM 2 256GB

The drive gets shipped inside a typical package that has a clear plastic section at the front from where you can check it out.

All of the features are printed at the rear in three languages.

We found no lanyard in the package just the 71.8mm long, 26.9mm wide and 9.1mm thick SuperSonic Magnum 2 drive.

As you can all see the SuperSonic Magnum 2 is not small and is actually the 2nd largest USB flash drive we have here currently.

A lanyard opening is placed right next to the printed capacity of the drive.

The company logo and URL are both printed on the other side.

Patriot has used the typical removable cap design for the SuperSonic Magnum 2 line so when used you can mount the protective cap at the rear.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Since flash drives are basically plain storage media devices just like solid state drives and hard disk drives we are using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record the achieved performance numbers. The benchmark suites used are HD Tach RW (Read Speeds / Long Bench 32mb Zone Testing), HD Tune Pro (Read speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Pro (Read / Write speeds), AIDA 64 Engineer Edition (Average Linear Read / Random Read speeds), Crystal Disk Mark x64 (100MB-1000MB Read / Write speeds) and finally ATTO (Max Read / Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average performance numbers are recorded into our charts (0 = we were unable to complete that test).

   All tests are performed with our main rig running Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Service Pack 1 complete with every update until April 27th 2016 (UASP compatible models are tested using a fresh Windows 8.1 installation on a Plextor m6e). As always for comparison purposes in the charts you will also find many other flash drivers which have been tested using the same exact test bench as the one in this review (we really can't keep every flash drive we get forever and also even if we could testing them all again and again would simply not be possible).

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

CONCLUSION

   We’ve already seen several USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 flash drives with SSD internals so the impressive read & write performance levels achieved by the SuperSonic Magnum 2 256GB model didn’t really surprise us. Now it did turn out to be a bit faster compared to the IMPACT 256GB model by Mushkin but it’s just as fast (trades punches but the end result is 50-50) as the HyperX Savage 128GB model by Kingston (although half in capacity we don’t think its 256GB variant would do worse) so again it just doesn’t offer something new (we expect Gen 2 models to change that when we see them) In terms of performance. The brushed aluminum housing is perhaps the only aspect which some people may consider better compared to the rubber/rugged housing of the Savage drive since aside upping the build quality of the drive it also provides the means with which the Phison controller gets cooled (the downside however is that due to its size it may take up two USB ports in some systems).

   What about price? At USD99.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 108Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the SuperSonic Magnum 2 256GB USB 3.1 Gen 1 flash drive is roughly 10% more expensive compared to the Mushkin IMPACT 256GB and 5% more expensive compared to the HyperX Savage 256GB. Personally although I think that choosing between the almost equally fast IMPACT and equally fast Savage drive is not easy in the end all three drives are at the top of our charts and that’s more than enough for us to give the SuperSonic Magnum 2 our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (Brushed Aluminum Enclosure)
- Top Of the Charts Performance
- 256GB
- 5 Year Warranty
 

CONS

- Size (For Some)