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Everything USB 
USB 3.0 Flash Drives
Great
Reviewed by: Anthony Garland
Reviewed on:
Anyone who has ever used a thumbdrive already has a pretty good idea what they look like and on first glance, the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive will not shatter any of your preconceived notions. While it is slightly longer than some flash drives, overall it looks exactly like it should with dimensions of 2.44" x 1.06" x 0.3" (62 x 27 x 7.5 mm). However, these dimensions only tell at best half the story and upon further investigation I realized Super Talent, unlike many flash drive manufactures, has taken the time to take the ubiquitous flash drive and sex it up! This flash drive may from a distance look like your typical USB flash storage device, but when you pick it up and take a close look at it you realize its not a just a flat box of a drive. The bottom of the Express Drive has a subtle concave shape to it and the top half has a concave shape to it. This is not something you can easily see, but something you can feel as the drive just fits "right". The black plastic exterior may me slick and smooth but this slightly curving feel actually gives the Super Talent Express drive 32GB a surprisingly firm and secure feel to it!
The rear half of the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive is capped in smoky gray plastic which not only has a integrated lanyard ring, but also allows the hidden LED to shine out. This rear LED glows a nice subdued blue when attached and rapidly blinks when it is being accessed. It is bright enough to be noticeable , yet not so bright as to be annoying in a darkened room. Once again reinforcing my belief that a lot of though and engineering when into this seemingly simple design! It really is shocking how much time and effort Super Talent spent on what is for all intents and purposes their "value orientated" line. To be blunt this drive would easily pass for a flagship model with most other companies as it exudes elegance and sophistication no mere "budget" device has any right doing!
Where this is a recently released drive, and is a USB drive, the Express Drive is of course USB "SuperSpeed" 3.0 enabled. This does mean the metal USB connection port is longer than what you will most likely be used to if all your flash drives are the older USB 2.0 devices. This length is perfectly normal and is what allows the Super Talent Express drive to be backwards compatible. Where it is a SuperSpeed drive, I really have high hopes for its performance as even one of the fastest USB 2.0 flash drives out there the Corsair Voyager GTR line has speeds that are slow for modern devices.
As with many high performance orientated devices, your default Microsoft drivers are just not going to allow you to get the most from the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive. Super Talent knows this and in what I feel is the correct move included a small secondary 32MB ROM which comes preloaded with a handy little program. In a nut shell, this program corrects the deficiencies of the standard drivers by loading the proper ones FOR you. As long as you have auto run enabled, every time you plug in you Express a small little program will load, and give you a nice little performance boost. The only caveat is the first time you use your Super Talent Express drive on a system the software will install and then prompt you to remove and then re-plug in the drive. This is so the software can load the drivers; however, after this first time there is no unplugging and plugging back it, or any extra hassles associated with this software!
Even better is the fact that its default setting is to give you all the performance; however, if for whatever reason your system does not like these drivers their is an option to disable it and opt for the more mundane default MS drivers. Of course, if this the case, simply turning off auto run will do the same thing as without this software your Express Drive will use the standard mass storage device drivers.
All in all, I really like that not only is this software setup so that you don't have to do anything to get the full speed but it comes preloaded on the drive itself. You latterly don't even need to know the program exists to get all the benefits from it. It really is that user friendly and really is a classic definition of "plug and play"! Simply marvelous.
As expected the read performance this drive boasts is impressive to say the least. It is simply a beast when it comes to read speed. The writes are once again still impressive when compared to flash drives, but the 32GB Super Talent Express Drive is not going to beat eSATA connected devices in write performance. Please don't get me wrong it's still pretty good for a flash drive, but I have a feeling to really get eSATA beating write speed, you will have to step up a notch and go for at least the SuperCrypt line, or maybe even the RAIDDrive line.
To see exactly how big a performance boost the built in Super Talent software gives the 32GB Express drive, I also reran my favourite synthetic benchmark Crystal DiskMark without the software running. To accomplish this, I simply turned auto run off, disconnected the drive and then reattached the drive before running CDM. This is what I found out.
The real world performance of this drive backs up everything I already "knew" to be true: the Express USB 3.0 flash drive has excellent read speed, but only very good write speed. With that being said this little power house is so super portable the small loss in performance compared to my SSD is more than made up for the fact that you don't have to lug around a docking station and drive.
Like I said earlier the 32GB Super Talent Express is a tad on the big side compared to many flash drives out there, but it is by no means anything close to what I considered "over sized"; rather it is just large for a flash drive. Luckily, it is extremely flat and not that much wider than what most USB flash drives are. In practical day to day use, this added width may become a problem if your USB ports are grouped extremely close to together. It was not an issue for me as my computer case's front USB ports are rather far apart, if your cases front ports are closer together it may block the adjacent side port.
Of course, for the majority of users who are not lucky enough to have a USB 3.0 enabled motherboard and rather uses a PCI-E adapter card (such as the ASUS U3S6) this is truly a non issue. The same can be said of anyone using a USB 3.0 hub, such as the 4 port SuperSpeed hub from SIIG, as the Express drive will not block any of the other ports.
Where in most cases and motherboards USB ports come in groups of two, it is worth noting that the Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive does NOT block the second port. As I said this drive is thin enough that even a slightly thicker than normal flash drive like my 8Gb Sandisk could be attached directly beneath it.
There is no other way to put it but: WOW. This bad boy really looks, feels and acts like a high end device and thoroughly impressed me from the moment I laid eyes on it all the way through the testing stage. It is amazingly fast for a flash drive, and really will change your conception of how a "fast" flash drive should perform. More importantly, unlike some flash drives which flaunt their speed with bold and brash colour schemes, the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive goes in for an understated elegance that just looks more professional.
With that being said, all is not perfect with the 32GB Super Talent Express Drive as the plastic enclosure is a heck of a lot more fragile and less durable than the rubber sheathed "up-armored" flash devices out there. Don't get me wrong this drive is not fragile, and you don't need to treat it with kid gloves, rather if you are looking for a flash drive that can take a beating this is not the right line for you. However, if you just plan on putting your flash drive through normal levels of abuse and don't plan on dropping it out a second story window then this drive will suit your needs perfectly.
All in all, this drive should be plenty fast for most average consumer needs as it is fast. Hell, it is even fast when connected to USB 2.0 ports. If you think you need even more speed, speed that can truly compete with eSATA devices, then you will need to step up a line and opt for the SuperCrypt. For the "average Joe" computer enthusiast who has USB 3.0 ports this drive is a great first SuperSpeed flash drive as the increased performance it can offer is impressive. In the end, if you are looking for a fairly reasonably priced performance orientated device that wont break the bank, yet still outperform last years "flagship" flash drives, even in legacy Hi-Speed mode, then the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive should be on your short list.
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USB 3.0 Flash Drives Super Talent Express USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review
Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive is big enough, fast enough that it should satisfy most consumers needs quiet nicely. The fact that it also looks like a much more expensive drive certainly doesn't hurt either!
Great
Reviewed by: Anthony Garland
Reviewed on:
INSIDE THIS REVIEW ▼
First USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Anyone who has ever used a thumbdrive already has a pretty good idea what they look like and on first glance, the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive will not shatter any of your preconceived notions. While it is slightly longer than some flash drives, overall it looks exactly like it should with dimensions of 2.44" x 1.06" x 0.3" (62 x 27 x 7.5 mm). However, these dimensions only tell at best half the story and upon further investigation I realized Super Talent, unlike many flash drive manufactures, has taken the time to take the ubiquitous flash drive and sex it up! This flash drive may from a distance look like your typical USB flash storage device, but when you pick it up and take a close look at it you realize its not a just a flat box of a drive. The bottom of the Express Drive has a subtle concave shape to it and the top half has a concave shape to it. This is not something you can easily see, but something you can feel as the drive just fits "right". The black plastic exterior may me slick and smooth but this slightly curving feel actually gives the Super Talent Express drive 32GB a surprisingly firm and secure feel to it!
The rear half of the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive is capped in smoky gray plastic which not only has a integrated lanyard ring, but also allows the hidden LED to shine out. This rear LED glows a nice subdued blue when attached and rapidly blinks when it is being accessed. It is bright enough to be noticeable , yet not so bright as to be annoying in a darkened room. Once again reinforcing my belief that a lot of though and engineering when into this seemingly simple design! It really is shocking how much time and effort Super Talent spent on what is for all intents and purposes their "value orientated" line. To be blunt this drive would easily pass for a flagship model with most other companies as it exudes elegance and sophistication no mere "budget" device has any right doing!
Where this is a recently released drive, and is a USB drive, the Express Drive is of course USB "SuperSpeed" 3.0 enabled. This does mean the metal USB connection port is longer than what you will most likely be used to if all your flash drives are the older USB 2.0 devices. This length is perfectly normal and is what allows the Super Talent Express drive to be backwards compatible. Where it is a SuperSpeed drive, I really have high hopes for its performance as even one of the fastest USB 2.0 flash drives out there the Corsair Voyager GTR line has speeds that are slow for modern devices.
Software
As with many high performance orientated devices, your default Microsoft drivers are just not going to allow you to get the most from the 32GB Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive. Super Talent knows this and in what I feel is the correct move included a small secondary 32MB ROM which comes preloaded with a handy little program. In a nut shell, this program corrects the deficiencies of the standard drivers by loading the proper ones FOR you. As long as you have auto run enabled, every time you plug in you Express a small little program will load, and give you a nice little performance boost. The only caveat is the first time you use your Super Talent Express drive on a system the software will install and then prompt you to remove and then re-plug in the drive. This is so the software can load the drivers; however, after this first time there is no unplugging and plugging back it, or any extra hassles associated with this software!
Even better is the fact that its default setting is to give you all the performance; however, if for whatever reason your system does not like these drivers their is an option to disable it and opt for the more mundane default MS drivers. Of course, if this the case, simply turning off auto run will do the same thing as without this software your Express Drive will use the standard mass storage device drivers.
All in all, I really like that not only is this software setup so that you don't have to do anything to get the full speed but it comes preloaded on the drive itself. You latterly don't even need to know the program exists to get all the benefits from it. It really is that user friendly and really is a classic definition of "plug and play"! Simply marvelous.
Crystal DiskMark Benchmarks
As expected the read performance this drive boasts is impressive to say the least. It is simply a beast when it comes to read speed. The writes are once again still impressive when compared to flash drives, but the 32GB Super Talent Express Drive is not going to beat eSATA connected devices in write performance. Please don't get me wrong it's still pretty good for a flash drive, but I have a feeling to really get eSATA beating write speed, you will have to step up a notch and go for at least the SuperCrypt line, or maybe even the RAIDDrive line.
To see exactly how big a performance boost the built in Super Talent software gives the 32GB Express drive, I also reran my favourite synthetic benchmark Crystal DiskMark without the software running. To accomplish this, I simply turned auto run off, disconnected the drive and then reattached the drive before running CDM. This is what I found out.
Real World Performance
The real world performance of this drive backs up everything I already "knew" to be true: the Express USB 3.0 flash drive has excellent read speed, but only very good write speed. With that being said this little power house is so super portable the small loss in performance compared to my SSD is more than made up for the fact that you don't have to lug around a docking station and drive.
Daily Use
Like I said earlier the 32GB Super Talent Express is a tad on the big side compared to many flash drives out there, but it is by no means anything close to what I considered "over sized"; rather it is just large for a flash drive. Luckily, it is extremely flat and not that much wider than what most USB flash drives are. In practical day to day use, this added width may become a problem if your USB ports are grouped extremely close to together. It was not an issue for me as my computer case's front USB ports are rather far apart, if your cases front ports are closer together it may block the adjacent side port.
Of course, for the majority of users who are not lucky enough to have a USB 3.0 enabled motherboard and rather uses a PCI-E adapter card (such as the ASUS U3S6) this is truly a non issue. The same can be said of anyone using a USB 3.0 hub, such as the 4 port SuperSpeed hub from SIIG, as the Express drive will not block any of the other ports.
Where in most cases and motherboards USB ports come in groups of two, it is worth noting that the Super Talent Express USB 3.0 flash drive does NOT block the second port. As I said this drive is thin enough that even a slightly thicker than normal flash drive like my 8Gb Sandisk could be attached directly beneath it.
Recap
- Stylish good looks
- Not much bigger than USB 2.0 flash drives
- Very good performance
- LED indicator is not annoyingly bright
- Decent price to performance ratio
- Short warranty
- May block USB ports to either side of it
- Does get very warm during extended usage
- Requires USB 3.0 to get the most from it
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