USB flash drives play a vital role in data storage and transfer. However, we often don't know the true performance of these devices. If you've recently purchased a new USB and the seller has assured you that it's fast, you shouldn't blindly trust this information. Fortunately, there are multiple tools that allow you to perform tests to determine how fast these devices are. read and write speed of USB devices. In this article, we will explore several of the best tools available to measure the performance of USB flash drives.
Measuring speed is critical not only to evaluate the device we buy, but to be able to work with it efficiently. Below is a detailed list of tools you can use to thoroughly understand the speed of your USB device, and understand why it is important to carry out these tests.
Why should you measure the transfer speed of your USB drive?
Many times, the speed of a USB directly influences how efficiently we perform various everyday tasks. If you're transferring large media files, such as videos or audio projects, the transfer speed has a crucial impact on how long that process takes. For example, moving 10GB of data between your computer and USB can take anywhere from a few minutes to hours, depending on the performance of the device.
Also, if you engage in activities that require a lot of data transfer bandwidth, such as multimedia editing or software development, it is even more important that your USB device is fast. A slow device can hinder your productivity by forcing you to wait too long during transfers.
The overall transfer speed of a USB depends on several factors, including:
- The type of USB port: USB 2.0, USB 3.0 or newer versions like USB 3.1 and 3.2.
- Operating system: System hardware and drivers can affect performance.
- Virus or bad sectors: An infected or damaged USB device may experience reduced operating speed.
- The file system: Formats like NTFS or exFAT usually offer higher speeds compared to FAT32.
Now that we understand the importance of measuring the speed of our USB device, let's explore the most useful tools to obtain this information.
USBDeview to do a speed test
USBDeview is a lightweight and portable tool that displays all the USB devices connected or previously connected to your computer. Although it is originally used to manage USB devices, it also performs read and write speed tests. The best thing about this tool is that it requires no installation and allows you to view data transfer statistics for different devices.
To perform a test, simply select the USB device you want to analyze, right-click and select the “Speed Test” option. The tool will perform a quick test by writing and reading a 100 MB file to the drive, displaying the results immediately.
- Pros: Lightweight, no installation required, easy to use.
- Cons: The test is limited to a 100 MB file, which may not accurately reflect performance with larger files.
SpeedOut: Attractive and easy-to-use graphical interface
Speedout is another free alternative that is very popular among programs to measure the speed of pen drives. This tool has a very simple, yet attractive and functional graphical interface, making it easy to use for those who do not have technical experience.
What makes SpeedOut special is that it performs low level speed tests, which means it scans the device thoroughly, analyzing block by block. This tool not only measures overall speed, but can also detect errors or potential failures on the device.
In addition, it offers detailed results in four phases, allowing you to observe the evolution of the transfer speed over different moments of the analysis. However, since it is a more in-depth tool, requires administrator permissions to run the analysis correctly.
USB Flash Benchmark – Detailed information in graphs
USB Flash Benchmark It stands out for offering more exhaustive tests, using files of different sizes ranging from 1 KB to 16 MB. In addition, this tool presents the results not only in text format, but also in the form of graphics, which facilitates the interpretation of the data obtained.
Its interface is a bit more complex than other options, but it provides comprehensive information on the drive's performance at different file sizes, which is useful for those who want to analyze performance under more variable circumstances.
- Pros: Detailed results with graphical display, analyzes multiple file sizes.
- Cons: Longer testing process, can be complicated for inexperienced users
USB Flash Benchmark with specialized information of the USB pendrive
The tools we mentioned above perform a process of transferring information in a specific size of a virtual file that is copied as part of this speed test. The tool called “USB Flash Benchmark” offers a better alternative as it is the same as the one mentioned above. perform several simultaneous tests with a different size file.
The tests will be carried out with virtual files that will be copied to the USB flash drive and ranging from 1kb to about 16 MB.
Check Flash with deep analysis of the sectors
CheckFlash is another free tool that offers more advanced functionality. In addition to performing speed tests, it can detect and fix errors on your flash drive or external drive. Like CrystalDiskMark, it allows you to customize the test, choosing between a quick check or a full inspection, which is useful for larger or failing drives.
This software can also create graphical maps of bad sectors, which can be extremely useful in identifying problem areas on the drive.
- Pros: Identify and correct errors, advanced options for deep analysis.
- Cons: Long analysis times for high capacity drives.
CrystalDiskMark for a personalized analysis of the USB flash drive
This is the last alternative that we are going to mention due to the way of acting on the USB pendrive. After choosing the unit to which it corresponds, the user will have to define the number of times you want the analysis to be performed and also, the size of the virtual file to be copied to the device.
With any of these alternatives you will have the possibility to know, if your USB flash drive is of good quality, if it has bad blocks or sectors and if it helps you to save temporary files in a multimedia editing job.
Tips to improve the speed of a USB device
If speed tests have revealed that your USB is slower than it should be, here are some recommendations to improve its performance:
- Use USB 3.0 or higher ports: Choose the latest version of USB port to maximize speed.
- Check the health of the device: Scan your USB with an antivirus to make sure there is no malware that is causing a decrease in speed.
- Format the device: Consider changing the file format to NTFS or exFAT, as these systems offer better speeds than FAT32.
- Keep your device up to date: Make sure your USB and system drivers are up to date.
With these simple steps, you can optimize the speed of your USB device and ensure that you get the best performance possible. Don't forget to perform periodic tests to verify that everything is still working properly!
Hello, a query, a while ago I bought some 2 tb (Chinese) pendrives, I try to copy movies or any file, but when trying to reproduce it it throws me a message »corrupt file» …… I think I already found the solution for these pendrives,…. When copying the information from the PC to the pendrive, you have to do it at no more than 3 mps ..... my question ... is there a program that allows me to control the copying speed (that is, I can copy to the pendrive at 3 mps) ... Thanks
thanks for the tools, they are of great help 😉