Even with cloud storage being prevalent these days, there’s still times when it’s nice to have your data with you on a USB key to take wherever you may be going. There are many options, ranging from the cheap to the faster and more expensive, and our Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive review takes a quick look at the second of two Patriot USB key offerings we’re reviewing here on Techaeris. You can read our previous Patriot Supersonic Magnum 2 USB drive review to compare the two.
Specifications
The Patriot Supersonic Mega USB Drive features the following specifications:
- Capacity: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- USB Technology: USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (*The terms USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0 are synonymous)
- Up to 70 MB/s write speed
- Up to 380 MB/s read speed
- Weight: 32.8 g
- Dimensions: 13.2 x 10 x 1.04 cm
- Warranty: 5 Years
What’s in the Box
- 1x Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive
Design
Like the Supersonic Magnum 2, the Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive is a bit wider than most USB keys I’ve used in the past. It features the same durable aluminum enclosure which enables shock resistance up to 15Gs to ensure greater protection of your data. The cap, which protects the USB connector snaps over the end firmly, so there’s no concern about losing the cap when the USB drive is in use, and the end of the USB drive has a plastic hook that you can use to attach to a key ring.
Like its sibling, the Supersonic Mega USB drive is super solid feeling, and the aluminum enclosure is a nice touch. Being a bit wider than other USB drives, in some cases this can cause issues when you have two USB ports side by side. As I mentioned in the Magnum 2 review, in the case of my laptop, my two USB 3.0 ports are in such a configuration and when the Patriot USB drive is in one port I can’t use the other due to the overhang on each edge of the drive. Some sort of light indicating the USB key is functioning would be nice — but not a necessity, it’s just a feature on other USB keys that I really like.
Ease of use
The Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive is simple to use — just plug it into an available USB port, preferably a USB 3.0 port — and copy your data to and from the drive.
Performance
With advertised read speeds of up to 380MB/s and write speeds of up to 70MB/s I put the Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive through a couple flash drive benchmark utilities. While it averaged a read speed of around 270MB/s, it did peak at a write speed of 300MB/s during the 256k file transfer test and 222MB/s for the 64k file transfer test multiple times. On average though, it did hit the 70MB/s write speed mark consistently. Benchmarks are just that, but during day to day usage the USB drive performed just fine and I found both the read and write speeds reasonable on it.
Price/Value
Starting at an MSRP of $49.99USD, the Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive is a bit more expensive than other options with similar storage capacity, it does offer decent read/write speeds and quality, durable construction — and is quite a bit cheaper than its counterpart, the Supersonic Magnum 2. The aluminum casing alone offers additional value, so if durability of the key itself is important then you’ll definitely find the value with this USB drive. They are currently on sale on Amazon with the 128GB version priced at $10 off, the 256GB version is $20 off, and the 512GB version is $60 off.
Wrap-up
The Patriot Supersonic Mega USB drive is well constructed, decently priced, and offers great read and decent write speed.
[rwp-review id=”0″]*We were sent a review sample of the Patriot Supersonic MEGA 128GB USB Drive for the purposes of this review.
Last Updated on April 18, 2016.
