TLDR: If memory drive casing width is not an issue, get the Corsair Voyager GTX. Otherwise, if speed requirements aren't a high priority, the convenience of retractable USB jack may make the Sandisk Extreme Pro your preference.
FACTORS: These days there are so many choices in USB flash memory drives, it can be daunting to decide. The two key aspects are memory size and speed. While most people look at the memory capacity, often speed is overlooked. And it's not just read speed, but write speed as well. If you load the flash memory drive with a lot of data and mostly use it to read that data, the write speed isn't as important. For faster than average write speed times, usually you do pay a premium.
Dollar for dollar, the Corsair Voyager GTX memory drive is a phenomenal value, compared to the closest competitor--the Sandisk Extreme Pro. While the Sandisk also features a rugged aluminum casing, it has a capless retractable USB jack--a movable part that can break. Also, its read and write speeds are behind that of the Corsair.
VALUE: For my purposes, I wanted to get a very sturdy & durable USB flash memory drive that will last me well until 256Gb becomes anemic compared to the cost of a 1Tb drive (as cost of 8Gb drives 5 years ago is about even with 128Gb today). Originally I was planning to get another 128Gb drive (I have a Sandisk model of that), but then I noticed the pricing for 256Gb had come down quite a bit. At the time of this writing the "peak value" seems to be 256Gb, as the $1/Gb change from doubling size becomes nearly flat going from 256Gb to 512Gb. Consider $50 for a 128Gb drive, then just $20 more for 256Gb, and it's clear that it makes more sense to invest in the larger drive.
CASING: The Corsair Voyager GTX drive is an extremely solid device. The casing is a heavy cast aluminum alloy with steel reinforcement. I was amazed to find that the Sandisk Extreme Pro has identical weight, based on product specs, as the Sandisk is more narrow. And that is one drawback to the Corsair Voyager GTX -- it is wide. Wide enough that when plugged into a USB A socket, it will very likely overlay part of the neighboring USB socket. That could be a problem for some people.
USB JACK: The retractable USB jack is a novel and convenient concept offered by Sandisk, but it does not guard against dust & debris intrusion. There is also the risk of the mechanical mechanism breaking, as it utilizes plastic parts. The Corsair Voyager GTX is completely solid state. There is the matter of the cap... and some people have complained about ease of loss. But frankly, the cap is made of the same aluminum shell and is noticeably heavy. This isn't something easily lost. If you drop it on a hard floor, you will most definitely hear the thud of impact. When cap docking, the dense foam insert makes for a nice solid friction fit.
PERFORMANCE: I haven't done any speed measuring tests, but general observation is that the Corsair is impressively fast with both read & write, compared to my older Sandisk USB 3.0 128Gb drive. The Corsair incorporates a real SSD controller inside it, instead of standard USB flash memory protocol management. It does not get appreciably hot during use.
PRICE: For a while, the cheapest price I could find for the Corsair Voyager GTX 256Gb was $71.99. But as of this writing, the price dropped to $5 less, while the Extreme Pro is still at $70.99.
FINAL VERDICT: I'm very happy I got the Corsair Voyager GTX memory drive. It's impressively solid & I actually enjoy the heft of this device and the secure friction fit of the protective cap, guarding against moisture & debris.
| Read Speed | 440 Megabytes Per Second |
|---|---|
| Connectivity Technology | USB |
| Color | Black |
| Model Name | Flash Voyager GTX |
| Flash Memory Type | USB |
| RAM | 256 GB |
| Hard Drive | 256 GB solid state |
