Other by stefan @ 2015-02-22
TransMemory-EX II is not a product to skip from Toshiba since it features very good transfer speeds when working with large files (confirmed from the performed benchmarks), a solid build and also comes with EX II Pad Locker, which adds value to the product.
At first we would like to thank Toshiba Corporation for offering a sample of their TransMemory-EX II USB 3.0 Flash Drive for testing and reviewing.
“Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 204,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 6.3 trillion yen (US$68 billion).”
Up to 205 MB/s Write Speed and up to 222 MB/s Read Speed
Compliant with the USB 3.0 Super Speed USB standard established in 2008, the new impressive series can transfer 25GB of video content in less than 4 minutes !
High Capacity
This Super Speed USB 3.0 Series is available in three capacities. On the 128 GB USB drive you can store round about 30500 - 12 Megapixel photos, 32 hours of high quality video.
Windows ®READYBOOST® Capability
The TransMemory-EX II™ supports Windows ReadyBoost® which allows use of external memory storage as a cache for the hard disk drive of a PC. Windows ReadyBoost® capability contributes to enhanced PC performance, such as reduced time required for PC start up. This function is available for computers running Windows 7® or Vista.
Backward Compatible
The drives are also usable in devices equipped with USB 2.0 hosts with maximum transfer rates of 34MB/sec for reading and 30MB/sec for writing.
Your Data is Safe with Toshiba’s Original Security Software
The TransMemory-EX II™ supports application software that allows protection of a particular block with a password lock so that data and files stored in that block cannot be accessed without the password.
5 Year Warranty
These Flash drives are covered by a five year warranty from the date of purchase.
Toshiba has recently launched a new series of USB 3.0 drives, which can transfer large files in seconds thanks to the rated 222MB/s reads and 205MB/s writes, support Windows ReadyBoost along with Toshibas’ Original Security Software. The product is shipped inside a tiny cardboard enclosure, which shows a photo of the product along with the rated speeds and also the total capacity; while we have received a 64GB sample, the product is also available in 32GB and 128GB versions:
On the back side of the packaging, we will also learn that the product is fully backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and shows rated speeds in this mode along with the time to transfer 25GB of Full-HD video on both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0:
Inside the packaging, we will get to see the main product, which sits still thanks to the transparent plastic mold:
TransMemory-EXII features a professional look thanks to the mix between plastic and aluminum; the width of the drive is not as small as the one we have seen with the previously tested OTG drives, but is quite light at 14grams (main body only). On the black plastic part, Toshiba has printed the product code name along with the total storage capacity:
If we switch the product on the other side, we will get to see the serial number:
A hole is also provided in the back for attaching a lanyard; the lanyard is not included in the packaging by default:
The cap can be detached from the main body quite easily, in order to reveal the USB 3.0 connector:
The testbench was composed from the following hardware:
CPU: Intel I5 3570K Retail @ stock
Motherboard: Z77 OC Formula
RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 2x4GB DDR2133 (@1600)
Video: Sparkle GTX 470 with stock and OMNI A.L.C.
Power Supply: Nexus RX-8500 850W modular
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 & OCZ Vertex 4 240GB SSD
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ LCS, stock cooling
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
The Toshiba TransMemory-EX II USB 3.0 Flash Drive has arrived formatted FAT32:
To determine the flash drive read speeds, the HD Tune v5 utility was used:
To measure the real life performance, I have used the Total Commander application to copy to the flash drive and from the flash drive the same file and recorded the transfer speeds, when they have stabilized.
File Copy
File Read
We have also performed some extra tests with this drive and the results can be checked out right here:
EX II Pad Locker application was also preloaded on the drive; with this small utility we can partition the Transmemory-EX II and have a so called “protected area”, which can be accessed only by knowing a certain password; the size of this partition can be defined from the Setup Area of the Status window:
The partition size can be easily adjusted by moving the slider; please keep in mind that the drive needs at least 32Mb free space left on the password-free area:
After we define the partition, we will be prompted to create a password:
The EX II Pad Locker application is also equipped with a “Format” function:
Finally, we have the “About” tab, where we will find the software version of the utility:
Coming up to the final conclusions, we could say that the TransMemory-EX II is not a product to skip from Toshiba since it features very good transfer speeds when working with large files (confirmed from the performed benchmarks), a solid build and also comes with EX II Pad Locker, which adds value to the product.
Speaking of the EX II Pad Locker, we can easily define a partition from the drive which can be only accessed if we know the password and is really easy to operate.
The TransMemory-EX II USB 3.0 Flash Drive is not as slim as the OTG versions from Patriot or Silicon Power we have checked out in the past but has a lower width than the Flash Voyager GTX 128GB from Corsair which made impossible fitting an USB device in the nearby USB port.
The 64GB sample we have just tested is available online for about 66 Euros, but we can always choose the 32GB version for 39 Euros if we do not need that much storage space; if we transport a lot of data at once, we would recommend choosing the 128GB version instead for about 114 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Toshiba Corporation for making this review possible!