Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB USB 3 Flash Drive Review – Incredible Gaming On A Flash Drive

With USB 3.0 taking off in recent years we have the emergence of devices coming pre-built and pre-configured for the new standard. USB 2.0 is still alive no doubt, but focus has shifted to its much faster successor which has almost become part of mainstream technology.

As readily available as USB 2.0 is, its downfalls are readily apparent. When 25MB/s read and write speeds are considered to be the blazing end of performance, there really is not any remaining overhead to progress speeds. Considering portable storage is in the same domain of smartphones ( i.e. essential everyday items for the average person) the need for faster speeds was clearly evident. Manufacturers have tried alternate methods of wi-fi capable drives and devices, including cloud storage syncing, but the bottleneck is still there if you do not have the proper compatible set-up or resources. There are just too many variables to consider for the average user.

Of course, size is an important factor too. Compact discs, when compared to USB flash drives, are really not as compact as once thought, nor are 4GBs considered a ‘huge’ size anymore. With high resolution pictures taking up 20MB per shot and high definition videos eating up gigabytes worth of space every minute, photographers having to lug notebooks or external storage devices are most likely breathing a collective sigh of relief with the release of Patriot’s Supersonic Magnum 256GB USB 3.0 thumb drive.

The Supersonic Magnum takes into account all of the shortfallings of USB 2.0 flash drives. With advertised speeds of up to 250MB/s and 160MB/s read/write respectively, the 256GB Magnum is essentially a SATA II drive that fits in the palm of your hand. The price is a tad stiff at CAD $299, but you will quickly realize the investment is well worth it for a USB 3.0 gadget of this calibre.

PACKAGING AND SPECIFICATIONS

As we can see, the Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB has some pretty amazing specs even for a USB 3.0 thumb drive – most notably the blazing fast read/write speeds and the lengthy five-year warranty:

The drive itself comes in blister packaging, but a sharp knife should cut through the cardboard and plastic fairly easily. The front has a small window to show-off the Magnum, while the back has a list features and extra information.

The Magnum comes in three capacities of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The default enclosure measurements for all three are .91cm x 2.69cm x 7.18cm (Depth x Width x Height); however this also brings up clearance issues if your USB 3.0 port(s) are too close to other inputs, in which case the Magnum will undoubtedly take up room preventing them from being used (as was in our case).