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

Other uses of the Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB include Fraps. Fraps is notorious for recording at ludicrous bit rates and essentially crippling all but the most beefy of computers. The program demands a lot of resources, and the two biggest bottlenecks include the storage device and CPU.

Notes: The results illustrate Fraps running and recording Battlefield 3 from the same drive(s). Since each drive will be running BF3 and Fraps, recording, and storing, we should expect to see them hammered by all processes happening simultaneously. Fraps itself is set at a CBR (Constant Bit Rate) of 68.27MB/s, meaning that a minute’s worth of footage is 4GB in size (4096MB). Resources are set to normal for all processes, and BF3 is recorded in 1920 x 1080p resolution. All drives are filled up to 50GB remaining.

At a constant bit rate we expect results to be just that – constant. The Supersonic Magnum 256GB has no problems matching the Vertex 3, but between the two the OCZ Vertex 3 produces flawless results. We can expect variation however, and Fraps accounts for that, but as seen by the mechanical WD Caviar Black, it just cannot handle recording and playing at the same time. The results are not terrible, but they will surely cause FPS and quality drops during gameplay, and when that recorded gameplay footage is played-back on a media player.

All-in-all, the Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB USB 3.0 flash drive has yielded exceptional results.

FINAL WORDS AND CONCLUSION

Getting to review a drive of this calibre is sweet and sour. On one hand, Patriot’s Supersonic Magnum is an absolute beast – more like an SSD than a lowly thumb drive. The speeds of over 250MB/s read and 160MB/s write are brilliant; the 256GB worth of space is astounding…and all that in a device that fits inside the palm of your hand. No need to carry around a mechanical external hard-drive anymore.

On the other hand the size is also an issue. The Magnum is not the smallest USB drive (not even close). It is on the larger end and you will run into clearance issues as we did if your ports are close together, as it will most likely block them from being used. The price is also hard to swallow at almost $300, which does not include extra accessories. While the performance makes it worthwhile, some may opt for a more versatile SSD + USB 3.0 external solution to counteract USB 2.0 bottlenecks.

With that said though, the Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB USB 3.0 makes a case against that. For ease of use and portability, performance, and size, nothing on the market right now can touch a complete package of this quality. While we do not think it a niche product by any stretch of the imagination, we do believe that those who purchase the Magnum will not regret their investment one bit. Per gigabyte the Magnum is the cheapest offering out there, and with all the features jam packed into one the Supersonic Magnum 256GB will certainly be winning people over as a legitimate alternative for everyday storage – whether it be in a desktop setting, or on-the-go.

The Patriot Supersonic Magnum has earned our Innovation Award, not only for it’s rugged construction and ability to withstand 15G force and high capacity in such a small footprint, but also, for stepping forward with an industry leading five year warranty for such a flash drive.

Check Out Patriot Supersonic Magnum Flash Drive Pricing at Amazon!

FORUM DISCUSSION