Extreme fast transfer, unique design with rubber housing, water - sleet - shock proof, durable, data encryption
Disadvantages:
A bit bulky, a rather slow writing speed for small files, higher CPU usage
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I have owned this flash drive since January and now I'd like to share my thoughts about this device.
DESIGN AND DURABILITY
Let me first introduce you, the Corsair Microsystems GT 2GB (known before as Corsair Voyager GT) flash drive. The drive still has the standard Corsair design, which has whole-rubber coat to protect the flash drive. This design is pretty unique compared to other flash drive brands which present plastics or metal as the coat. With its rubber casing, this flash drive is expected to temporarily protect inside parts of the circuit. Moreover, it's more durable even when it's dropped, or shocked. It also protects the data against moist or even water. I once accidentally dropped it into a mud, and when I checked, my whole data were perfectly safe. The rubber is black, similar to the one of older model. What makes it different from the older model is lighter color of the label "Corsair Voyager GT" (as you can see in the image), with red and yellow dominance, to mark that this one is the second generation of the older model.
The drive has two oval shaped grips on each side of the body. The oval grips and rubber casing do make it easier to handle the drive, but they look bulkier because of these. The width of the drive is slightly larger than a standard drive. It certainly does not have the "slim and sleek" look of other drives on the market.
FEATURES
It might not come with a great deal of extra stuff, as it only has some file encryption software on it from TrueCrypt. This security application allows creating virtual encrypted drive using 256-AES encryption. The available software is 2MB in size and can be deleted if you don't need it.The GT series claim to have accelerated reading and writing ability as fast as 34 and 21 MB/second respectively. On the backside of package there's information about approximate number of photographs, mp3 music, video-clips in a MPEG-2, or MPEG-4 formats, which is possible to store in the drives depending on their size.
As for the indicator lamp, it still uses the high density LED, a small blue one down the bottom. When indicating data transfer from and to the flash drive, the bright blue lamp will turn on. The LED has the drive capacity written on it, and the metal USB connector also has the capacity laser-etched onto it, along with the model number.
While the older model included a Win98 driver version, the GT model doesn't include it. It only works for Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, 2000, ME, Linux 2.4 and later, Mac OS 9, X and later. The drive comes with a small lanyard and the usually-short USB extension cable for additional items in the package and ten years warranty.
PERFORMANCE
Total format capacity of Corsair Microsystems GT 2 GB is 1.92GB. It works perfectly with Windows Vista ReadyBoost system. It has stability on data transfer. I can say that the true data reading is 33MB/s average and very stable. For writing, the device's ability is of 16MB/s for smaller file and 20MB/s for bigger file. It also doesn't hold much time of waiting when we put file into the drive, and in seconds hundreds of megabytes is done transferred, even for 1GB file it took only 18 seconds. Reading and writing performance of GT drive is in fact extremely quicker than those flash drives on the market.
Surprisingly, the CPU usage is 11% for this drive, which is much higher than other drives. You should pay attention to this if you are planning to use the device with an older computer. But I personally think that it won't affect the sale on the market since potential buyers will still hook up on this one.
Data encryption from TrueCrypt software enables us to run applications from our memory key. I found no problem when playing games in my PC using this drive. I tried to plug it in a USB port of a DVD player, and it can play movies with no problems encountered.
With high density LED lamp as indicator, we will be easier to spot and see through the lamp the drive's condition when transferring data. Corsair Microsystems GT is very suitable for transferring huge data such as images or multimedia files because peak transfer ability is above 24MB/s (Sisoft). Compared to the earlier version of Corsair Microsystems, the revised performance of GT model is quite significant, especially on the higher time response of this GT model. One breakdown of the device lays on the protection software which is made temporary, so that we should be careful enough as to back up the protection file.
OVERALL
Although a bit bulky, I might consider its excellent data transfer of this device. Small files writing is a little slow, but that shouldn't be major problem. And for older computer users, you might want to point out the CPU usage when using the drive, because the CPU usage is quite high. The software is fun, if you prefer to use it. Just don't forget to back up the software because it's made temporary. And you might want to consider its rubber ruggedness, for what makes it unique and durable all along. As for the price, it's not the cheapest on the market for a 2GB flash drive, but you get what you pay for. Overall, I would rate it 8/10 and recommend the device for those who prefer unique style and extreme fast transfer all at once.
More details
Compatibility
Good
Reliability
Reliable
Speed
Very fast
Value for Money
OK
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