Corsair Flash Voyager
When it comes to memory modules, Corsair is a name you can trust. Their unblemished track record has generated great respect from enthusiasts and power users alike. They’ve been in the market for a long time and has since made significant breakthroughs over the years, especially when it comes to high performance RAM.
When it comes to performance, reliability, stability and compatibility, they are one of the best in the business. Anything they manufacture always lives up to the expectations of the enthusiast. So when they announced their Flash Memory product line, we expected Corsair to bring the Flash Memory market into the next level. I think everyone would agree with me that Corsair’s decision to finally enter this market is way, way overdue. But like they always say, better late than never.
Today we will be reviewing one of Corsair’s USB 2.0 Flash Drive offering. We’ll find out if there is anything new with their flash drive to make it exceptional and different from other makes. As far as performance goes, we’ll see if Corsair’s flash drive has an edge over its competition. Introducing, Corsair’s Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Drive 256MB.
Corsair Flash Voyager Review
“Corsair Flash Voyager USB drives are rugged, stylish, compact, reliable, and exceptionally fast, making them ideal for transporting MP3s, digital images, presentations and more. With data transfer rates up to 19Mb/sec, Flash Voyager drives are fully Hi-Speed USB 2.0 compliant, and are backward compatible with USB 1.1. They support Plug and Play with most operating systems. Their durable rubber casing is easy to grip and water resistant. These highly portable drives are available in capacities ranging up to 1GB.”
From the sound of it, these flash drives are typical of Corsair’s product lines. They are high speed, high performance flash memory drives. Again designed with the enthusiast in mind who only wants the best out of anything. But as always, we won’t take their word for it. We’ll have to test and find out ourselves.
The Corsair Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Drive 256MB
The Flash Voyager comes packaged in a clear plastic enclosure. Included as accessories together with the Voyager is a Lanyard that you can use to carry the flash drive around your neck just like a necklace and a 2ft USB extension cable. A Windows 98 driver mini disc is also included in the package. The actual Flash Voyager USB 2.0 drive is about the same length as your normal car key. Not the smallest we have seen but definitely compact. It is made of a rubber casing that gives it the rugged look. This casing also makes the drive “shock-proof” from accidental impacts. It also makes it easy to handle.
The Flash Voyager name is written in bright yellow while the Corsair name, logo and website address is written in white. The writings are embossed in rubber as well. A rubber cap protects the actual USB port. It also makes it “water resistant” as it creates a watertight seal around the port. A keyhole is also present opposite the rubber cap. This is where you attach the Lanyard for carrying around the neck. Alternatively, you can hook this flash drive into your keychain via this keyhole as well. Just below it, you will find the drive’s blue LED light that is also covered and protected by a clear white rubber. Here you will find the storage size of your particular Voyager drive in megabytes. In our case, the numbers “256” is embossed on it.
Related: Corsair HX620W
Conclusion
Corsair’s entry to the USB 2.0 flash drive market is definitely most welcomed. With their Flash Voyager series they were able to bring very fast flash drives to the end users. These high performance, high speed USB 2.0 flash drives makes working with such devices a breeze. Data read/write time is reduced making your work much more efficient. Transferring data to and from this unit is the fastest we have seen on any USB flash drives we have used to date.
We have submitted this unit to our own torture test and the Flash Voyager passed it with flying colors. For those wanting an extremely fast and tough USB 2.0 flash drive for whatever reason or use you may have for it, the Corsair Flash Voyager is highly recommended.
Currently at US$32 according to Pricewatch, the Flash Voyager is on the expensive side when compared to other 256mb USB 2.0 drives. But then again if you would rather pay a few dollars more and have the performance, speed and quality that goes with any Corsair product, then the Flash Voyager is an excellent choice.