Buying USB sticks - important criteria

If you want to buy USB sticks, you should not only pay attention to the price: In this article we explain which criteria are particularly important when buying.

USB sticks: purchase criteria

There are numerous USB data carriers that differ mainly in their handling, equipment, memory size, transfer rate and the resulting price. Based on these criteria, you should decide which properties are important to you on a USB memory stick and which criteria you can cut back on. Apart from the respective brand names, the following applies here: The better a USB data carrier scores in the individual criteria, the higher the price of the product.

Criterion: transmission rate

The best information about the performance of a USB stick is provided by the data transfer rate, which is independent of the memory size. Strictly speaking, the data transfer rate determines the amount of data that is transferred to a USB memory stick per second. When making your purchase decision, make sure that your potential USB data carrier has the highest possible transfer rate. The higher the transfer rate, the faster your information is retrieved from the storage medium and transferred to the USB stick.

• The transmission rate is an average measured value, which is hardly achieved from a practical point of view. The real transfer rate is always below the specified memory transfer rate.
• Due to additional contacts, USB data carriers with a 3.0 interface are around ten times faster than the conventional USB memory carriers with a 2.0 interface. However, many computers do not yet have a USB 3.0 interface.
• Tip: You will find the fastest sticks and cheapest alternatives in our USB 3.0 leaderboard.

Criterion: handling

The "handling" criterion primarily includes areas such as shape, comfort and usability. With an online purchase, however, you will hardly be given any information about the form and comfort. Therefore, always throw a checking picture on the product pictures and do not hesitate to contact the seller if necessary. What is the maximum size of the USB data carrier? What material was processed? And does the design meet your expectations? In addition, pay attention to the aspect of operability. So it is advantageous if the USB stick has an activity LED and a write protection switch.

Criterion: equipment

The equipment is a matter that many consumers hardly consider when making their purchase decision. Included accessories and pre-installed tools, such as a formatting or synchronization function, can be quite practical. You can also easily add an encryption tool later. Additional features include a neck strap and a USB extension cable. Some USB sticks are also compatible with other devices such as MP3 players and digital cameras.

Criterion: memory size

The storage size of the USB memory stick plays a major role in your purchase decision. The larger the storage volume, the more information such a data carrier can hold. Very large USB sticks now have 128 GB or even 256 GB. As a rule, however, a storage medium with a size of 8 GB to 32 GB should suffice.

• Remember that in practice you can never use the complete data storage specified, since a USB stick already uses USB storage for partitioning. This consumption varies depending on the data medium.

Criterion: price

You decide how much a USB data carrier is worth to you. The price of a storage medium is largely determined by the size of the memory, the data transfer rate and the manufacturer's name, so that the prices for USB memory sticks vary considerably. If you like a model, feel free to search through several online retailers, as the prices can vary despite the same model. Small and inexpensive USB memory sticks can be obtained from just 5 euros. Powerful USB data carriers with a large memory size, on the other hand, cost over 100 euros.

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USB data carriers are usually displayed on the computer as "removable data carriers". Another practical tip will tell you how to personalize your USB stick.