Small Files – Write

Writing to a drive takes longer than reading for all the drives in this test, and do keep in mind that the Freecom Databar is quite old. The Maxell drive has no such excuse and when compared to the Silicon Power Ultima drives is almost a minute slower. Both the Ultima drives were so much faster than the others in this test, that I ran the tests more than the usual 3 times just to be certain.

Small Files – Read

Copying from the flash drives back to hard drive takes about a 1/3rd of the time on average, but once again it's clear that the Ultima 150 drives beat the competition with ease.

Large File – Write

It's quite plain that the Ultima 150 drives wipe the floor with the others; not all USB 2.0 Flash Drives are created equal it seems.

Large File – Read

Both Silicon Power drives perform identically here, with only the Cyber Snipa Dog Tags drive offering any real competition.

Final Words

Much like the write times for a CD or DVD, you get used to the wait while copying files to your flash drive, but just like a CD or DVD you can update your drives to increase performance. The Silicon Power Ultima 150 drives we have here today performed very well indeed and they looked good while doing it. I remember going and making a coffee while copying files to my first flash drive; with these Ultima 150 drives, I guess I better invest in a rapid boil kettle and plug it in next to the PC!

The Ultima 150's don't come with a carrying strap or keyring, but provision is there for you to add one yourself. They also don't have any activity or power light but for day to day use most folks won't miss it. What you do get is a small, aesthetically pleasing, metallic drive with an end cap, and with capacities going all the way up to 16GB, you also get plenty of room. The design isn't quite perfect, as should you add a carrying strap or keyring to the drive, you won't be able to put the end cap on the other end for storage while in use. Minor negatives really, and the end cap issue is going to be dependant on your situation; my son for instance puts his flash drive in his pencil case although the Ultima 150's look a little too elegant for that. They would suit the business person who prides themselves on having a professional image though. Looks aside, everyone will like the performance on offer from Silicon Power's Ultima 150 range.