Mach Xtreme Technology MX-FX 32 GB

The MF-FX is the flash drive of the future. Although it's basically the same as the flash drives we all currently use, this particular model uses the new USB 3.0 standard for boosted performances. In fact, the 32 GB Mach Xtreme Technology MX-FX is the first USB 3.0 flash drive we've tested here at DigitalVersus. Note that it's also available with capacities of 16 GB and 64 GB.

MXT announces impressive data transfer speeds of 125 MBps in read mode and 80 MBps in write mode on its 32 GB and 64 GB flash drives. The 16 GB model is capped at 50 MBps in write mode. All the drives use MLC memory, like in the brand's SSD range, making the MF-FX a real pocket SSD, but with a USB 3.0 connection and no SATA interface.

Before checking its performances, we wanted to quickly point out this product's rather imposing design. This flash drive is actually quite chunky compared with the average USB 2.0 flash drive currently on the market. It measures 7.9 x 2.1 x 1 cm—making it 21 cm³—while USB 2.0 drives are rarely larger than 14 cm³ these days. This larger size is due to the USB 3.0 controller. As it's still fairly new, this controller isn't yet quite as compact as USB 2.0 controllers have today become. The drive also has a removable cap, so you'll have to be careful not to lose it. Finally, no software or accessories are supplied, such as a wrist/neck strap etc. The MX-FX does, however, have a ring so you can attach it to a keyring or a neck strap of your own.

After our tests of the first USB 3.0 hard drives, we had high hopes for this MX-FX flash drive. We weren't disappointed either:
 

The CrystalDiskMark sequential benchmark showed performances that were in line with those announced. Random speeds dropped a little in read mode and a lot in write mode. To analyse the performances more accurately, we put the drive through its paces reading and writing a selection of average-sized and large-sized files by carrying out simple copying operations in Windows:
 

We noticed the read speeds remained around a pleasing 80 MBps, whether with large files or with a set of files of varying sizes (1 to 20 MB). In write mode, performances also remained at a good level, never dropping below 59 MBps.

Given that USB 2.0 flash drives are currently limited by the restrictions of the USB 2.0 standard, which tops speeds of around 35 and 40 MBps, USB 3.0 technology looks  like it's set to seriously speed things up!