2016 Factory USB Flash Drive 8GB Memory Stick 2.0 Swivel

Q: Choosing USB Flash Drives

A: There are many types of flash drives available on the market, and buyers may find themselves with several decisions to make when shopping for one. Storage capacity, file transfer speeds, and unit design are among the primary things to keep in mind while shopping.

Q: Determining the Appropriate Size of Your Flash Drive

A: The biggest question that most buyers of USB flash drives will ask themselves is, "how much storage capacity do I need?" The answer to this will largely depend on the type of files that you will be saving. To understand how your files will affect which flash drive you need, a quick rundown of bytes and drive sizes can be useful.

Q: 4 or 8GB Flash Drive

A: Text documents are very small in terms of storage, and a high number of files can be saved on a flash drive with a low storage capacity. Most text documents are less than 200 KB, which means that a 4 GB flash drive could hold hundreds of standard text documents.

Q: 16GB Flash Drive

A: Large, high-quality photos can occupy much more space on a drive and will require a larger storage capacity. Tables, charts, and other documents with graphics and organized information can also take up more room than text documents. Music files, though small, can add up very quickly when saving entire albums. If you are moving many large photos, charts, or MP3s, consider a 16 GB drive.

Q: 32GB Flash Drive

A: Audio and video clips are very large files, and will require larger storage capacities. If you are working with videos, art files, or complex graphics technology, it will be worth investing in a 32 GB or higher flash drive.

Q: File Transfer Speeds

A: Transfer speeds are most commonly designated in MB/ sec (megabyte per second). Variations of this are written as Mbytes or other, though most flash drives will list their transfer rate in megabytes. This refers to how quickly the unit can retrieve and write data. Many flash drives will have two separate speeds listed, one for its reading speed and one for writing. This refers to how fast the unit can access documents stored on it and how fast it can save new content, respectively.

Q: Conclusion

A: USB flash drives revolutionized portable data storage at the turn of the millennia. They make it easy for users to quickly save and open their files, and the small size of the units allows for easy portability. Modern flash drives are capable of holding many gigabytes of information, ensuring that users working with very large files will still be able to store and transport their work. Check the average size of the files you plan to store on your flash drive to determine the appropriate storage capacity, and examine the many different styles of flash drives available to find one that will suit your personal preferences. With the large number of units available, you are sure to find one that will make your personal and professional data storage efforts faster and easier.