Flash drives (also called USB drives) are small, solid state storage devices that connect to computers and devices via a USB port. They provide a portable way to store and transport files, photos, videos, music, and other data between devices. Flash drives use flash memory, which allows data to be erased and rewritten quickly and efficiently. This makes them very convenient and versatile for storing all kinds of files and documents. While flash drives have limited storage space compared to a hard drive (usually ranging from 1GB to 512GB), they are small enough to fit in your pocket and don’t require external power.
Flash drives are plug-and-play devices, meaning you simply plug a flash drive into a USB port and you can immediately access, copy, move, and delete files without having to install device drivers or software. Their portability and ease of use make flash drives very handy for transferring files between computers and devices, freeing up space on your hard drive, creating file backups, and more. Major uses include storing documents, photos, music, videos for personal and work use. Overall, flash drives provide a versatile way to store, backup, and transfer digital files quickly and conveniently.
Flash Drive Speed
Flash drives have gotten significantly faster over the years, with USB 3.0 drives now capable of sequential read and write speeds over 200MB/s. However, random read/write speeds and latency, which are more important for gaming, still lag behind SSDs and HDDs.
The sequential speeds of a flash drive determine how quickly large files like movies can be copied back and forth. But for gaming purposes, the 4KB random read and write speeds are more relevant as games constantly access small files scattered around the storage device.
On this metric, even the fastest flash drives on the market today top out at around 20MB/s 4KB random read/write. In comparison, a SATA SSD manages 90+ MB/s while mechanical hard drives can reach over 1 MB/s. This means load times from a flash drive will be much slower.
Additionally, flash drives have a latency of a few thousand microseconds, 5-10 times higher than SSDs. This further limits their responsiveness for random access gaming tasks. Overall, flash drives are far behind SSDs and HDDs in the speed metrics that matter most for gaming.
Game File Sizes
As games become more complex and graphics more detailed, their file sizes continue to grow. According to a 2020 study by TechDigest, the average video game file size is now 53GB [1]. Major game updates can be over 50GB as well. For example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Season 2 update was 54GB [1]. This means having enough storage space is crucial when gaming. Flash drives now commonly offer 256GB or more of capacity, which provides ample room for most game installs and updates.
Load Times from Flash Drives
There is some debate on whether using a flash drive significantly impacts game load times. According to a discussion on Reddit, the quality and speed of a USB drive doesn’t actually affect how games run once loaded, as the data is loaded into memory during gameplay. However, initial load times when booting up a game may be impacted.
Some testing has shown flash drives can load games faster than even internal hard drives in certain cases. For example, one user on AnandTech forums tested installing games on a fast USB 3.0 flash drive and found load times were reduced by 25-50% compared to a 5400 RPM laptop hard drive.
Overall, while flash drive speeds don’t affect in-game performance, they can potentially decrease initial load times for games depending on the specific drive used. Faster USB 3.0 drives generally outperform USB 2.0 drives and spinning hard drives for game launches. But results can vary based on hardware and test methodology.
Flash Drive Durability
One common concern with using flash drives for gaming is their durability and lifespan. Flash drives have moving parts and use flash memory, which has a limited number of write cycles before failure. However, modern flash drives are generally reliable enough for gaming usage.
Quality flash drives today should easily last 5+ years with normal usage. The flash memory cells are rated for 100,000-1,000,000 write cycles, which would take a very long time to reach during gaming. Flash drives also have wear leveling algorithms that help distribute writes across all the memory cells, preventing premature failure of individual cells.
That said, flash drives can and do fail eventually. Using them for gaming will cause more writes than typical storage usage, which will wear them out faster. High quality drives with high write endurance ratings will have longer lifespans. You may need to replace a flash drive after a few years of heavy gaming usage.
Overall, while flash drives are not as durable as SSDs or HDDs designed for intensive computing tasks, they can readily handle gaming usage for a few years before replacement may be needed. As long as you go with a reputable high-endurance drive and follow usage recommendations, durability should not be a major concern.
Heat and Power Draw
When using flash drives for gaming, it’s important to consider the heat and power draw. Flash drives use very little power, typically around 0.5 watts when in use according to research on Quora (source). Compared to hard disk drives which use around 2-3 watts, flash drives are quite energy efficient.
In terms of heat dissipation, tests by AnandTech show that even write-intensive tasks cause only minimal heating on most flash drives (source). Since gaming involves mostly read operations after the initial game installation, overheating is not a major concern.
Overall, the low power draw and minimal heat generation of flash drives make them well-suited for gaming from a technical standpoint. Their portability also allows conveniently moving games between devices.
Cost Comparison
Flash drives were once significantly more expensive than hard disk drives (HDDs) in terms of cost per gigabyte. However, prices have dropped dramatically in recent years to the point where flash is approaching parity with HDDs.
According to Computer Weekly, flash drive prices as of October 2023 have fallen to an average of $0.075/GB. In comparison, leading price tracking sites like Disk Prices and Backblaze show HDD prices averaging around $0.005/GB for mid- to high-capacity drives. So flash remains more expensive per gigabyte but the gap is narrowing.
For a 1TB flash drive, expect to pay around $75 versus $5 for a 1TB HDD. But for very large drives, such as 16TB, the cost difference becomes more pronounced: roughly $1,200 for flash versus $80 for HDD. So if you need massive amounts of storage, HDDs are still far cheaper. But for moderate capacities, flash is a viable option if performance is critical.
Portability
One of the main benefits of using a flash drive for gaming is the ease of transport. Flash drives are extremely compact and portable, making them convenient to take your games anywhere. Many flash drives are small enough to fit on a keychain or in your pocket.
This portability allows gamers to easily bring their games to a friend’s house for gaming sessions. Rather than having to transport an entire gaming PC or console, you can just bring a tiny flash drive. This makes it simple to access your game files, saved games, and settings on any computer.
Flash drives are also great for gaming on the go with laptops. Their small size and plug-and-play functionality work well for gaming in places like planes, cars, hotels, and college dorms. You can quickly load up your favorite games on any PC without needing to install anything.
Overall, the portability and compact size of flash drives are ideal for transporting games without hassle. This makes them an extremely convenient gaming storage option compared to external hard drives or discs.
Use Cases
There are several situations where using a flash drive for gaming makes sense and provides benefits over other storage options:
Portability – Flash drives like the Flashbay Stealth are extremely portable, making them great for carrying game data or entire game installs between different PCs or consoles. This allows gamers to easily bring their games to a friend’s house for multiplayer gaming sessions.
Limited console storage – On consoles like the Xbox Series S which only includes 500GB of onboard storage, adding a large flash drive expands the number of games you can have installed at once without needing to delete and redownload games constantly.
Store game saves – For consoles that don’t support game save backups to the cloud, a flash drive provides a way to backup saves as a precaution against data loss.
Run retro emulators – Flash drives work well for storing ROM files and emulators to play retro games on modern hardware. The portability also allows using the same setup across multiple devices.
Demo games – Developers can distribute game demos on branded flash drives as a marketing giveaway. The demo can run directly from the flash drive without a full install.
Modify games – Savvy PC gamers can store game mods, custom maps, and other game data on a flash drive for easy transfer between devices.
Recommendations
Based on the analysis so far, here are some recommendations for gamers considering using flash drives:
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Opt for a USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 flash drive if possible – the faster data transfer speeds will improve load times significantly compared to older USB 2.0 drives.
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Look for drives with read/write speeds of at least 200MB/s for the best performance with large game files.
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Avoid the cheapest, lowest capacity drives – they often have slower speeds that can impact load times.
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Test the drive with game files first to ensure load times are acceptable before relying on it as your main game storage.
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Make sure to properly eject the drive before removing to prevent corruption.
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Consider a high-endurance drive designed for frequent writes if gaming regularly.
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Use flash drives as secondary portable game storage, not primary – depending on internal HDDs/SSDs is still ideal.
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Flash drives work best for older or less demanding games in terms of size and graphics.
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Avoid storing save games on flash drives to prevent data loss.
In summary, modern high-speed USB flash drives can work for gaming but have limitations compared to internal drives, so they’re best used as a portable secondary option.