4GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro Flashdrive Review
The following review is based on a 4GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro flashdrive. This portable device features a black molded plastic outer housing with an opaque (slightly transparent) inner housing. The inner housing and USB prong is retractable, eliminating the need for a cap. The activity LED on this model is located in the opaque inner housing and is exposed once the USB prong is extracted. Despite the use of two different housings, the SanDisk Cruzer Micro feels extremely light.
SanDisk Cruzer Micro Screenshot:
SanDisk Cruzer Micro Speed Benchmarking:
The following read/write file benchmark and low level read/write benchmark tests were established using the flash memory toolkit and a 4GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro USB flashdrive.
Compatible with USB Bootable Linux?:
Using the 4GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro USB stick, we were able to setup multiple partitions in Linux and then proceed to successfully install and natively boot Pendrivelinux from this device. Other Linux versions should prove bootable as well.
Conclusion: The SanDisk Cruzer Micro is a single channel drive that looks good, has no cap to lose and performs well. Benchtest results show decent 16MB/s average read speeds, and 8MB/s write speeds. The drive can also be multipartitioned in Linux and supports USB native boot.
There are two drawbacks that may be of concern. We feel the extractable moving parts may wear out more quickly than drives without this feature. In addition, we noticed that the read speeds displayed an unknown sharp drop toward the end of the test.
Side Notes: Keep in mind that larger capacity USB flash devices are generally slower than their lower capacity counterparts. So a 1GB flash drive of the same make/model should perform better than a 4GB device.
