OCZ Rally2 - Second Generation Flashdrive Review
This review focuses on a 2GB OCZ Rally2 (second generation) USB flashdrive. This portable USB device utilizes a solid and rugged black housing with removable cap. It features a bright orange LED that remains lit once the flash drive is plugged in, and flickers with read/write access activity. In addition the OCZ Rally2 is a dual channel USB flash drive, which in theory should make it faster than a standard single channel device. See the benchmark below for results.
OCZ Rally2 Screenshot:
OCZ Rally 2 Speed Benchmarking:
The following read/write file benchmark and low level read/write benchmark tests were established using the flash memory toolkit and a 2GB OCZ Rally 2 USB flashdrive.
Compatible with USB Bootable Linux?:
With the OCZ Rally2 we were able to setup the drive for multiple partitions in Linux and then proceed to successfully install and natively boot Ubuntu from this device. Other Linux versions should prove bootable as well.
Conclusion: The OCZ Rally2 proves to be a solid, rugged dual channel drive. With very impressive 23.8MB/s average read speeds, 14.8MB/s write speeds, the ability to setup multiple partitions, and acceptance of MBR for USB boot, this drive is a good candidate for storing portable applications and even bootable Portable Live Linux releases.
How does the OCZ Rally2 Rank?:
We honor this OCZ Rally 2 with our Editors Choice Top 4 Star Rating based on the following:
- One Star For Construction/Durablility
- One Star for Performance/Speed
- One Star for Compatibility
- One Star for Features
Keep in mind that larger capacity drives generally perform slower. So a 2GB USB flash drive is going to be slower to read/write than a 1GB USB flash drive.
