Serious question on thumb drives (was Re: Maybe a deal on flash drives)

[Karl Larsen]

Thomas Cameron wrote:
> On Sat, 2007-09-15 at 08:35 -0500, Aaron Konstam wrote:
>   
>> I have obviously unleashed a pack of hostility. 
>>     
>
> Nah, there's always someone who is gonna bitch about something.  Don't
> worry about it - I think your heart was in the right place and I'm not
> burned up about it.  I wouldn't post something like that again, but
> that's just me.
>
> I actually do have a real question about USB thumb drives and the like,
> though, if anyone who knows more about the actual electronics can
> answer.
>
> I see these 8GB and even 16GB thumb drives on eBay for really cheap
> prices (a quick search finds a 16GB thumb drive for about $75 shipped)
> and I wonder "what is the difference between a no-name from China and a
> brand name from the US?"  I mean, really, aren't the "brand name" ones
> really just using the same components as the cheap ones?
>
> Seems to me that as solid state electronics, the USB drive is either
> going to work or it's not, and if it works it's probably going to work
> for a long time.  
>
> So my question is, why would I spend a boatload more money on a supposed
> name-brand US made USB drive when I can buy them out of China for a
> fraction of the cost?
>
> Thomas
>
>   
I guess your thumb = Flash Drive are the same.  You can't tell the 
capacity of a devise by it's size. My 256KB unit is bigger than the 2 GB 
unit. All pictures I see of todays 4 GB units show them the same as the 
2 GB.

A flash drive has some standard chips in it that are what you can buy 
from the big memory factories. They are similar to what you have on your 
computer's RAM stick. I bought a 2 GB tiny memory stick that is in my 
Cell-Phone now and it cost $28.00 in Wal Mart a year ago.

RAM  has got cheap this Fall and that was why I bought 2 GB for this 
computer.  I would buy the unit made in China if it is much cheaper. 
They must have about the same thing inside that the US units have. And I 
think some US models are made in China :-)



-- 

	Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
	Linux User
	#450462   http://counter.li.org.