W1zzard
09-30-2005, 09:42 AM
[page=Introduction & Packaging]
Introduction
From the manufacturer OCZ Technology (http://www.ocztechnology.com):
High Speed USB 2.0 Certified
True Plug and Play
Dual Channel Technology
Available in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB capacities
Dimensions: 2 5/8"(L) x 5/8"(W)
Aluminum Chassis
Blue LED Status Light
Lifetime Warranty
512MB - Up to 28MB/s (read), 15MB/s (write)
1GB - Up to 25MB/s (read), 17MB/s (write)
2GB - Up to 23MB/s (read), 17MB/s (write)
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package2.jpg)
Unlike OCZ's memory packaging, the Rally's packaging is sealed plastic which is a pain to open. At least I didn't cut myself this time, which usually always happens to me.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/contents.jpg)
Inside the package you will find:
Aluminum cased USB stick
Keyring
USB extension 0.5m
Lanyard
OCZ does not include any software with the Rally USB stick. Since the stick is geared towards power users who want high transfer rates, those people will already know which software they will use, if they do use any.
[page=Accessories]
Accessories
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/cable_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/cable.jpg)
Including an USB extension cable is a good idea, who wants to crawl under his desk to attach the USB stick? I find 0.5m is a bit short, 1m would be better for bigger desks/more complex wire routing.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment3.jpg)
Attaching the lanyard is pretty straightforward. The clip seems to be of good quality and snaps well.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring1.jpg)
If you want to attach the OCZ Rally to your keychain you have to put this small ring into the hole of the stick.
I have been using a Sandisk Cruzer Titanium in the past and getting the keyring attached to that stick is pretty much impossible without scratching the surface.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring2.jpg)
Not with the OCZ rally. It took me about 30 seconds to get the keyring in; on the first try. Getting it out again is just as easy.
[page=The Stick]
The Stick
OCZ's rally uses a sleek aluminum casing which feels very solid and can sure take some beating, compared to the cheap plastic other manufacturers use.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick3.jpg)
I wonder why OCZ chose to make a stick with a cap. Those little caps tend to get lost in your desk mess quick. Some other manufacturers use retractable connectors which I prefer. However, once you have the cap on the stick, it fits well, and I doubt you can lose it from there.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/led_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/led.jpg)
When the stick is connected to the PC a blue light in the back indicates its use. When data is transferred to and from the USB stick, the light blinks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/size_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/size.jpg)
To give you a size comparison how tiny the USB stick is, I put it on a CD. Many sticks do not fit into cramped USB Hubs since their dimensions are too big. If you can plug a USB cable in, the OCZ Rally will fit as well.
[page=Performance]
Performance
We compared the OCZ Rally 1GB to the following USB devices:
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium 512 MB
Thermaltake MUSE external HDD enclosure
Generic Stick USB 1.1 256 MB
OCZ is using "dual-channel" technology in the Rally USB Sticks. Two flash memory chips are connected in parallel, so data is written to and read from both chips at the same time, which should considerably increase transfer rates. This is a clever idea since it does not require faster flash chips to be developed, you will just need a little bit more interface logic and space for a second chip. Expect to see dual-channel technology in a lot of future USB drives.
We used HDTach in the following two benchmarks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/graph1.gif
As promised, the read bandwidth of the USB Rally is exceptional. Only the Thermaltake MUSE is faster, but it's not a USB stick, just a housing for a 3.5" harddisk.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/graph2.gif
When it comes to access times, the Sandisk Cruzer is a little bit faster than the OCZ Rally, but such a small difference is hardly noticable, especially not with the usage patterns of USB sticks.
To get a feeling how the speed with different sized files is, we used the ATTO disk benchmark.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/atto.gif
As you can see the write performance of the drive is quite less than the reading speed, but still very good. Another conclusion we can draw from here, is that the drive is considerably slower when moving small files, but who has 1 GB of small files anyway.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value & Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
With $40 (512 MB), $75 (1 GB) and $130 (2 GB), the OCZ Rally sure isn't cheap, but high-speed dual channel technology has its price.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Blazing fast
Very small
Solid Aluminum casing
USB extension cable included
Lifetime Warranty
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Cap could get lost
Expensive
No software included
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.0</th>
<td>The OCZ Rally offers exceptional read performance. While the write bandwidth might be less, it is still impressive. When it comes to performance, dual-channel seems to definitely be a step in the right direction.<br />
Unfortunately OCZ used a cap design, which means the cap protecting the connector can be easily lost. Maybe OCZ could add a spare cap into the well-rounded accessory package. Talking of accessories, everything is included, except for software. This stick is geared towards enthusiasts anyway, and these users will definitely have an operating system which supports USB without special drivers. Additional software included by the competition, like encryption or backup solutions, are usually low-quality software - you will most likely find better shareware/freeware.<br />
Considering the price, the OCZ Rally USB sticks are about 20% more expensive than similar sized USB 2.0 sticks, which obviously can not compete in speed. But if speed is only secondary to you, you may be better off getting a cheap noname USB 2.0 stick. If you are regularly using your USB stick you should spend the extra money and enjoy the faster transfer speeds and the life long warranty.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
From the manufacturer OCZ Technology (http://www.ocztechnology.com):
High Speed USB 2.0 Certified
True Plug and Play
Dual Channel Technology
Available in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB capacities
Dimensions: 2 5/8"(L) x 5/8"(W)
Aluminum Chassis
Blue LED Status Light
Lifetime Warranty
512MB - Up to 28MB/s (read), 15MB/s (write)
1GB - Up to 25MB/s (read), 17MB/s (write)
2GB - Up to 23MB/s (read), 17MB/s (write)
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/package2.jpg)
Unlike OCZ's memory packaging, the Rally's packaging is sealed plastic which is a pain to open. At least I didn't cut myself this time, which usually always happens to me.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/contents.jpg)
Inside the package you will find:
Aluminum cased USB stick
Keyring
USB extension 0.5m
Lanyard
OCZ does not include any software with the Rally USB stick. Since the stick is geared towards power users who want high transfer rates, those people will already know which software they will use, if they do use any.
[page=Accessories]
Accessories
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/cable_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/cable.jpg)
Including an USB extension cable is a good idea, who wants to crawl under his desk to attach the USB stick? I find 0.5m is a bit short, 1m would be better for bigger desks/more complex wire routing.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/attachment3.jpg)
Attaching the lanyard is pretty straightforward. The clip seems to be of good quality and snaps well.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring1.jpg)
If you want to attach the OCZ Rally to your keychain you have to put this small ring into the hole of the stick.
I have been using a Sandisk Cruzer Titanium in the past and getting the keyring attached to that stick is pretty much impossible without scratching the surface.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/keyring2.jpg)
Not with the OCZ rally. It took me about 30 seconds to get the keyring in; on the first try. Getting it out again is just as easy.
[page=The Stick]
The Stick
OCZ's rally uses a sleek aluminum casing which feels very solid and can sure take some beating, compared to the cheap plastic other manufacturers use.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/stick3.jpg)
I wonder why OCZ chose to make a stick with a cap. Those little caps tend to get lost in your desk mess quick. Some other manufacturers use retractable connectors which I prefer. However, once you have the cap on the stick, it fits well, and I doubt you can lose it from there.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/led_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/led.jpg)
When the stick is connected to the PC a blue light in the back indicates its use. When data is transferred to and from the USB stick, the light blinks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/size_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/size.jpg)
To give you a size comparison how tiny the USB stick is, I put it on a CD. Many sticks do not fit into cramped USB Hubs since their dimensions are too big. If you can plug a USB cable in, the OCZ Rally will fit as well.
[page=Performance]
Performance
We compared the OCZ Rally 1GB to the following USB devices:
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium 512 MB
Thermaltake MUSE external HDD enclosure
Generic Stick USB 1.1 256 MB
OCZ is using "dual-channel" technology in the Rally USB Sticks. Two flash memory chips are connected in parallel, so data is written to and read from both chips at the same time, which should considerably increase transfer rates. This is a clever idea since it does not require faster flash chips to be developed, you will just need a little bit more interface logic and space for a second chip. Expect to see dual-channel technology in a lot of future USB drives.
We used HDTach in the following two benchmarks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/graph1.gif
As promised, the read bandwidth of the USB Rally is exceptional. Only the Thermaltake MUSE is faster, but it's not a USB stick, just a housing for a 3.5" harddisk.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/graph2.gif
When it comes to access times, the Sandisk Cruzer is a little bit faster than the OCZ Rally, but such a small difference is hardly noticable, especially not with the usage patterns of USB sticks.
To get a feeling how the speed with different sized files is, we used the ATTO disk benchmark.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/Rally/images/atto.gif
As you can see the write performance of the drive is quite less than the reading speed, but still very good. Another conclusion we can draw from here, is that the drive is considerably slower when moving small files, but who has 1 GB of small files anyway.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value & Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
With $40 (512 MB), $75 (1 GB) and $130 (2 GB), the OCZ Rally sure isn't cheap, but high-speed dual channel technology has its price.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Blazing fast
Very small
Solid Aluminum casing
USB extension cable included
Lifetime Warranty
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Cap could get lost
Expensive
No software included
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.0</th>
<td>The OCZ Rally offers exceptional read performance. While the write bandwidth might be less, it is still impressive. When it comes to performance, dual-channel seems to definitely be a step in the right direction.<br />
Unfortunately OCZ used a cap design, which means the cap protecting the connector can be easily lost. Maybe OCZ could add a spare cap into the well-rounded accessory package. Talking of accessories, everything is included, except for software. This stick is geared towards enthusiasts anyway, and these users will definitely have an operating system which supports USB without special drivers. Additional software included by the competition, like encryption or backup solutions, are usually low-quality software - you will most likely find better shareware/freeware.<br />
Considering the price, the OCZ Rally USB sticks are about 20% more expensive than similar sized USB 2.0 sticks, which obviously can not compete in speed. But if speed is only secondary to you, you may be better off getting a cheap noname USB 2.0 stick. If you are regularly using your USB stick you should spend the extra money and enjoy the faster transfer speeds and the life long warranty.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>