Gigabyte did not include a USB extension cable with the Flask Disk. The small size of the Flask Disk does allow it to fit into the mix of USB cables already jacked in. The above pictures show the Gigabyte Flash Disk installed in the front panel connectors on two separate enclosures; The Lian Li  V1000 on the left and the Cooler Master CM Stacker on the right. The other plug happens to be for a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick, but it's pretty close in size to every other USB plug.

     For maximum bandwidth, a USB 2.0 port is required, but of course the Flash Disk will work in a USB 1.1 port as well. These tests will be conducted in a USB 2.0 port using no encryption/password protection on the device. SiSoftware Sandra and HD Tach will be the benchmark medium of choice.

     Sandra has a test that is geared specifically for flash type devices. The Gigabyte Flash Disk (shown by the green line) is scoring well when compared with other devices that are among the elite listed in the Sandra benchmark database. File size has a dramatic impact on performance, with 128MB seeming to be the cutoff with any sizeable performance difference.

     The transfer rate test was done with Sandra and Hard Drive Tach. Sandra was a little more brutal to the Flash Disk, marking it with only a 9 Megabytes per second  transfer rate, while Hard Drive Tach records 10.4 Megabytes per second. Being a memory based unit, the random access seek-time on the Flash Disk is and incredible .5 milliseconds! 

    Conclusion.....

     My final test for a USB Flash Drive is to insert the drive into a non-powered USB hub. Some work and some don't, but the Gigabyte USB Flash Disk worked like a champ. SiSoftware's Sandra 2005 has shown the Flash Disk to have the performance we expect from a USB flash drive. Bundling a flash drive with partitioning software has become an expected norm and Gigabyte delivers that too. With so many USB flash drives to choose from, the biggest selling points are going to be price and appearance. The Gigabyte Flash Disk is small, just like all the others, but it has a very large and removable cap to cover the plug with. That's a bonus for folks like me who loose things easily. The lanyard that is included with the Flash Disk is very small as it won't wrap around an adults wrist. All things considered, the Gigabyte Flash Disk is a thumbs up product.

 Final Ratings subject to change upon announcement of MSRP and product availability from GigaByte