I recently purchased a budget-friendly 2TB USB drive from AliExpress, and I've come across some videos showing that many of these cheap drives are actually fake, with less storage than advertised. After running a test, it seems like mine is genuine. However, I'm wondering if there are more reliable methods to verify the true storage capacity of this drive. Any advice? Here are some images from my test: [link1](https://ibb.co/gFVmsPy1) and [link2](https://ibb.co/0VXMRHWP).
4 Answers
The numbers you're seeing look okay, but keep a close eye on the stats. Significant variance in write and read speeds may be a red flag. I recommend running the test again with no other apps running on your PC to see if the results hold steady; otherwise, you might be dealing with inconsistent flash chips. Just a heads up, buying storage on the cheap can often lead to disappointment.
A good practice is to fill the USB with a load of large files, like a hefty 500GB zip. If it’s a fake, it’ll start failing to write at some point. Validrive can help with this, but be aware that some tricks might still fool it. So, overloading might be more telling!
You should definitely consider using h2testw for a more thorough check, or try ValiDrive which is quick and effective. Each app has its own strengths, but they're both good for verifying storage.
I hadn't heard of Validrive before! Thanks for the tip!
If your testing app writes different values to each block, then your drive is likely valid. But be cautious—anything from AliExpress is usually suspect. For real peace of mind, I wouldn't connect any AliExpress USB to important devices without scans or using a sandbox first.
Sounds like a plan! I just started the process with 200GB. I'll update once it's done.