Hey everyone! I'm working on a customized Linux OS installer, and I'm running into a bit of a snag with flash drives. Most of the ones I've tried seem to only support a sustained write speed of around 20MB/s, and since my ISO files are between 5-10GB, that means I spend way too much time reflashing each iteration. Due to some quirks with the systems I'm working with, they can't boot from any flash drive that's 128GB or larger. I've seen recommendations for the SanDisk Extreme Pro, but that starts at 128GB. I'm really looking for the fastest 32GB or 64GB flash drive out there. If anyone has suggestions or knows of good devices that fit this bill, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
6 Answers
Have you checked out Ventoy? They have some options for booting from USB drives, and it might work well for your needs! Also, the SanDisk Extreme Pro isn't a bad option, even though it's technically an SSD.
You could also try putting an SSD in a USB enclosure and partition it to around 64GB. Might be worth a shot!
If you're looking for something different, have you thought about an IODD virtual device? It acts like a USB hard drive/SSD and can present ISOs as bootable drives. I've used it for years, and it works like a charm!
Have you tried using a 128GB flash drive while creating a 64GB partition? It might just work for your setup!
Also, consider getting an M.2 drive with a USB-C enclosure. Those tend to have super fast write speeds, which could help with your iterations.
I have an Adata UE700 16GB that has served me well; it can handle 150MB/s read and 50MB/s write, and it survived a washing machine accident! Just thought I'd share in case you find it useful!
That's a great idea! I'm going to give that a shot and see how it goes. I've been using dd to flash so far.