MaximumPC 2007 07

A

in’t technology wonderful? Just a few years ago our mouths were agape at

1GB USB thumb drives that cost $500. Yet here we have Corsair pushing the

16GB mark for $140—a mere $8.75 per GB.

The Flash Voyager looks the same as previous models, except for its color.

The standard-speed device is blue, while the faster GT model is red. Although

the rubberized case gives the unit a fairly rugged feel, we have torn through the

rubber key-ring loop on older units. Oddly, no driver or encryption software was

included with our device. Corsair normally bundles the open-source TrueCrypt

software with its products, which is passable though inconvenient.

In performance, the fat Flash Voyager is an interesting story. Of the seven

keys we’ve tested recently, the 16GB Flash Voyager is the second fastest in

small-file writes, taking about eight minutes to write 10,315 files. The stupen-

dously fast Kingston 4GB Secure Traveler took three minutes, while the rest of

the pack clocked in with scores of 20 minutes or more.

The Flash Voyager’s biggest weakness is in writing medium and large

files. The key took 4:10 (min:sec) to write about 2GB of large files, which was

almost a minute slower than even the hard-disk-based Verbatim Store ’n’ Go

we reviewed last month.

The 16GB Flash Voyager also trailed the Verbatim in writing medium-size

JPG files. Not pretty. Payback came in read speeds, as the Flash Voyager aced

the small-, medium-, and large-file reads, achieving speeds equal to those of

the fastest keys we’ve benchmarked.

So what you have is a key that reads files very quickly and is pretty good

at writing small files but could take a minute longer than a hard-disk unit and

almost four times longer than the Flash Voyager GT to write large files, which

is odd because a 16GB key seems as though it were made to write huge ISO

and image files, not read gigabytes of text files. We don’t think the medium-

and large-file write performance is terminal, but it certainly doesn’t

reach the yee-haw speeds of its

red-cased brethren.

—Gordon Mah UnG

Corsair 16GB

Flash Voyager

This little key can swallow more data than a

dual-layer DVD disc

Y

ou’re still using one monitor? That is so old school we’re not even going to

offer a snarky comment about it. Nope. Not a word. But if you don’t have the

desk space for a second display, Thermaltake has you covered. The company’s

seven-inch LCD monitor is an awesome addition to your rig—with the caveat

that unless you have a matching Thermaltake case, you’re likely SOL.

As a supplemental display, Thermaltake’s seven-incher is almost a full-

fledged monitor, although the unit’s small size and meager 1280x1024 resolu-

tion somewhat distance it from what we would typically use. The display itself

is a retractable touch screen—something you rarely see on car displays, let

alone computer displays.

Installing the display is as easy as stuffing the device into a seven-inch

drive bay, wherein we find its biggest fault. Do you have a seven-inch drive

bay in your case? We sure don’t—not in any of the chassis in our Lab, save for

Thermaltake-branded designs. Unless you’re skilled with a hacksaw, purchas-

ing this monitor will require you to pick up a new case as well, which is a total

letdown since it’s such a sweet device.

Simply put, although it’s pricey, the Thermaltake display is light-years

beyond anything else out there, save for actual touch-screen-based computers.

And controlling your computer by tapping your finger is simply too fun. Cooler

still, you can plug standard RCA cables into the back of the unit. Control a DVD

playing on your main monitor using the touch screen; then switch to a game of

Wii Tennis during the boring parts. Life just doesn’t get much better than that.

We’ll be waiting with bated breath for Thermaltake to release a version of

this monitor that isn’t tied to its cases. (Though we highly doubt that day will ever

arrive.) You’re certainly getting more than you bargained for with the

seven-inch display, just prepare

for some additional purchases.

—daVId MUrPhY

Thermaltake 7-Inch

Touch Screen

LCD Monitor

A secondary LCD can sometimes be better than

a real monitor

74 MAXIMUMPC july 2007

reviews Tes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized

Corsair pushes the 16GB boundary with its affordable Flash

Voyager key.

You will squeal with delight the first time this seven-inch

display pops out of its enclosure, eagerly awaiting your

greasy fingers.

8

thermaltake monitor

$350, http://www.thermaltakeusa.com

8

corsair 16GB flash

$180, http://www.corsairmicro.com