The Kingston DataTraveler Max meets
the PNY Turbo Attaché 3
Near-SSD speed in a thumb drive, at a price that undercuts the field. We tested it head-to-head against the PNY Turbo Attaché 3 across 5 key dimensions.
Kingston DataTraveler Max
“Near-SSD speed in a thumb drive, at a price that undercuts the field”
PNY Turbo Attaché 3
“A dependable USB-A stick for everyday files at pocket-change prices”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Kingston DataTraveler Max
- Near-1,000 MB/s reads and 900 MB/s writes, the fastest drive Tom's Hardware and TechRadar tested
- Ranked #1 across Tom's Hardware, TechRadar and EverythingUSB for real transfer speed
- Around $30 to $38 for 256GB, cheap for SSD-class performance, per Tom's Hardware
- Tom's Hardware says the plastic shell feels a little cheap
- USB-C only, and the short connector can foul some motherboard ports
- EverythingUSB saw writes throttle after roughly 20GB of sustained transfer
PNY Turbo Attaché 3
- Tom's Guide named it Best Value, and it appears across three of our sources
- Around $18 for 128GB, among the cheapest reliable drives you can buy
- USB-A 3.0 plugs into nearly any computer with no adapter
- Read speeds top out near 100 MB/s, per PNY and Windows Central
- Slow writes make it a poor choice for large video files
- Plain plastic build with no ruggedness rating
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
The Kingston DataTraveler Max wins because it behaves like an NVMe SSD in the body of a thumb drive. Tom's Hardware, TechRadar and EverythingUSB all ranked it their #1 pick, and every lab clocked it near 1,000 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write over USB 3.2 Gen 2. That is several times faster than a typical USB-A drive and fast enough to run software or edit files directly off the stick.
Kingston DataTraveler Max
The Kingston DataTraveler Max wins because it behaves like an NVMe SSD in the body of a thumb drive. Tom's Hardware, TechRadar and EverythingUSB all ranked it their #1 pick, and every lab clocked it near 1,000 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write over USB 3.2 Gen 2. That is several times faster than a typical USB-A drive and fast enough to run software or edit files directly off the stick.
- People moving large files or video regularly
- Anyone with USB-C laptops, tablets or phones
- Buyers who want SSD-class speed without SSD prices
- Users who run apps or edit directly off a drive
- Shoppers who want a proven brand and warranty
PNY Turbo Attaché 3
The PNY Turbo Attaché 3 wins on value because it does the everyday job for the price of a sandwich. Tom's Guide named it Best Value, and it turned up in three of our six sources. At around $18 for 128GB it is one of the cheapest drives we would actually trust with your files.
- Students and office users on a tight budget
- Anyone who just needs to move documents and photos
- People who want a cheap spare or multipack drive
- Users with older USB-A only computers
- Buyers who care more about price than speed