With the capacity if USB memory keys rising all the time, it pays to opt for one with a faster controller chip. This allows you to copy large files back and forth a lot quicker.

The PNY Attaché Pro is a great example as; the company claims it has a 25Mbps write speed, while it can read files in 29Mbps.

What does this mean? Well in tests we managed to copy 1GB worth of files in one minute and 20 seconds. The key itself is a little on the large size but with 4GB of actual Flash space this is great size, as it takes most of the strain out of backing up your computer.

What’s more, with this kind of speed, it means if you have Windows XP on your machine you can elect to speed up performance using ReadyBoost.

Increasingly, we’re starting to see more USB memory keys sporting some form of password protection and improved functionality.

The Attaché Pro comes with Carry It Easy, which works in a similar way to U3, by allowing you to load applications directly from the key as well as covering up your online footsteps in both Internet Explorer and Firefox.

This last feature is perfect if you use a shared terminal, as you won’t need to double check you’ve signed out of any chat rooms or websites you’ve been using.

Our quick take

The PNY Attaché Pro doesn’t really offer anything new but as all you can ask of a memory key is to be spacious, fast and secure, it ticks all the right boxes – we just wish it was a little smaller in physical size.

PNY Attache Pro USB drive - 3.5 / 5

FORAGAINST
  • Fast
  • works with Windows ReadyBoost
  • Rather large

To recap

This is a fast read/write key with plenty of space that only fails by being a little chunky