SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB USB flash drive

Here you will find a detailed speed, performance and benchmark test review. Tested was the USB flash drive Extreme PRO with 256GB (SDCZ880-256G-G46) from the brand SanDisk.

Performance score 
317
Price/GB
0.32 $
Read
420 MB/s
Write
380 MB/s
Connector
USB Typ A
Interface
USB 3.2 1x1
Technical specifications (manufacturer information)
Product image Product image Extreme PRO
Manufacturer SanDisk  
Model number SDCZ880-256G-G46
Capacity 256 GB (238 GiB)
pSLC cache 2 GB approx.
Read speed 420 MB/s
Write speed 380 MB/s
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 Gbit/s)
Connector USB Typ A
Controller n/a

Product
Score
Price
  Current price
~ 81 $
(= 0.32 $ / GB)
Compare product Compared to the test winner*
Read speed
47 %
Write speed
46 %
*) Test result rated by AS SSD score within the same capacity.

We put the 256 GB SanDisk USB flash drive through a detailed test. You can find the test result / test report here:


AS SSD Benchmark

Standard performance test

The standard test was performed with a 1 GB file. A total score of 317 points was achieved.

AS SSD Benchmark Screenshot: TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB
AS SSD Read: Write:
Seq
in megabytes per second
415.15 MB/s
312.83 MB/s
4K
in megabytes per second
12.91 MB/s
23.68 MB/s
4K-64Thrd
in megabytes per second
89.47 MB/s
44.76 MB/s
Access time
in milliseconds
1.253 ms
0.975 ms
Score
144
100
Total score 
317

Copy performance test

A common everyday scenario is simulated here. Three test folders are created:

  • ISO (folder with two large files)
  • Program (folder with many small files)
  • Game (folder with small and large files)

The three folders are copied using the Windows copy command (cache remains enabled). The real-world test from 01 December 2025 shows performance during simultaneous write and read operations. The lower the duration, the better.

AS SSD TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB
AS SSD Copy Benchmark Transfer rate: Duration:
ISO
two large files
248.40 MB/s
4.32 s
Program
typical program folder with many small files
103.55 MB/s
13.59 s
Game
a game folder with small and large files
133.46 MB/s
10.35 s

Compression performance test

Here, speed is measured depending on how compressible the data is.

AS SSD TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB

CrystalDiskMark Benchmark

Similar to AS SSD, two sequential and two random performance tests are carried out here and the write and read speed (manufacturer specs: 420 MB/s and 380 MB/s) the SanDisk USB flash drive is measured.

CrystalDiskMark Benchmark Screenshot: TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB
CDM Read [MB/s] Write [MB/s]
SEQ1M
Q8T1
433.35
397.66
SEQ1M
Q1T1
428.09
393.88
RND4K
Q32T16
15.37
10.39
RND4K
Q1T1
14.70
9.33

IOPS (Input/Output operations per second)

CDM Read [IOPS] Write [IOPS]
SEQ1M
Q8T1
413.30
379.20
SEQ1M
Q1T1
408.30
375.60
RND4K
Q32T16
3,752.40
2,536.90
RND4K
Q1T1
3,588.60
2,278.30

Average latency

CDM Read [µs] Write [µs]
SEQ1M
Q8T1
19,302.50
21,020.20
SEQ1M
Q1T1
2,448.70
2,659.90
RND4K
Q32T16
100,128.00
133,895.00
RND4K
Q1T1
278.36
438.23

HD Tune Pro long-term test

A long-term test was performed to fully utilize the storage. You can see at what point the cache (if present) becomes full and write performance drops. A test file of 10 GB was written to the medium. After approx. 2 GB, the cache was full and performance was throttled.
The test file could at least be read with an average read speed of 406 MB/s and written at 193 MB/s.

HD Tune endurance test TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB

HD Tune Pro Benchmark

HD Tune writes a 1 GB file to the 256 GB SanDisk USB flash drive. The transfer data of the read speed is displayed graphically. The minimum, maximum and average values are also determined. The measured access time and burst rate are also shown.

HD Tune TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB

ATTO Disk Benchmark

Here, a 256 MB file is written to the 256 GB SanDisk USB flash drive multiple times. The I/O block size varies (from 512 bytes to 64 megabytes). The larger the blocks, the faster writing and reading usually becomes.

ATTO Disk Benchmark TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB

SSD-Z Benchmark

Similar to HD Tune, a 500 MB file is written to the 256 GB SanDisk USB flash drive here. The transfer data is displayed. The more consistent the line, the better. Unfortunately, the tool no longer works correctly from around 4,000 MB/s and no line is displayed (and sometimes incorrect min/max data is shown).

SSD-Z TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB

Power consumption

The following screenshot shows the USB flash drive's power consumption at idle (standby) and during a read operation followed by a write operation. The drive consumes approx. 0.87 watts at idle. Maximum consumption was approx. 1.43 watts.

Power consumption TEST: SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB


You can find information about the test system at the bottom of the homepage.
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