Kingston Hyper X 240GB SSD Review
Introduction and Technical Specifications
Published: 3rd August 2011 | Source: Kingston | Price: £397 |
Introduction
Branding is one of the most important elements of nearly every consumer item around. No matter what the product it is you're either making or selling, having a readily identifiable brand is vital.
If you can not only make your brand something that people are used to, and therefore be more likely to purchase when confronted with a choice, but can adhere to product control enough to make it super-desirable you're really on to a winner because people will buy it 'sight unseen'. There are many possible example but the most obvious of course is Apple and their range of iDevices. There are many phones and tablets with better specifications, a wider range of features and much better value, yet such is the desirability that the the public cannot buy them quick enough. Such is the power of a readily identifiable brand.
Indeed there is a joke I'm sure we've all heard that as long as it was sleekly designed and had 'i' in front of it, Apple customers will buy anything. However, the pitfall of having a brand that people adore is if you release a product that doesn't match up to the high standards previous ones have set then the public perception will quickly shift from "Brand X is awesome" into "Brand X isn't", regardless of the quality of the item itself.
Kingston's Hyper X memory has been some of the highest performing memory for a long time, and just seeing that logo gives a warm sense that the item you've purchased will be great. So you can understand what a huge statement of confidence it is that Kingston have finally decided to brand the latest in their line of Solid State Drives as a Hyper X one. Does it live up to the name?
Technical Specifications
A quick look through the specifications and we can see why Kingston have finally decided to apply the Hyper X branding to this drive. The very latest SandForce controller coupled to some blazing Intel NAND and the SATA III interface is the kind of high-speed combination that has us foaming in anticipation.
Indeed Kingston have seen fit to advertise this drive as being capable of a monumental 500MB/s plus in both read and write settings. Mind-blowing speeds indeed, if the drive can live up to such lofty claims.
| Form factor | 2.5” |
| Controller | 2nd Generation SandForce® Controller SF-2281 |
| Components | Intel® 25nm Compute-Quality MLC NAND (5k P/E Cycles) |
| Interface | SATA Rev 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev 2.0 (3Gb/s) |
| Capacities | 120 GB, 240 GB |
| Sequential reads 6Gb/s | 555MB/s for all capacities |
| Sequential writes 6Gb/s | 510MB/s for all capacities |
| Drive Technology Support | S.M.A.R.T. TRIM and Garbage Collection |
| Warranty/support | Three-year warranty with free 24/7 support |
| Power Consumption | 240GB: 0.455 W (TYP) Idle / 1.5 W (TYP) Read / 2.05 W (TYP) Write |
| Dimensions | 69.85 x 100 x 9.5mm |
| Weight | 81g |
| Operating Temperatures | 0°C ~ 70°C |
| Shock Resistance | 1500G |
| MTBF | 1,000,000 Hrs |
As ever, let's take a look at it before we get down to brass tacks.
Most Recent Comments
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
Kingston have emblazoned their Hyper X branding upon a new line of SATAIII SSDs. Do they live up to the name? |
Edit: ok now the link is up lolQuote
They look cool at least 
Performance wise it's very similar to other 240GB 2nd gen SandForce drives: Stockingly quick!!Quote
Performance wise it's very similar to other 240GB 2nd gen SandForce drives: Stockingly quick!!Quote
It's worth £400 and then some.. Those low down ATTO speeds are incredible.
That's usually where drives falter, but that one just chewed up all file sizes and spat them out like there's no tomorrow
Quote
That's usually where drives falter, but that one just chewed up all file sizes and spat them out like there's no tomorrow
QuoteOuch that's quick! £400 for a 240GB is plausable at these speeds. Especially when you realise what storage you actually need at hyper speed, with a large mechanical in the background for the lumpy stuff. SSD's seem to have come of age Quote
QuoteThe 256's we reviewed not so long ago retailed at £600 ..... so £400 for those speeds is pretty epic!Quote
i'm in lurve with this SSDQuote
I agree. Good speed for a good price.Quote
Bryan, you gonna be doing a few more reviews of the latest SSD ranges? It would be good for comparison.Quote
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Originally Posted by Bungral
Bryan, you gonna be doing a few more reviews of the latest SSD ranges? It would be good for comparison. |
QuoteQuote:
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
There will be more, this is just the first we have got our hands on. Probs do most brands except OCZ |
QuoteYou can't mock it on the speed. £400, which is around £1.67 per gig I still have issues with. (I still don't like £1.33 or so, but still) Comparing it with something that's stupidly @ £2.34 just doesn't cut it for me.
I do wonder how fast these will become before anyone 'really' notices any difference irl. Benches are artificial as we learn with gaming performance benchmarks. The numbers are unarguably fantastic.
The average person saves... how big a file usually ? Copying hooky files and movies, granted the 1 minute on one SSD turns into 50 seconds on this SSD - but even then how often do most people do that ? Not only that, if you do that alot, even 240/256g isn't enough, so you're limited to you 90mbs 1TB regular drive speed.
Boot times.. your current 'mediocre' SSD boots you in 15 seconds, this one does it in 10 seconds..
I dunno, if you have the cash in abundance - splash it - there is no question what-so-ever. They do what they say on the tin at what I'd still call an alarming price, but you have it.
... just don't lemme see rig listings on here with this drive included and a freakin GTX460 as the graphics card !
How about OEM versions of these things, just IT in a box - and naff all branding ? Cos branding really is bllx. You stick these things in a rig where no-one will generally seem them. I suppose it's do-able, but it'd probably even then go down to £1.33/g.. £320 or so.. But the thing with tat is they include it to make you feel better about the package you've outlayed a lot of cash on.Quote
I do wonder how fast these will become before anyone 'really' notices any difference irl. Benches are artificial as we learn with gaming performance benchmarks. The numbers are unarguably fantastic.
The average person saves... how big a file usually ? Copying hooky files and movies, granted the 1 minute on one SSD turns into 50 seconds on this SSD - but even then how often do most people do that ? Not only that, if you do that alot, even 240/256g isn't enough, so you're limited to you 90mbs 1TB regular drive speed.
Boot times.. your current 'mediocre' SSD boots you in 15 seconds, this one does it in 10 seconds..
I dunno, if you have the cash in abundance - splash it - there is no question what-so-ever. They do what they say on the tin at what I'd still call an alarming price, but you have it.
... just don't lemme see rig listings on here with this drive included and a freakin GTX460 as the graphics card !
How about OEM versions of these things, just IT in a box - and naff all branding ? Cos branding really is bllx. You stick these things in a rig where no-one will generally seem them. I suppose it's do-able, but it'd probably even then go down to £1.33/g.. £320 or so.. But the thing with tat is they include it to make you feel better about the package you've outlayed a lot of cash on.Quote
There is the SSD only and the "upgrade kit" in the upgrade version there is a CD, what is it for?Quote
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Originally Posted by Lollipop
There is the SSD only and the "upgrade kit" in the upgrade version there is a CD, what is it for? |
Thanks, must have missed it Quote
QuoteRasta. I think like most products it's a great buy if you are looking to get one now, or, for other reasons (size upgrade, new build ETC).
Of course, the thing is horrifically fast but it's not really a good idea to ditch the one you have already if it's slower but the same size.
It's kinda like selling your 480 at a huge loss to rush out and buy a 580.
And I'm glad we are going to remain OCZ free tbh.
And bloody good that is too. Been my lifeline for about two years now !Quote
Of course, the thing is horrifically fast but it's not really a good idea to ditch the one you have already if it's slower but the same size.
It's kinda like selling your 480 at a huge loss to rush out and buy a 580.
And I'm glad we are going to remain OCZ free tbh.
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Originally Posted by VonBlade
As mentioned in the review the CD contains Acronis backup software to allow you to migrate from your current drive to this one without losing any data. |
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Originally Posted by VonBlade
As mentioned in the review the CD contains Acronis backup software to allow you to migrate from your current drive to this one without losing any data. |
Wow amazing speeds and looks, one of the few SSDs that I would want to mount near a case window for people to see.
Also I know you've had bad experiences with OCZ before Tom, but they appear to be the most popular brand of SSD atm, although considering what you said about their Vertex 2, they probably wouldn't want to lend you one.Quote
Also I know you've had bad experiences with OCZ before Tom, but they appear to be the most popular brand of SSD atm, although considering what you said about their Vertex 2, they probably wouldn't want to lend you one
.QuoteQuote:
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Originally Posted by Lollipop
Does this also work from hdd to ssd? |
In the instance that I did it TRIM did not work properly. I tried enabling it by upgrading the controller or something, but even though disabledeletenotify came back with a 0 it clearly wasn't working.
Now that could be just me, but I seem to recall some one else having the same problem. I also needed to completely reinstall when flashing on the TRIM firmware (well, it was around the same time.. Basically I flashed on the firmware, TRIM didn't work so I imaged and it still didn't work).
I's guess from one SSD to another though it should be fine
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Originally Posted by Zeals
Also I know you've had bad experiences with OCZ before Tom, but they appear to be the most popular brand of SSD atm, although considering what you said about their Vertex 2, they probably wouldn't want to lend you one . |
well now .....im thoroughly impressed.....well done Kingston....well done oc3d!!!Quote
I play ArmA:2 and that is a game that really benefits from a fast SSD The Maps and game data is around 8Gb and this has to stream from the hard drive to RAM in relatively small chunks. Due to restrictions in the game engine it never occupies more than about 2Gb or system RAM. Quite a few ArmA players have SSD's and could be said to be a group of early adopters. something like this SSD is well high on my list of things to have. A higher priority than a new G/Card. save save save....Quote
I will deffo get the 120gb version Quote
QuoteWhen are SSD's going to start coming down in price to a reasonable price> I seriously want to upgrade all my HDD's to SDD' but it would cost me an arm and a leg to do so.Quote
I wish they'd reduce the price of that damn Veyron. I want to replace my Fiesta with it but it's stupidly expensive. How dare they charge a lot for a premium product.
*grins*Quote
*grins*Quote
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Originally Posted by VonBlade
I wish they'd reduce the price of that damn Veyron. I want to replace my Fiesta with it but it's stupidly expensive. How dare they charge a lot for a premium product. *grins* |
Hmmmmm, should I get this..or the Corair GT 120GB, or maybe even the Vertex 3?Quote
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Originally Posted by VonBlade
I wish they'd reduce the price of that damn Veyron. I want to replace my Fiesta with it but it's stupidly expensive. How dare they charge a lot for a premium product. *grins* |
Quote hot productQuote
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Originally Posted by Z0mB13
Tom's opinion is well founded mate tbh. There has been two instances of OCZ issues this week alone on here. They are popular because they are usually cheap. However, they are taken to the slaughter house before being hung drawn and quartered by Crucial's drives. |
Attachment 3306
Wouldn't it be better to run a pair of smaller drives in Raid 0 than spend 400 GBP on a 240gb ssd?Quote
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Originally Posted by steve30x
When are SSD's going to start coming down in price to a reasonable price> I seriously want to upgrade all my HDD's to SDD' but it would cost me an arm and a leg to do so. |
It's still a long process of setting the prices extremely high, as high as they feel they'll get away with for the small quantity they make, and as they become more popular, drop the price until the sales numbers balance the pricing.
The component costs are rediculously low in comparison, especially when you disect these drives and compare 60g to 240g. The p1ss take are the ones where the 240g is the same as the 120g, but with chips missing off the pcb. Not everyone does that, but it happens.
You think about it.. 240g... if someone were to offer you a 250g traditional hard drive for your pc, you'd laugh at them. Swap in the SSD and you still got to wait for your ISP to give you bandwidth to see your webpage, even tho it took you 10s to boot the machine up.
Still think in the long run SSDs need to mature. The way they've gone about the processing on hardware seems silly when you consider what they basically do, and consider how fast even your DDR pc is at read/writing to just the memory.Quote
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Originally Posted by Lollipop
Does this also work from hdd to ssd? |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Zeals
Wow amazing speeds and looks, one of the few SSDs that I would want to mount near a case window for people to see. Also I know you've had bad experiences with OCZ before Tom, but they appear to be the most popular brand of SSD atm, although considering what you said about their Vertex 2, they probably wouldn't want to lend you one . |
Moving on...
I can't watch the video because where I am atm the internet is too slow, but..
For CrystalDiskMark, what settings do you use (as in what filesize and how many runs/passes)?
Also it would be interesting to see performance degradation, and how the drive copes with being filled up. Say on a graph you could plot certain things' speeds against the % capacity filled.
Nice review though, and a nice SSD too by the looks of it.Quote
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Originally Posted by Ya93sin
I can't watch the video because where I am atm the internet is too slow, but.. |
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Originally Posted by steve30x
What video? |
Even the youtube page takes about a minute to load up sometimes
QuoteHmm, I remember paying £400 for a 4GB HD and I still have it in my drawer. Can't get myself to part with it 
Yes they are expensive and manufacturing costs don't warrant this. But the development costs unfortunately do! This is the fastest or 1 of the fastest SSD's out there atm and that title costs. Just look at GPU's... Anyway, if we all actually checked what we used on our drives and deleted the crap, temporary folders and downloads, etc. and put our videos/pictures/mp3's onto cheap mechanical drives, then 240GB is just fine for size. That means uber speed for all your applications, games, OS and fun bits all on 1 mega drive.
Simples...Quote
Yes they are expensive and manufacturing costs don't warrant this. But the development costs unfortunately do! This is the fastest or 1 of the fastest SSD's out there atm and that title costs. Just look at GPU's... Anyway, if we all actually checked what we used on our drives and deleted the crap, temporary folders and downloads, etc. and put our videos/pictures/mp3's onto cheap mechanical drives, then 240GB is just fine for size. That means uber speed for all your applications, games, OS and fun bits all on 1 mega drive.Simples...Quote
Nah that doesn't cut it either when you have been able to buy these for a good while now.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/220gb-ocz-25nm-revo-drive-x2-bootable-4-x-sandforce-1222-pci-e-x4-ssd-read-730mb-s-write-690mb-s
X3 are the newest ones I think, christ knows how fast they are. £362 tho.. (I know it's ocz)Quote
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/220gb-ocz-25nm-revo-drive-x2-bootable-4-x-sandforce-1222-pci-e-x4-ssd-read-730mb-s-write-690mb-s
X3 are the newest ones I think, christ knows how fast they are. £362 tho.. (I know it's ocz
)QuoteYou said it, thats's OCZ Quote
Quotehehe yeah.
FYI, I just seen the X3 on Scan's Today thing for £465.... 1000M read times ! z-o-m-g.
That would be Veyron e-peen
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FYI, I just seen the X3 on Scan's Today thing for £465.... 1000M read times ! z-o-m-g.
That would be Veyron e-peen
QuoteTaking all Free samples of unwanted SSD's 
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