Focussing on the graphs, the performance often doesn’t quite live up to the quoted speeds in Kingston’s own specifications, which is a shame, particularly so considering previous showings of the SM 2262EN controller, particularly on the XPG SX8200 Pro. However, what makes things worse is the SX8200’s use of 64-Layer NAND flash compared to the newer and much denser 96-Layer on the Kingston KC2000. The newer modules should present faster read and write speeds but for some reason, they don’t materialise.
Having said that, don’t write off the Kingston drive just yet, as it does offer a full security suite, utilising TCG Opal 2.0, AES 256-bit and eDrive for faster and more advanced security solutions. Plus, it’s not exactly a slouch in the SSD sector, obviously, pricing will be key.
For the enthusiast sector, where appearance can sometimes count for more than outright performance, Kingston’s choice to brand the front of the drive with an ugly white sticker seems an odd choice. Warranty information could easily be moved to a sticker on the rear of the drive leaving the front clear for a much more appealing alternative.
Moving onto pricing, this is where the Kingston could absolutely make up ground against a tough roster but it quite frankly fails. For the same price, the Western Digital Black SN750 or the Samsung 970 EVO Plus can be found, with the same capacity options, giving improved performance and, as subjective a topic as it is, a more aesthetically appealing drive. You don’t forfeit any warranty length either.
Kingston have all of the ingredients required to make an appealing SSD option for the PC enthusiast, but the price needs to come down somewhat first.
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Having said that, don’t write off the Kingston drive just yet, as it does offer a full security suite, utilising TCG Opal 2.0, AES 256-bit and eDrive for faster and more advanced security solutions. Plus, it’s not exactly a slouch in the SSD sector, obviously, pricing will be key.
For the enthusiast sector, where appearance can sometimes count for more than outright performance, Kingston’s choice to brand the front of the drive with an ugly white sticker seems an odd choice. Warranty information could easily be moved to a sticker on the rear of the drive leaving the front clear for a much more appealing alternative.
Moving onto pricing, this is where the Kingston could absolutely make up ground against a tough roster but it quite frankly fails. For the same price, the Western Digital Black SN750 or the Samsung 970 EVO Plus can be found, with the same capacity options, giving improved performance and, as subjective a topic as it is, a more aesthetically appealing drive. You don’t forfeit any warranty length either.
Kingston have all of the ingredients required to make an appealing SSD option for the PC enthusiast, but the price needs to come down somewhat first.
Pros
+ Decent performance
+ Good TBW rating (in line with others)
+ 5-year warranty
+ Free technical support
Cons
- Faster drives available for the same, or less money
- Ugly white sticker across the front
- Doesn’t seem to fully utilise the SM 2262EN controller
+ Decent performance
+ Good TBW rating (in line with others)
+ 5-year warranty
+ Free technical support
Cons
- Faster drives available for the same, or less money
- Ugly white sticker across the front
- Doesn’t seem to fully utilise the SM 2262EN controller
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
Stay connected with the Vortez Social Media pages:
Join in with the discussions on Discord
