Kingston HyperX 240 GB SSD Review

Introduction

Presently, competition is very fierce in the performance solid state drive market as there are so many new models from which to choose. Today we will be looking at the latest performance SSD from Kingston, the HyperX 240 GB, which boasts some impressive performance figures.

Figure 1: Kingston HyperX 240 GB SSD

While 120 GB SSDs currently offer the best compromise between price and performance, the extra capacity of a 240 GB drive can be very useful, and many users are willing to pay for it. They are also ideal for users who need a drive for their laptop where there isn’t usually space for an additional storage drive. Kingston HyperX 240 GB SSDWhile 120 GB SSDs currently offer the best compromise between price and performance, the extra capacity of a 240 GB drive can be very useful, and many users are willing to pay for it. They are also ideal for users who need a drive for their laptop where there isn’t usually space for an additional storage drive.

Figure 2: Kingston upgrade bundle

In the table below, we are comparing the Kingston HyperX 240 GB SSD with the three comparison drives we will be using, the OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS, OWC Mercury 6G and the Crucial M4. All four units use a SATA-600 interface and occupy the standard 2.5” form factor. The Kingston HyperX drive is supplied with a number of complimentary accessories which include a 3.5” drive adapter, a small screwdriver, an external drive caddy, a SATA cable and a CD containing imaging software.

Manufacturer	Model	Model #	Capacity	Price
Kingston	HyperX	SH100S3B/240G	240 GB	USD 549
OCZ	Vertex 3 MAX IOPS	VTX3MI-25SAT3-240G	240 GB	USD 490
Intel	510 Series	SSDSC2MH250A2K5	250 GB	USD 570
Crucial	M4	CT256M4SSD2	256 GB	USD 381

Prices were researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review, with the following observations:

• We have the bundle version of the Kingston HyperX drive for review, but there is another version available without the bundle for USD 440.
• Newegg.com offers a USD 50 mail-in rebate for both versions of the Kingston HyperX drive, making the bundle version cost USD 499 and the non-bundle version cost USD 389.
• Newegg.com also offers a USD 30 mail-in rebate for the OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS which makes the cost of the drive USD 460.

In the table below, we provide a more in-depth technical overview of the reviewed units. For some reason, most chip manufacturers don’t put specific information about these chips on their websites, so we are linking only what we found.

Model	Controller	Buffer	Memory
Kingston HyperX	Sandforce SF-2281	NA	Intel 29F64G08ACME2 (16 x 16 GB)
OCZ Vertex 3 (MI)	Sandforce SF-2281	NA	Toshiba TH58TAG7D2FBAS9 (16 x 16 GB)
Intel 510 Series	Marvell 88SS9174-BKK2	Hynix H5TQ1G63BFR (128 MB)	Intel 29F16B08JAMDD (16 x 16 GB)
Crucial M4	Marvell 88SS9174-BLD2	Micron IED22D9LGQ (256 MB)	Micron 29F128G08CFAAB (16 x 16 GB)