While synthetic testing shows the HyperX 3K to be lagging a bit behind on performance compared to its older non-3K sibling, real-life performance data shows that the drive is consistently faster. This is quite surprising, since even Kingston positioned the drive on a slower performance level. Our testing with the blue non-3K model was conducted on almost the same firmware version as the HyperX 3K (5.03 vs. 5.04), so I'm not exactly sure what causes the better results. Nevertheless, when averaged, the Kingston HyperX 3K ends up 3% faster than the previous model, which makes it the fastest MLC SandForce SSD we tested so far. However, drives using different controllers, like the Samsung 830, 840 Pro, and OCZ Vector, all end up a few percent faster than the HyperX 3K, but the differences are relatively small.
What does end up being more important is pricing of the drive. SSD pricing across the board has recently gone up by roughly 15%, possibly because OCZ slowed down with their rebates. The HyperX 3K 240 GB currently costs $230 (drive-only). The kit we tested only costs $10 more, which is a very reasonable price increase for the inclusion of such nice accessories. Especially the external SSD case will come in handy if you are moving data around a lot between multiple systems, and $10 more is certainly worth it if you have a use for the USB enclosure. Our price/performance and GB per $ charts use the lower $230 pricing, because most users will just want the drive at the lowest possible cost. Even then, the HyperX 3K has a hard time competing. The current price/performance king is the Samsung 830 SSD - it also offers the lowest cost per gigabyte. Higher performance options include the Corsair Neutron GTX and Samsung 840 Pro. Neither of them use the aging SandForce controller.