Introduction

Kingston is the largest memory vendor in the world, so it comes as no surprise that they are also a big player in the solid state storage market.

Their HyperX DDR memory is well known to deliver good performance and overclockability for enthusiasts, which is why the company chose to brand their high-performance SSDs "HyperX". The first HyperX SSD released was the (blue) "Kingston HyperX". Today, we are testing the "Kingston HyperX 3K" using a grey color theme. The HyperX 3K, unlike the older HyperX guaranteeing up to 5K full writes of the disk's capacity on the Intel flash chips, "only" features 3K cycles. The older HyperX model seems to be at the end of its lifecycle, as we had a hard time finding it in stock anywhere. It appears to have been replaced by the HyperX 3K.

Just like its bigger brother, the HyperX 3K uses a SandForce SF-2281 flash controller with the latest firmware.

Packaging

You will receive:

• The SSD
• Software CD
• External USB case + screws
• USB cable
• SATA cable
• 3.5" mounting adapter (not pictured)
• Kingston screwdriver

The Drive

The drive conforms to the dimensions set forth by the 2.5" form factor. It is made of metal, which improves its durability.


Like most recent SSDs, the HyperX 3K uses the SATA 6 Gbps interface. It is compatible with any older SATA standard, but will, in such a case, work at reduced performance.


You will find the SSD controller and sixteen flash chips on the PCB.


Kingston uses a SandForce SF-2281 controller on their drive.


The 16 flash chips are produced by Intel on a 25 nanometer process.