Introduction

With revenue in the multi-billion-dollars range, Kingston is the largest DRAM and flash memory products vendor in the world. While their strongest suit is in memory modules and USB/flash card storage, they are also a major player in the SSD market. HyperX their gamer- and consumer-based brand, we are now reviewing their recently released HyperX Savage SSD.

The HyperX Savage is based on a Phison controller, which is a deviation from the SandForce controllers in previous HyperX SSDs. The SSD uses 19 nanometer flash chips with "Kingston" markings on them. To the best of my knowledge, Kingston doesn't have a 19 nm fab, so these are probably Toshiba chips.

The HyperX Savage comes in capacities of 120 GB ($77), 240 GB ($120), 480 GB ($250), and 960 GB ($570).

Packaging

The Drive

The drive conforms to the dimensions set forth by the 2.5" form factor. It is made of metal to improve its durability and is only 7 mm thick, which makes it compatible with Intel's Ultrabook specification.


Like most recent SSDs, the Kingston HyperX Savage 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 16 flash chips on the PCB. A DRAM chip is also present; it provides the SSD controller with RAM.


Kingston is using the Phison PS3110-S10 controller on their drive.


The 16 MLC flash chips are built on a 19 nanometer process. Probably re-branded by Kingston, these chips are most likely made by Toshiba.