December 26, 2013 at 10:03Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 Solid State Drive Review
The market for solid-state drives has already passed its most turbulent stages of development - the origin and initial formation. Leading manufacturers have already been identified, the volume of drives is constantly growing, and the cost of 1 GB, meanwhile, is rapidly decreasing. Different manufacturers are now competing with each other, offering their products on different controllers and types of memory, due to warranty or an extended scope of delivery.
Of course, Kingston is one of the leading manufacturers. The number of solid-state drive models he manufactures can cover the requirements of both the most economical and the most demanding users. Under the cat, we will talk about the Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 drive, the scope of application of which the manufacturer tried to expand to the maximum.
On the Kingston website, the HyperX 3K line of drives is positioned as “Advanced Technology Enthusiasts.”
Currently, there are three SSD drives with capacities from 120 to 480 GB. In addition to separately sold drives, the buyer also has options with an external box for 2.5 ”drives included in the delivery. A distinctive sign of these products is the presence of index B in the product labeling.
Kingston catalog contains the following SSD drives:
• SH103S3 / 120G (separate drive);
• SH103S3 / 240G (separate drive);
• SH103S3 / 480G (separate drive);
• SH103S3B / 120G (upgrade kit);
• SH103S3B / 240G (upgrade kit);
• SH103S3B / 480G (upgrade kit).
Specifications:
In my hands was SH103S3B / 240, with a capacity of 240 GB.
The packaging box is decorated in dark colors, but at the same time very stylish. All the necessary information, including the image of the drive with the stated read and write speeds, is located on its side walls and is given in the main world languages. The manufacturer does not hide on the basis of which controller its drives are based. In this case, directly on the front side of the box is the inscription SandForce.
Despite the very compact size of the package, in addition to the drive itself, an adapter is hidden inside it for installing 2.5 ”drives in the 3.5” bay. They are placed in an insert made of foamed polyethylene and occupy only the first tier of the box.
It is noteworthy that to increase the flexibility of the insert, it has a specific cut in the shape of the HyperX logo.
The second tier of the box is occupied by an insert with a proprietary screwdriver, an external box, a SATA cable, and a microUSB-USB cable.
In addition to all of the above, the scope of delivery is supplemented by screws for fixing the drive to the adapter and a CD with installation manual and software.
SSD Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 has a metal case with black plastic inserts. The upper plate of the case is made of brushed aluminum and bears the mention of the manufacturer's company and accessories to the HyperX line.
Unfortunately, I did not have the Torx Tamper Resistant key, it was necessary to disassemble the drive casing and get to its insides. However, I managed to find information that the Kingston HyperX 3K series drives are based on the SandForce SF-2281 controller and Intel's 25nm MLC NAND synchronous memory. The NAND memory used is designed for only 3000 write / erase cycles. This is one of the main differences between HyperX 3K drives and HyperX, which used memory with 5000 cycles. It should be noted that the use of less durable memory can reduce the cost of drives.
The back of the case has a sticker indicating the model of the drive, serial number, information about the certificates, the supply voltage of +5 V and the maximum current consumption of 1 A. The manufacturer in the specification declares the following data on energy consumption: 0.455 W when idle / 0.6 W ( average) / 1.58 W (max.) when reading / 2.11 W (max.) when writing.
The drive has a 15-pin connector for connecting power and 7-pin for connecting a data bus. The data bus interface connector has a third revision of SATA 6 Gb / s.
Through the holes in the back of the case, the drive is fixed in the adapter, in case it is installed in the 3.5 ”device bay. However, it does not go beyond the size of the adapter and without any interference can replace the desktop hard drive of the computer.
When transferring data from an old disk, you can connect an SSD in advance and transfer information. For this, a stylish USB box is included.
There is a latch on one of the ends of the box. We move it to the right, and then we shift the back cover of the box.
After that, you can install our solid-state drive inside, close the cover and lock it by sliding the latch to the left. The procedure is very simple and is unlikely to cause difficulties for anyone.
The bottleneck of this solution is the use of the USB 2.0 interface, instead of the desired USB 3.0. As a result, a drive with excellent speed characteristics is forced to languish in boxing, like a prisoner in a dungeon. In fairness, I note, the manufacturer offers this box as a solution for transferring data when upgrading the drive, then the user has the right to use it at his own discretion.
Personally, I prefer the option of replacing a laptop hard drive with this solid-state drive and its further installation in a portable box. It should be borne in mind that the thickness of the HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 SSD is 9 millimeters. Users whose devices use native 2.5 ”devices with a thickness of 7 mm can pretty hard break off with this upgrade.
To test drive performance, the following test bench was used:
Well, directly on to the test results.
Crystal Disk Mark 3.0.3
The test showed almost double superior read speed over write speed. If the read speed is slightly below the promised 555 MB / s, then with the write speed everything is much sadder - the received 268 MB / s versus the promised 510 MB / s. However, under the stated speeds, there is a footnote that they were obtained during testing in the ATTO Disk Benchmark version 2.41 test. Well, let's test the drive with it.
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.47
I tested the latest available version of test 2.47. The results of this test exactly confirm the manufacturer’s statement regarding read and write speeds.
AS SSD Benchmark 1.7.4739.38088
The results of this test are identical to the results of Crystal Disk Mark. In both tests, there is a double superiority of reading speed over writing.
Anvil's Storage Utulites 1.0.51 RC6
The results are similar to those of AS SSD Benchmark and Crystal Disk Mark.
AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
Read sequentially in the AIDA64 test suite.
Here we see an almost linear relationship, when the average value of the read speed almost completely corresponds to the maximum.
Sequential write in AIDA64 test suite.
With linear recording, not everything is so smooth. After filling the disk by 65-67%, an abrupt decrease in speed occurs. A similar situation occurs all the time, regardless of the manufacturer. Fortunately, after the "rest" of the drive, its performance is restored to its previous level. Yes, and to imagine a situation where the user at a time needs to record more than 150 GB of information for me, frankly, is difficult. Of course, I do not take into account the corporate sector with the transfer or deployment of copies of virtual machines and the like. For these purposes, there are completely different drives, though they cost absolutely other money.
PCMark 7 1.04
And finally, comprehensive testing with PCMark 7.
The result of 5288 points perfectly falls into the range of results for drives based on SandForce SF-2281 controllers.
Summarizing all the above, we can say that this drive is perfect for upgrading obsolete magnetic drives for both desktop computers and laptops. In this case, the manufacturer implemented two options: a separate disk and upgrade kit with an additional USB box. The first option is perfect for desktops, and the second for laptops. Thus, the former can save, and the latter get a portable hard drive with a volume equal to the volume of the replaced drive. Owners of ultrabooks fly by the ticket office. Their devices use 2.5 ”drives with a thickness of 7 mm, when our subject has a thickness of 9 mm. Alas and ah!
Among the shortcomings, the use of the USB 2.0 interface connector instead of USB 3.0 in the external box and the drive thickness of 9 mm versus 7 mm can be noted so as not to deprive ultrabooks of their attention.
Among the features of the HyperX 3K line is the use of NAND memory with 3000 write / erase cycles. Given a three-year warranty for home use, this is more than enough. If there is a need for continuous recording of large amounts of data, then it makes sense to consider the acquisition of an SSD drive based on memory with 5000 cycles or more.
Of course, Kingston is one of the leading manufacturers. The number of solid-state drive models he manufactures can cover the requirements of both the most economical and the most demanding users. Under the cat, we will talk about the Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 drive, the scope of application of which the manufacturer tried to expand to the maximum.
On the Kingston website, the HyperX 3K line of drives is positioned as “Advanced Technology Enthusiasts.”
Currently, there are three SSD drives with capacities from 120 to 480 GB. In addition to separately sold drives, the buyer also has options with an external box for 2.5 ”drives included in the delivery. A distinctive sign of these products is the presence of index B in the product labeling.
Kingston catalog contains the following SSD drives:
• SH103S3 / 120G (separate drive);
• SH103S3 / 240G (separate drive);
• SH103S3 / 480G (separate drive);
• SH103S3B / 120G (upgrade kit);
• SH103S3B / 240G (upgrade kit);
• SH103S3B / 480G (upgrade kit).
Specifications:
In my hands was SH103S3B / 240, with a capacity of 240 GB.
The packaging box is decorated in dark colors, but at the same time very stylish. All the necessary information, including the image of the drive with the stated read and write speeds, is located on its side walls and is given in the main world languages. The manufacturer does not hide on the basis of which controller its drives are based. In this case, directly on the front side of the box is the inscription SandForce.
Despite the very compact size of the package, in addition to the drive itself, an adapter is hidden inside it for installing 2.5 ”drives in the 3.5” bay. They are placed in an insert made of foamed polyethylene and occupy only the first tier of the box.
It is noteworthy that to increase the flexibility of the insert, it has a specific cut in the shape of the HyperX logo.
The second tier of the box is occupied by an insert with a proprietary screwdriver, an external box, a SATA cable, and a microUSB-USB cable.
In addition to all of the above, the scope of delivery is supplemented by screws for fixing the drive to the adapter and a CD with installation manual and software.
SSD Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 has a metal case with black plastic inserts. The upper plate of the case is made of brushed aluminum and bears the mention of the manufacturer's company and accessories to the HyperX line.
Unfortunately, I did not have the Torx Tamper Resistant key, it was necessary to disassemble the drive casing and get to its insides. However, I managed to find information that the Kingston HyperX 3K series drives are based on the SandForce SF-2281 controller and Intel's 25nm MLC NAND synchronous memory. The NAND memory used is designed for only 3000 write / erase cycles. This is one of the main differences between HyperX 3K drives and HyperX, which used memory with 5000 cycles. It should be noted that the use of less durable memory can reduce the cost of drives.
The back of the case has a sticker indicating the model of the drive, serial number, information about the certificates, the supply voltage of +5 V and the maximum current consumption of 1 A. The manufacturer in the specification declares the following data on energy consumption: 0.455 W when idle / 0.6 W ( average) / 1.58 W (max.) when reading / 2.11 W (max.) when writing.
The drive has a 15-pin connector for connecting power and 7-pin for connecting a data bus. The data bus interface connector has a third revision of SATA 6 Gb / s.
Through the holes in the back of the case, the drive is fixed in the adapter, in case it is installed in the 3.5 ”device bay. However, it does not go beyond the size of the adapter and without any interference can replace the desktop hard drive of the computer.
When transferring data from an old disk, you can connect an SSD in advance and transfer information. For this, a stylish USB box is included.
There is a latch on one of the ends of the box. We move it to the right, and then we shift the back cover of the box.
After that, you can install our solid-state drive inside, close the cover and lock it by sliding the latch to the left. The procedure is very simple and is unlikely to cause difficulties for anyone.
The bottleneck of this solution is the use of the USB 2.0 interface, instead of the desired USB 3.0. As a result, a drive with excellent speed characteristics is forced to languish in boxing, like a prisoner in a dungeon. In fairness, I note, the manufacturer offers this box as a solution for transferring data when upgrading the drive, then the user has the right to use it at his own discretion.
Personally, I prefer the option of replacing a laptop hard drive with this solid-state drive and its further installation in a portable box. It should be borne in mind that the thickness of the HyperX 3K SH103S3B / 240 SSD is 9 millimeters. Users whose devices use native 2.5 ”devices with a thickness of 7 mm can pretty hard break off with this upgrade.
To test drive performance, the following test bench was used:
| CPU | Intel Core i7-3930K (Sandy Bridge-E, C2) |
| Motherboard | Asus Rampage IV Extreme (Intel X79, Intel LGA 2011, BIOS 3101) |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance LP (CML16GX3M4A1866C9) |
| Cooling system | Noctua NH-L12 |
| Video card | ZOTAC GTX 660Ti AMP! Extreme |
| Hard drive (primary) | Kingston SSDNow KC100 120 GB |
| Power Supply | Seasonic Platinum-760 |
| operating system | Microsoft Windows 7 Pro 64-bit |
Well, directly on to the test results.
Crystal Disk Mark 3.0.3
The test showed almost double superior read speed over write speed. If the read speed is slightly below the promised 555 MB / s, then with the write speed everything is much sadder - the received 268 MB / s versus the promised 510 MB / s. However, under the stated speeds, there is a footnote that they were obtained during testing in the ATTO Disk Benchmark version 2.41 test. Well, let's test the drive with it.
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.47
I tested the latest available version of test 2.47. The results of this test exactly confirm the manufacturer’s statement regarding read and write speeds.
AS SSD Benchmark 1.7.4739.38088
The results of this test are identical to the results of Crystal Disk Mark. In both tests, there is a double superiority of reading speed over writing.
Anvil's Storage Utulites 1.0.51 RC6
The results are similar to those of AS SSD Benchmark and Crystal Disk Mark.
AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
Read sequentially in the AIDA64 test suite.
Here we see an almost linear relationship, when the average value of the read speed almost completely corresponds to the maximum.
Sequential write in AIDA64 test suite.
With linear recording, not everything is so smooth. After filling the disk by 65-67%, an abrupt decrease in speed occurs. A similar situation occurs all the time, regardless of the manufacturer. Fortunately, after the "rest" of the drive, its performance is restored to its previous level. Yes, and to imagine a situation where the user at a time needs to record more than 150 GB of information for me, frankly, is difficult. Of course, I do not take into account the corporate sector with the transfer or deployment of copies of virtual machines and the like. For these purposes, there are completely different drives, though they cost absolutely other money.
PCMark 7 1.04
And finally, comprehensive testing with PCMark 7.
The result of 5288 points perfectly falls into the range of results for drives based on SandForce SF-2281 controllers.
Summarizing all the above, we can say that this drive is perfect for upgrading obsolete magnetic drives for both desktop computers and laptops. In this case, the manufacturer implemented two options: a separate disk and upgrade kit with an additional USB box. The first option is perfect for desktops, and the second for laptops. Thus, the former can save, and the latter get a portable hard drive with a volume equal to the volume of the replaced drive. Owners of ultrabooks fly by the ticket office. Their devices use 2.5 ”drives with a thickness of 7 mm, when our subject has a thickness of 9 mm. Alas and ah!
Among the shortcomings, the use of the USB 2.0 interface connector instead of USB 3.0 in the external box and the drive thickness of 9 mm versus 7 mm can be noted so as not to deprive ultrabooks of their attention.
Among the features of the HyperX 3K line is the use of NAND memory with 3000 write / erase cycles. Given a three-year warranty for home use, this is more than enough. If there is a need for continuous recording of large amounts of data, then it makes sense to consider the acquisition of an SSD drive based on memory with 5000 cycles or more.
