Consumers are looking for larger SSDs at lower price points and it seems the NAND manufacturers (Intel, Micron, etc) are dragging their heals on releasing larger capacities that should drive down those prices. However, prices are far better than they were three years ago and manufacturers like Kingston Technology continue to offer full upgrade kit retail packages that allows users to add their new SSD and mirror over their operating system easily thanks to a good software bundle and accessories. This makes the company’s SSDNow and HyperX series very appealing.
The last consumer affordable Kingston SSD we tested in the lab was the V+200 series. For the price and performance upgrade, it was great. But a newer more up to date controller brings us to the V300 series launched for both desktop and notebook users in full upgrade kit trim levels. Let’s have a look at the Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB SSD and see what it has in store for users.
Features and Specifications
In a comparison of the V+200 and V300 above, you can see the main differences between the two V Series SSDs. It looks as though the V+200 has slightly higher specs than the V300. On paper, that looks good but it’s the actual NAND and controller that solidify real world performance. The reason I say that is because the V+200 has a different controller over the V300, which utilizes an LSI SandForce controller. The V300 also utilizes smaller 19nm Toshiba NAND which is suppose to allow for larger stacking capacities and lower cost. If you’re still worried about any SandForce issues, those days are long gone as they are one of the top providers today.
The Kingston V300 SSDNow 120GB desktop and notebook upgrade kits are priced from $115 – 137 US according to our pricing engine. The stand alone SSD can be found for as low as $97.89 US. This makes the upgrade kit extras well worth the $10 for high class support. The series also comes in higher capacities up to 240GBs and a lower capacity unit at 60GBs, also available in kit form.
Internal Engineering Updates Over V+200
Some of the more serious DIY users like to know what is actually used to manufacture and assemble SSDs. The V300 now uses a polished SandForce 2281 controller to communicate with the internal 19nm MLC (multi-layer cell) NAND. Again, the 19nm NAND is manufactured by Toshiba which has worked surprisingly well within other SSDs. This makes sense as some of the higher performance NAND often cost more which means increasing the SSD cost. Since we have a cost effective V300 aimed at price conscious users, it only seems fitting.
Don’t misinterpret SSD performance though. The average user won’t be able to easily tell the differences between high cost high-performance SSDs and cost effective mainstream-performance SSDs unless its through benchmarks. Overall system performance will be improved by either. However, some folks like the guarantee of the fastest, optimal operating computer which something like the upper end HyperX series provides. Let’s see how the desktop and laptop V300 perform in comparison.
What’s in the Boxes?
Kingston’s upgrade kits are designed for quick and painless set up. Inside each of the Upgrade Kit is kits along with the SSD is the very useful Acronis software for cloning your hard drive, or OS drive, to the SSD. A “How-To” DVD is also included which is a fairly new inclusion, and makes the process to smoothly for first timers. Just clone over your Windows installation and get to rocking!
As you can see, the Notebook kit also includes a 7 to 9.5mm mounting adapter, screws and portable USB enclosure with cable just in case you decide use it on the go. Some folks use bootable USB flash drives, so this could be set up similarly. Or, use the enclosure for an older, smaller SSD, or the old drive from your notebook as a backup. The Desktop kit includes extra power cable, data cable and drive bay adapter brackets.
Test System Configuration
The benchmark platform has changed just a bit so I’m utilizing just a handful of different SSDs based on the SandForce controller. The MLC SSDs have different NAND and speed specifications. The other tests involve using my Acer notebook with a platter based hard drive. We’ll mainly be looking at the benefits of SSD over HDD.
Here is the breakdown of both test systems…
Desktop Platform
- Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge (provided by Puget Systems)
- Motherboard: ASUS Z77 Sabertooth
- Memory: Patriot Memory 16GB Intel Extreme Masters 1866 MHz DDR3
- Storage 1: Kingston V300 120GB Desktop SSD
- Storage 2: Kingston V300 120GB Laptop SSD
- Storage 3: Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD
- Storage 4: Corsair Force GT 120GB
- Storage 5: Kingston V+200 120GB
- Storage 6: Intel 520 240GB
- Power: Rosewill Tachyon 1000 Platinum
- Graphics: ZOTAC GTX 660 Ti AMP!
Acer Laptop Platform
- Intel Core 2 Duo T6600M
- Kingston 8GB 800MHz DDR2
- Storage 1: Seagate 500GB ST9500 5200RPM
- Storage 2: Kingston V300 120GB Laptop
- Graphics: Integrated HD3500
The benchmarks are pretty simple and quick. I’m using HDTune Pro, ATTO IO Performance and CrystalDiskMark high compression bandwidth testing. While some folks may not like CDM for its high compression, it still taxes the SSD’s controller. This gives consumers a bit of an idea how well tuned any storage device is internally. Let’s get on to testing shall we?
CrystalDiskMark – High Compression
The 4K data block transfer rates are a little lower when handling this mean benchmark. The larger data block transfers are easier for the more expensive performance SSDs to handle usually. Still, the V300 is a good replacement for the lower priced SSDNow series. There’s no difference between the desktop and laptop SSD. However, my test laptop does score about 35% slower because it utilizes different a chipset than your typical desktop board of the same vintage. If you have a notebook, you may end up seeing about a 10-15% lower data scores than a desktop.
PCMark7 – Overall System Performance
Even though the V300 desktop and notebook kits use identical SSDs, different types of computers use different types of integrated chipsets and controllers. I tested the V300 in the lab desktop PC and in my once slow notebook. The V300 improved laptop performance so much that it’s going to stay there alongside the old 500GB platter drive as a backup drive.
As you can see, almost any of the current desktop SSDs are faster than my best 1TB regular platter drive. The platter hard drive has moving parts that have to do a few things before data is transferred. SSDs do not. The V300 performs relatively well. Additionally, it transforms my notebook into what seems like a whole machine.
Access and Execution Times
SSDs can change the interactive characteristics of your desktop or laptop. I performed a few timed tests to see how the desktop and notebook computers were improved by the V300. The laptop doesn’t have a very capable GPU but it can handle Diablo III.
After the time tests were complete, the Kingston V300 120GB helped shorten the time it takes for my desktop and laptop to complete tasks. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get Borderlands 2 to work properly but Diablo III gives us an idea of the benefits of the V300 none the less. If only an SSD could give my laptop another 20 frames per second.
Final Thoughts
Solid State Drives are the inevitable direction of storage technology but adoption is still slow. For a few months there it looked like we were getting closer to .50 cents a GB but then prices went back up. I don’t think it’s all that influenced by the economy nearly as much as it is by the developing NAND and controller partners dragging their feet. Consumers want larger capacities and are willing to pay for it as long as they feel they’re getting their money’s worth. Everyone seems to get it but developing partners, even Kingston Technology, understands it takes more than just the SSD initials to interest consumers.
The Kingston V300 SSDNow series Upgrade Kits continue to be one of the driving top contenders especially in 120GB and 240GB capacities. Our as tested 120GB kits are relatively affordable at $115 – 137 US, and perform well for the price, definitely improve system performance overall and come with a very useful bundle which includes Acronis software plus the accessories you need to make a migration. You can expect much shorter boot and program startup times not to mention a far more responsive system. Especially when it comes to adding a V300 to your notebook as a main drive upgrade.
Overall, the Kingston Technology V300 120GB upgrade kits for notebook and desktop get a solid recommendation from us.
Pros
- Good pricing: as affordable as SSDs come
- LSI Sandforce Controller
- 19nm Toshiba NAND
- Respectable price-performance
- Great Desktop and Laptop Upgrade Kit bundles
- Acronis software and support
Cons
- Waiting for larger capacities
- 4K data block could be better
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
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