- Enthusiast level performance
- Gorgeous red enthusiast design
- 240GB and 480GB relatively affordable
- None!
Benchmarks
Three simple benchmarks were used to test the Kingston HyperX Savage SSD. The tests begin with CrystalDiskMark, which stresses the SSD’s ability to work with compressed files, followed by AS SSD for a good sequential test. ATTO Disk Benchmark takes us to the end.
CrystalDiskMark
The HyperX Savage seems to do a better job of handling CDM’s harsh compression. More performance is specifically gained sequentially with a little extra gained at the 4K block level. Perhaps there is more to the Phison controller than first thought.
AS SSD Benchmark
Again, the HyperX Savage scores well sequentially and especially in the 4K data block tests. So far, the HyperX Savage is shaping up to be a great little SSD. Lets check IO performance.
ATTO Disk Benchmark
At first glance, it seems like nothing has changed. But if you look carefully at the 4.0 block performance, the Phison controlled HyperX Savage achieves an impressive performance gain over the HyperX 3K all the way up the last test.
Final Thoughts
After just a few tests, it’s very apparent that the Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD is a very worthy performer, replacing Kingston’s once mid-range enthusiast favorite HyperX 3K SSD. The Phison PS3110-S10 8-channel controller paired with asynchronous Toshiba NAND is obviously a more than capable pair. Performance is noticeably improved all around. In fact, compared to previous generation high performance synchronous SSDs, the HyperX Savage achieves the same performance if not better, topping 520MB/s read and 500MB/s write.
The second most important thing is that the HyperX Savage paired flawlessly with any Intel or AMD systems in the lab. Managing and setting up the SSD was free of any incompatibilities. My only concern is that the USB Micro-B 3.0 connector on the external enclosure isn’t the most durable interface. However, it isn’t a necessity to get maximum transfer potential, and chances are, once it’s installed, it’ll go in the tool bin for a while anyway.
After the controllers have cooled, I think it perfectly safe to say that Kingston really did their homework with the HyperX Savage SSD earning it an “A” in terms of performance and quality. Enthusiasts looking for the Savage series can find the 240GB for $150 US, 480GB for $290 and the 960GB beast for $570.
