Kingston XS1000 1TB portable drive review
Judging by the growing popularity of external SSDs, many users have already appreciated the advantages of this class of devices. Compact, portable models are very convenient for creating backups, transferring data, or even using them to install applications and games. Increased demand creates additional supply. It’s no surprise that Kingston has decided to diversify its range of external SSDs by introducing a new line – the Kingston XS1000. Today we are reviewing a model of the new 1TB series (SXS1000/1000G).
Kingston XS1000 line of drives
The drives of the new line can be considered derivatives of the older series of external SSDs – Kingston XS2000, which was introduced by the manufacturer in 2021. Apparently, the format and platform were so successful that the developers decided to keep the previous developments without drastic changes. Therefore, the dimensions of the devices are only 69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5 mm, and the weight is 29 g.
As for the hardware itself, Kingston does not specify specific specifications. However, we assume that, as in the case of the Kingston XS2000, it uses a platform based on the Silicon Motion SM2320G 4-channel controller, which also includes a USB bridge for connecting to the serial bus. Thanks to this integration, it is possible to offer a truly compact solution.
Among the features of the Kingston XS1000 line, we can also note that the manufacturer offers a 5-year warranty for new external SSDs. This is a good indicator for devices of this class.
Kingston XS1000 1 ТB (SXS1000/1000G)
We received a 1TB version of the Kingston XS1000 for review. The drive comes in a cardboard box. The package includes only the most necessary things – a 30 cm long USB Type-A to Type-C cable.
Looking ahead, it should be noted that the availability of another Type-C to Type-C cable would be very useful, given the prevalence of the symmetrical port and the fact that it is the only format of interface connectors for certain platforms.
As for the SSD itself, it’s a compact box with a plastic base and aluminum side panels. Despite its light weight, the device feels quite chunky and dense, with a good fit of parts. The metal plates are sturdy and do not bend even under considerable pressure.
Unlike the XS2000, where the side metal panels have a natural silver color, the models of the junior line have all the elements of the case in black. This is the feature that makes them easy to distinguish.
Visually, we have a compact black bar. The front panel has the manufacturer’s logo in white paint. On the back side there is an auxiliary sticker with basic information about the drive and a mention that Kingston XS1000 is manufactured in Taiwan.
On one of the side panels is a USB Type-C connector for connecting a storage device. There is also a blue activity indicator next to the connector.
When connected to the system, it always lights up and pulsates while directly accessing the SSD.
Test bench configuration
- Processor: Intel Core i5-13900KS (8/16+16; 3.2/6.0 GHz + 2.4/4.3 GHz)
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO (Intel Z790, DDR5)
- Cooling: Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT
- Video card: ASUS TUF-RTX4080-O16G-GAMING (GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB)
- Drive: Kingston KC3000 1024GB (M.2 NVMe; PCI-E 4.0 x4)
- Power supply: ASUS ROG STRIX 1000W GOLD (1000W)
Productivity
The declared data transfer rates already set certain expectations regarding the drive’s capabilities. The 1050/1000MB/s performance indicates that the Kingston XS1000 is capable of actually utilizing the full capabilities of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface. The vast majority of new desktop and laptop systems support this universal bus standard, which allows you to use the potential of an external SSD. However, let’s make sure of this in practice.
The first passes in CrystalDiskMark show the performance as close as possible to the promised. The peak read speed is at 1050 MB/s, and the maximum write speed is slightly below the promised 966 MB/s. The results on 4K blocks of 28/75 MB/s are also quite decent for an external drive. In addition, we have about 52,000 IOPS with the Q32T1 request queue for both read and write operations.
The AS SSD utility registers similar indicators with slightly lower linear data transfer rates – 969/896 MB/s. The peak performance on 4K blocks is 46,000/51,000 IOPS.
The Anvil’s Storage Utilities application also records largely similar results, with the Kingston XS1000 scoring a total of 4657 points.
The ATTO Disk Benchmark utility demonstrates that the drive reaches cruising speeds with 512 KB blocks. The peak performance is 50-70 MB/s less than the maximum claimed.
We also tested the Kingston XS1000 in the Data Drive Benchmark stage of PCMark 10. As it turned out, the junior model is actually as good as the XS2000 on the tracks that emulate the behavior of a storage drive.
To more clearly evaluate the capabilities of the external SSD, we conducted a simple but illustrative data recording test during which video clips with a total capacity of 100 GB were copied from the system disk to the Kingston XS1000 1 TB. As you can see in the screenshot, the maximum actual write speed was about 735 MB/s.
The same speed was maintained when copying about 60 GB of data, after which it dropped to about 140 MB/s and the rest was saved at this rate. Obviously, we are dealing with the use of SLC caching, and the buffer size will depend on the availability of free space on the SSD.
As with internal SSDs based on TLC/QLC chips, the additional caching mechanism allows for the highest write performance. At the same time, the maximum data storage rate is maintained depending on the size of the SLC buffer specified by the developers. It can be either constant with a certain capacity allocated, or dynamic, when the cache capacity is determined automatically depending on the current drive occupancy.
Heating
While experimenting with the drive, we also decided to check the temperature conditions of the Kingston XS1000. Of course, for external SSDs, additional heating is not such a fundamentally important issue, but we are academically interested.
At rest, when the drive was connected to the system for a long time, the temperature of the drive controller remained at 36C with 27C in the room.
After an intensive test session with data recording, the controller warmed up to 58C, so the overall temperature regime does not raise any questions. In addition, the values achieved are for the internal heating of the control chip, while the drive was barely warm to the touch.
Price
Despite the recent announcement, Kingston XS1000 drives are already available in Ukraine. The recommended price of the 1 TB model in question is 2900 UAH (~$76). The 2 TB version has an official price tag of 4850 UAH (~$125).
These are expected values given the current situation on the external SSD market. For comparison, the faster models of the older Kingston XS2000 line of the corresponding capacity cost 3800 UAH and 6000 UAH.
Among the differences between the XS1000 and XS2000 is that the latter has twice the bandwidth (2000 MB/s), but to get such speeds, you need to have the still relatively rare USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port (20 GB/s). In addition, Kingston XS2000 models are equipped with an additional rubber case for additional protection in hiking conditions.