Kingston HyperX MAX USB 3.0 128GB External SSD Review

Kingston HyperX MAX USB 3.0 SSD

Storage products for the USB 2.0 interface are everywhere you look now and has been the definitive format in portable storage for some time now. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 is slowly making its way into the mainstream market and as users replace their aging motherboards, many are adopting boards that natively support USB 3.0 or are adding expansion cards. Since USB 2.0 is relatively slow, large capacity external drives are painful to use if you are transferring large amounts of data., perhaps for backups. With over 10x the bandwidth of USB 2.0, the difference in speed is acutely obvious in use and Kingston aims to make good use of that difference with their new HyperX MAX 3.0 external SSD drive (Press Release). In fact, remember the stories your parents would tell you about having to walk to
school in waist deep snow, uphill both ways, while kids nowadays get
to ride the warm and speedy bus? Think of the Kingston HyperX MAX 3.0 drive as the bus and USB 2.0 drives as the poor sap trudging in the snow.

Available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, we received a 128GB. It’s listed as $320 at the moment but expect to see that drop a bit to about $280 once the supply becomes readily available. In fact this drive just hit store shelves last week, so it just came to market.

Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 Drives:

• 64GB – SHX100U3/64G – $195.99
• 128GB – SHX100U3/128G – $319.99
• 256GB – SHX100U3/256G – $699.99

As you’ll see on the next page, the core of the drive is essentially a V+100 SSD (which we recently tested) with a modification for USB 3.0 interface use. The more astute readers will note that the part number on the back above references a 256GB drive but both the internal sticker and Windows say it’s only 128GB. Test sample products aren’t always perfect!

Kingston HyperX MAX 3.0 Features/Benefits:

• USB-IF SuperSpeed-Certified
• No additional power required; utilizes USB BUS power
• Compliant with USB 3.0; compatible with USB 2.0
• No driver required
• Aluminum casing
• Portable
• Performance high-speed data transfer and storage
• Silent runs silently with no moving parts
• Shock-resistant built with Flash components so no moving parts
• Reliable more durable than a traditional external hard drive
• Standardized complies with USB 3.0 specification standards
• Compatible with USB 2.0
• Easy plug & play
• Guaranteed three-year warranty

Kingston HyperX MAX 3.0 Specifications:

• Sequential Speed

• Read: up to 195MB/sec.
• Write: up to 160MB/sec.

Capacities 64GB, 128GB and 256GB

Dimensions 2.89″ x 4.67″ x 0.47″ (73.49mm x 118.60mm x 12.00mm)

Vibration operating 20G Peak, 10-2000Hz, (20min/Axis) x 3 Axis

Vibration non-operating 20G Peak, 10-2000Hz, (12 Cycle/Axis) 3 Axis, x 20min.

Operating Shock 1500G

Operating Temperature 0 to 60C/ 32 to 140F

Storage Temperature -20 to 85C/ -4 to 185F

Power Consumption 4.5W

Dual LED blue for USB 3.0, green for USB 2.0

Accessories Included: USB 3.0 micro-B plug to USB 3.0 standard-A cable

Kingston Part Numbers: SHX100U3/64G, SHX100U3/128G, SHX100U3/256G

Kingston HyperX MAX 3.0 Compatibility table:

Operating System	File Transfer
Windows 7	Yes
Windows Vista (SP1, SP2)	Yes
Windows XP (SP3)	Yes

Our test HyperX Max 3.0 drive arrived simply with the USB 3.0 cable as an accessory which was all we needed to get things rolling.

Let’s have peek inside the Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 external drive!