Today we are going to be taking a look at the Kingston 64gb SSD. It doesn't come with the blazing new Sand Force controller or a huge storage capacity but we are going to dig until we find SOMETHING the drive can go home and brag about. This drive has been on the market for over a year, with packaging in many different disguises. But other than some exterior changes, are we getting anything new compared to a year ago? Are we getting the same ol' stuttering JMicron controller or did Kingston really upgrade the controller for real world use? Let's just see, shall we?

For those that have been out of the loop a while, many SSDs from about a year ago came with JMicron 620 Controllers. To most that may as well be a foreign language. Basically, the chipset that controls the read and write speeds on those SSDs couldn't keep up with system speeds and the other SSD components; essentially, this caused recognizable stuttering. This stuttering often slowed the SSDs speeds down, far below the listed read/write stats. Supposedly the old JMicron controller issues are in the past. But, just like many issues that make enthusiast headlines, it's hard for us to shake the negativity and give any JMicron controller a fair shake. However, we will keep an open mind and see what happens during our testing. To start with, let's take a look at what we're dealing with. If you're not a spec geek, then just pass GO and procede directly to page 2.

KINGSTON DATASHEET INFORMATION:

Features

• Performance — enhances productivity; makes users more efficient
• Innovative — 2.5" form factor; uses NAND flash memory components
• Silent — Runs silent and cool with no moving mechanical parts
• Reliable — less likely to fail than a standard hard drive
• Shock Resistant — No moving mechanical parts so the SSD handles rougher conditions
• Supports TRIM — ensures maximum performance on compatible Operating Systems
• Supports S.M.A.R.T. — Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology to help maintain a healthy drive
• Guaranteed — 3 year Kingston warranty, 24/7 tech support

Specifications

• Capacity — 64 GB
• Storage Temperatures — -40° C to 85° C
• Operating temperatures — 0° C to 70° C
• Vibration operating — 2.17 G (7–800Hz)
• Vibration non-operating — 20 G (20–2000Hz)
• Sequential Speed —
   up to 200MB/sec. read; 110MB/sec. write
• PCMARK® Vantage Advanced HDD Suite Score —
   64 GB – 21,317
• Life expectancy — 1 million hours mean time before failure