Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB USB Flash Drive

Benchmarks and Conclusion

To test the speed on the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB USB Flash drive we rounded up some of the various USB keys we use in the lab and ended up with five common models that would be interesting to compare to each other.

Each of the drives were then formatted and benchmarked with SiSoftware Sandra XII SP1 on an ASUS S62J notebook. All of the drives were plugged into the same USB port and the system was restarted before each set of tests.

The removable storage benchmark in Sandra XII SP1 showed that all of the drives were close, but significant differences were found. The PNY Attache 2GB drive was by far the slowest with ‘Write’ speeds that were just 2.74MB/Sec and ‘Read’ speeds of 13.44MB/Sec. The OCZ Rally2 lead the group with impressive Read/Write speeds of 19.25MB/Sec and 7.10MB/Sec. The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX actually scored lower than the DataTraveler Elite, but this is just the 256kB file test.

When you look at transfering larger file sizes, the test results change around and now the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB USB Flash drive is now in the lead when it comes to ‘Read’ Speeds. The DataTraveler HyperX was able to reach 26.67MB/Sec during ‘Read’ tests, which is the highest of the test group. The ‘Write’ speeds also improved, but it wasn’t enough to be number one as the OCZ Rally2 Flash Drive was able to be the quickest there. Kingston claims a read of 30MB/s and write of 20MB/sec with the DataTraveler HyperX, but remember that speed will vary with the hardware it is used on and the ASUS S62J notebook we used for testing might be limiting performance a little.

Final Thoughts and Conclusions:

The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX is the fastest USB Flash drive that we have seen from Kingston. In the 64MB file transfer test it was found to be 31.5% faster in ‘Read’ tests and 50% faster in ‘Write’ tests over the Kingston DataTraveler Elite. This is impressive considering that just a couple of years ago the Kingston DataTraveler Elite was the fastest drive that Kingston had on the market. If you’ve been hanging onto to an older USB Flash drive it might be time for an upgrade as these new drives are using faster memory IC’s and improved memory controllers. The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX also features a capless design that is pretty slick, and if you’ve used USB keys for a number of years, then you know what a hassle those old USB caps used to be.

The take home message here is that Kingston has a new king of the hill when it comes to USB Flash drives and speed and that is the HyperX series. If you want the ultimate flash drive from Kingston then the DataTraveler HyperX is the choice for you. The DataTraveler HyperX USB Flash drives were to be sold exclusively on Amazon.com, but it seems that a number of other retailers are selling them. Right now the DTHX/2GB runs $56.49, the DTHX/4GB runs $98.00 and the DTHX/8GB will set you back $197.64. Obviously, the DataTravler HyperX series is not the least expensive on the market, but they come backed by the Kingston name.

Legit Bottom Line: The Kingston Datatraveler HyperX USB Flash drive series are the fastest Flash drives that Kingston has to offer!