Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 64GB

The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 is supposed to be Kingston’s fastest flash drive to date. We’ll compare it with a USB 3.0 flash drive they released a few months ago to see if it’s true.

Introduction

By now, USB 3.0 has been out for quite a while. Most performance, enthusiast, and extreme level motherboards now have USB 3 ports for the front and rear panels. To meet the needs of this crowd, Kingston has released the DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 flash drive.

The 256GB Version of the Kingston DT HyperX 3.0

These flash drives use the USB 3.0 standard, and are reported to be Kingston’s fastest flash drives, with stunning speeds of 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write when plugged into a USB 3 port. The drives are available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB versions.

We previously reviewed the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen 2 flash drive, which was Kingston’s flash drive when it was first released in mid-2011. We’ll be comparing the two drives to see how they perform (keep in mind they are targeted to two different demographics of user). Shown above is the 256GB version of the DT HyperX 3.0; today, we’re testing the 64GB version, which retails for $150 USD on Newegg.

Features & Specifications

The drive comes backed by a five year warranty.

Capacities:  64GB, 128GB, 256GB

Speed:
USB 3.0: up to 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write
USB 2.0: up to 30 MB/s read/write

8-Channel Architecture

Backwards Compatible:  with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports

Solid/rugged design: durable metal and rubberized casing provides increased protection

ReadyBoost Support

Dimensions: 2.952″ x 0.916″ x 0.626″ (74.99mm x 23.29mm x 15.9mm)

Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)

Storage Temperature: -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C)

Simple: just plug into any USB port

Pictures & Impressions

The flash drive comes in the standard hard plastic packaging, which may be a little difficult to remove. However, we managed to remove it with a heavy pair of scissors. The packaging has relevant information written on it, such as capacity and warranty. The package also proudly boasts the HyperX logo and the transfer speeds.

The flash drive is about 7cm long, just a tad longer than the Kingston DTU3G2.

Testing & methodology

For the purpose of accuracy, all our testing runs were carried out three times. This ensures that we don’t have any random error in our results. We ran CrystalDiskMark, HDTach, HDTune, and productivity file transfer tests on the drive.

Results

CLICK IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE

USB 3.0 Testing

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

The drive performed excellently in CrystalDiskMark, averaging around 216MB/s read and 125MB/s write speeds, very close to what Kingston claimed.

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

The drive performed well in both HDTach and HDTune, and stayed around an average of 115-120MB/s.

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

For the productivity test, we performed two operations. First, we transferred one large file of 8.15GB to the flash drive. Then we transferred a large number of different files (14.7GB in size altogether). The performance of the drive dropped slightly in the second test, though some performance drop is to be expected when the number of files increases drastically. Nonetheless, the performance of the drive is stunning in the first transfer test.

USB 2.0 Testing

Since older computers are not compatible with USB 3, and there are still users who use USB 2 as the primary USB transfer bus, we did testing on USB 2 as well.

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

A USB 3 drive in a USB 2 port will be limited to USB 2 transfer speeds, but the improved technology of the USB 3 chip does yield a marginal speed increase, as seen here.

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

The drive stayed consistently above 30MB/s in a USB 2 port, and had a lower access time.

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

Kingston DT HyperX 3 (left) and Kingston DT Ultimate 3 G2 (right)

We did the same productivity tests for USB 2 as we did for USB 3. The drive performed at a stunning speed in the USB 2 port, changing only slightly, and only by a few MB/s.

Conclusion

This flash drive made our jaws drop. It has stunning performance under USB 3.0, and is a great overall drive. It stays consistent in terms of performance, is sturdily built, and is compact and easy to carry around. The drive does drop in performance slightly when used with USB 2.0, but this drive is targeted towards gamers, and most users should have considerable USB 3.0 connectivity.

We are sure this drive will make a great utility for gamers and enthusiasts alike.