Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB Review

by Kevin O'Brien

The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB USB flash drive is the fastest USB memory device in the Kingston lineup. This drive comes in a switchblade style form factor for easy transport, and fits right into your pocket or bag to carry a slew of digital media while away from your home or office.

DataTraveler HyperX 8GB drive specifications:

• Capacities- 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
• Dimensions - 2.76 x 0.88 x 0.44"
• Fast - data transfer rates of 30MB/sec. read and 20MB/sec. write
• Enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost on Vista-based systems
• Operating Temperature - 32° to 140° F
• Storage Temperature - -4° to 185° F
• Simple - just plug into a USB port
• Guaranteed - five-year warranty

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Design

The HyperX USB flash drive has a switchblade style design, that lets the USB connector retract into the body during transport. This removes the need for any caps that could get lost, and overall I feel gives a better appearance. The release switch to pop out the male USB connector is the black slider located on the side of the body that is protected by 2 raised bars on each side. To extend the USB plug, you press the switch down and slide the switch forward until it locks open. To retract it, you press it in again, and slide it back to its resting position.

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The body has a combination of aluminum and rubberized plastic. It is very easy to hold, and the rubberized texture makes it almost non-slip, so it is easy to carry even under demanding situations. The metal section of the body helps add to flash drives rigidity, and combines to give it a really rugged feel.

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The only downside I can find with the flash drive's design is the thickness of it that prevents using it next to other devices on close proximity USB ports. If you always find yourself filling up every single port on your computer, you may want to pick up a little 1-3" USB extension cable for this flash drive.

Compatibility

Listed compatibility on the HyperX USB flash drive has almost all modern operating systems working with the drive.

Compatibility Table

Operating System	File Transfer
Windows Vista	Yes
Windows XP	Yes
Windows 2000 SP4	Yes
Mac OS 10.2.x and above	Yes
Linux 2.6 and above	Yes

Performance

This drive performed quite well under all my testing, and was probably held back by the USB interface before it reached the limits of the flash chips. For my tests, I used the standard disk drive benchmarks, including ATTO, HDTune, and HDTach.

ATTO performance benchmark. (view large image)

HDTune performance benchmark. (view large image)

HDTach performance benchmark. (view large image)

Conclusion

For demanding consumers looking to get the best bang out of a USB memory stick, the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX line might be worth looking at. While it does carry a hefty price, you are getting flash memory that fully saturates the USB bus during file transfers. As a drive for storing images, movie files, game backups, whatever... it has a use almost anywhere.

Pros

• Really fast
• Durable and rugged design
• Rubberized grip lets you hold onto it while running away from things

Cons

• Pricey

 

Good review.

For that price, I think the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium (or Titanium Plus, if you want hardware AES encryption) is a better choice. It's a little slower, but you get a nearly indestructable metal casing and the switchblade-style USB connector, and a 4GB model is available for $40-50.

I can wait an extra 10 seconds for my file copy to complete if it saves me $100.

 

I dont know LoneWolf, that feature with the rubberized gri letting me hold onto it while running away from things sounds like a great deal to me...

 

One problem I have seen WRT this whole ReadyBoost thing is that its using the USB bus for system stuff. Everything is routed through that bus anymore. So your keyboard, mouse, phone, maybe wifi, ect. are all on the same bus as this really fast drive.

So I wonder what real performance gains you get from it. Can Vista really benefit from running cache on this bus without interfering with the thousand other devices on it? Id think the only logical solution for this is a drive with a flash cache.

 

Pricey indeed...but also very fast

 

Nice read/write speeds, but I Don't think it's worth that much.

 

Blimey stuff is getting quick those results are amazing.

Faster than an eee , Yes?

edit: just wondering if/when well see motherboard with onboard memory , ie for readyboost , like you get on laptops , Intel speed cache or somthing. the connect via mini-pci on mobos

 

nice review. i found it funny that the rubberized surface could be used in "demanding situations". I'm just imagining james bond or someone having one of these things while the building is blowing up, trying to plug it in. thank god it is grippy enough to use in demanding situations!

 

:laugh: I don't know, I've never had any trouble holding onto my regular plastic flash drives.

Price seems too high IMO. I can get four 2 GB Kingston drives for $100 - barely more than half the price of this one. They might not be as fast, but they're no slouches, either. I was surprised how quickly my drive transferred 100 MB+ the other day - faster than I'd ever seen before. Maybe I got used to slow file transfers with Vista, but the cheap, $25/2 GB one sure seems fast enough to make this one not worth the price.

 

Necessary?

Does double the price give you double the satisfaction?

No offense, really . . .

 

for that price i can buy an 750-1TB hard drive!

 

Another possible benchmarking program is SiSoftware Sandra which has a specific removable storage benchmark.

See the attached example of results.

John

 

Man... that's TOO pricey! I prefer my two year old 30GB iPod... can play music and still way more storage than this 8GB USB