In the world of portable storage, speed and portability often come at the cost of style, but the Kingston XS1000R Portable SSD breaks that mold. Building on the solid performance of the original XS1000, this new version introduces a splash of color while maintaining impressive read and write speeds up to 1,050 MB/s. Compact, sleek, and now more personalized, the XS1000R offers a versatile solution for users seeking fast, reliable, and stylish storage on the go.
Storage and Features:
The XS1000R offers storage capacities of 1TB and 2TB, which should be sufficient for most regular users. It’s a solid choice for those who need quick, reliable storage without opting for larger and bulkier external drives. However, it lacks advanced features such as hardware encryption or rugged durability standards, making it less suitable for extreme environments or users prioritizing data security.
Design:
Where the XS1000R differs from the original XS1000 is in its aesthetic upgrades. Kingston has introduced a range of new color options, giving the SSD a more modern and customizable look for users who value personal style alongside functionality. The minimalist design and compact form factor have been retained, ensuring that portability remains one of the product’s key strengths.
The drive is incredibly lightweight, easily fitting in the palm of your hand or in your pocket, making it perfect for professionals or students who need portable storage without adding bulk to their gear. Its sleek, smooth finish adds a touch of elegance, but it still lacks rugged features like shock resistance or waterproofing, meaning it’s best suited for indoor or light travel use.
The updated colors allow users to pick a design that complements their tech setup, a small but thoughtful upgrade that appeals to those who enjoy personalization in their devices.
Performance of Kingston XS1000
The Kingston XS1000R maintains the same impressive performance as its predecessor, driven by the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface, delivering up to 1,050 MB/s for both read and write speeds. These figures translate to smooth and efficient transfers of large files, whether for multimedia projects, gaming, or professional data management.
In testing, the XS1000R showed consistent performance, excelling at handling various data loads—whether it was moving small files or transferring massive video files. It also supports plug-and-play functionality across platforms like Windows, macOS, and gaming consoles, ensuring wide compatibility for different users.
Despite its strong performance, the lack of hardware encryption remains a noticeable omission, meaning it’s less ideal for those with high security requirements. Furthermore, while the SSD performs admirably under regular use, sustained transfers over long durations might cause slight warming, though it’s nothing out of the ordinary for portable SSDs in this category.
Now on to the Benchmarks:
Atto Disk Benchmark
The great thing about ATTO is that one can test with predefined block sizes. So, we can test with a 32MB sequence of 4KB files, yet also 32MB in 1MB files, providing an opportunity to test with various file sizes. This benchmark is preferred among manufacturers as ATTO uses RAW or compressible data and, for our benchmarks, we used a set length of 256mb and tested both the Read and Write performances for various transfer sizes ranging from 0.5 to 8192kb with a user-selected queue depth of 4.
AS SSD benchmark Suite
This nice little German application gives an extensive result set. The test is popular and useful, so I included it. AS SSD, for the most part, gives us the worst-case scenario in SSD transfer speeds because of its use of incompressible data.
AS SSD General
AS SSD File Copy
AS SSD File Compression
Anvil’s Storage utilities Benchmark
Anvil Pro or Anvil’s Storage Utilities[Depending on what you’d want to call it] is an ‘all-inclusive’ storage utility that allows testing transfer speeds as well as IOPS and lets the user tweak and adjust to find just the right mix in their testing medium, the IOPS tests being fully configurable with preset testing scenarios for read, write and mixed IO. The Benchmarks menu includes an SSD test, Endurance Testing, and 3 pre-configured IOPS tests.
AJA System Test
AJA system test is used to benchmark the performance of a drive for video production workflow across various codecs with different settings. We included this as one of the probable use case of portable SSD is for video editing on the go.
AIDA 64 Disk Benchmark
AIDA64’s disk benchmark tool provides a comprehensive evaluation of storage devices like SSDs, HDDs, and USB drives by measuring read and write speeds under various conditions. Users can select block sizes, enable continuous testing with loop mode, and perform extensive write tests that overwrite data to detect errors and validate performance. The tool’s real-time performance monitor displays detailed metrics, including read speeds and CPU usage, ensuring a thorough assessment of storage device reliability and efficiency
The Kingston XS1000R appears to be primarily an aesthetic upgrade, as its performance metrics remain unchanged from the original XS1000. With no new components or enhancements to speed or durability, this version focuses on providing users with stylish color options rather than functional improvements. Users can enjoy the same reliable performance in a more personalized design.
Conclusion:
The Kingston XS1000R continues to deliver the same high-performance experience as its predecessor while offering a fresh aesthetic appeal with its new range of color options. It’s a compact, reliable, and portable storage solution, ideal for users seeking fast, efficient file transfers on the go. However, the SSD’s lack of advanced security features like hardware encryption and rugged durability may be a limitation for those requiring extra protection for their data.
Overall, the XS1000R strikes an excellent balance between performance, portability, and style, making it a great choice for users who prioritize speed and aesthetics in a sleek, easy-to-carry package. For users who don’t need the extra security or rugged features, this SSD offers fantastic value.
