Final Thoughts
Pricing and Availability
The Kingston KC1000 is available now, or it will be shortly. Which, depends a little bit on where in the world you are located. In the UK, you can order the 480GB version with HHHL adapter that I’ve tested today for £273.09. The US Amazon hasn’t listed it yet, but NewEgg has it as “out of stock” for $264.99.
Overview
The KC1000 is definitely a nice comeback from Kingston. Why a comeback? Because it is the companies first NVMe drive and that’s something that has been missing in the current field. Kingston does have their impressive did have their HyperX Predator drive, but it’s not NVMe-powered.
Today I tested the version that comes with an HHHL add-in card adapter, but you can get just the module too. You might not need the adapter, and if you don’t, then there’s no reason to pay the extra to get it. However, if you do need it, then it’s a great choice to have.
Kingston pushed the Phison PS5007 controller to the max with the KC1000 drive. We saw an impressive performance which is thanks to the use of MLC NAND. Drives built with MLC are somewhat of a rarity these days and as such it’s double as nice to see. While the drive did perform great, it was a bit up and down across the charts. Still, even with the changes in chart placement, the drive performed great in all tests. Whether it’s synthetic tests with sequential or random data or app and game testing, the KC1000 delivers.
A drive which performs nicely is great, but you also want one with a proper endurance. That’s also covered thanks to the use of MLC and Kingston backs the drive with a 5-year warranty. Whether your current drive is an SATA SSD or HDD, you’ll love the upgrade with a KC1000.
Pros
- Good performance
- MLC NAND for improved write performance and endurance
- HHHL and Module options
- Up to 960GB capacity options
- Acronis True HD cloning software included
Cons
- The drive jumps around the chart positions a bit
“The KC1000 is a great comeback from Kingston and it’s one which reminds us what SSDs are all about: Speed.”
We would like to thank Kingston for providing us with this sample.
