Kingston SSDNow V300 240GB SSD Review

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SATA 2 Performance

SATA 2 Performance

In a perfect world everyone investing in a new solid state drive would have access to a SATA 6GB/s controller which could pass on the TRIM command. In reality not everyone has this and for many the decision comes down either giving up TRIM – never a good idea with most controllers – and running it off a secondary controller; or taking a performance hit and running in SATA 2.0 mode.

These tests will consist of some of our real world and synthetic benchmarks run on our standard 1155 test-bed; but the drive will be attached to an SATA 2 port.

For synthetic we have opted for the newcomer to our charts: Anvil Storage Utilities Pro. For real world we have opted for our Adobe test. These two tests should give you a very good idea of the level of performance impact you can expect from running a modern SATA 6 drive in compatibility mode.

Considering the price of this drive, these results are still very good. The V300 240GB's performance may indeed take a significant hit from running in SATA 3Gb/s compatibility mode, but it still can outperform an Intel 335 and come damn close to an across the board improvement over an Intel 520 240GB.

 

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Conclusion

Conclusion

Kingston’s V300 240GB has something for everyone. First time buyers will appreciate its dollar per GB ratio and PC veterans won’t help but be impressed by its benchmark results. It’s been a long time since we’ve come across an SSD which balances its strengths and weaknesses so successfully.

Much of this appeal stems from the V300’s ability to combine excellent performance with a price conscious approach. While many budget SSDs sacrifice capacity or performance for a lower cost and so-called enthusiast level drives offer high benchmark numbers alongside stratospheric prices, Kingston’s drive strides somewhere between the two. It has the ability to run with some of the fastest SSDs currently available while costing about as much as an Intel 335 180GB. That’s an impressive feat if there ever was one.

One of the primary game changers in today’s SSD market has been the advent of new 19nm Toggle Mode NAND. It has given companies like Kingston the possibility of creating higher performance SSDs with lower price tags. More importantly, this NAND has breathed new life into mature controllers like the LSI 2281 being used in the V300.

The Kingston SSDNow V300 may not the absolute fastest 240GB drive we have ever tested, nor is it particularly versatile. Like all SF2281 based drives, there is a rather steep and significant performance drop off from running either at near capacity or in SATA 3Gb/s compatibility mode. However, from a value perspective, the V300 is nearly impossible to beat since it can offer capacity and relatively high performance in a package that costs less than $210.

From nearly every perspective, the V300 240GB is an outstanding SSD which is uniquely positioned to move the storage market forward. It has class leading performance and capacity per dollar, a generous warranty and the inclusion of notebook and desktop upgrade kits will simplify the installation process for first timers. There really isn’t anything more we could ask for from a budget-range SSD.

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