Conclusion:
There is no doubt that solid state drives have come a long way, and can continue to push the limits.
Kingston is right up there with the other leading manufacturers by implementing the latest technology as it becomes available. While the Intel drive used for comparison purposes was able to beat the Kingston drive in pure read speeds, in real world testing that doesn't necessarily mean it is much faster. In boot times, the Intel drive was half a second faster than the drive from Kingston.
Kingston has fully implemented TRIM in the SSDNow V+ drive. While there is no true way of telling whether it is working, over an extended period of messing around with the drive, benchmarks were still coming in close to when the drive was fresh. I have not experienced the slow down that I did with previous generation SSDs.
The Performance Upgrade Kit is a great way to purchase the drive. Not only do you get the drive, but you get an external enclosure, mounting rails, and additional cables to allow you to connect your new SSD to just about any system. You might not need all of these extras, but for the difference in price you might as well get the bundle. Not to mention that I really like the Kingston 2.5" USB drive enclosure.
Speaking of price, The Bigbruin.com comparison shopping pages shows the 128GB SSDNow V+ drive at several popular online retailers for around
$320 (US), while the Performance Kit (as reviewed here) is available for as little as
$330 (US). The Intel 80GB SSD featured on this review can be found for about $100 less.
With its high performance and comprehensive bundle of accessories, the Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 128GB solid state drive earns the Bigbruin.com "Recommended" award.
Pros:
» TRIM support
» Fast boot times
» Very fast write speeds
» Up to 512GB capacity
» Includes lots of accessories
» Includes a simple 2.5" USB enclosure
Cons:
» Still expensive
» Read speed a little slower than some SSDs
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