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Quad-channel DDR3 memory corralled in round-up, Corsair, G.Skill and Patriot take home the trophies
If you've wanted to build an X79-based gaming PC but were fretting over getting the most out of the quad-channel DDR3 memory you'll want to pair with that Ivy Bridge processor, don't fret: HotHardware has gathered together some of the most common high-speed RAM options and put them to the test. The results aren't clear cut and depend heavily on what you're looking for. Corsair's 1,866MHz Vengeance kit and a similarly clocked G.Skill RipJaws Z set are recommended for striking good balances between low lag and raw speed, while Patriot's Viper X Division 4 is lauded for having the best value and the best stock cooling. That's not to say that Kingston's HyperX line isn't worth it for some speed demons, but the testers suggest hitting the middle of the road to get a good trade-off between speed and the cash outlay you'll need to get there.
Kingston Wi-Drive update opens access to web, Android aficionados
Those of us who've been eying the Kingston Wi-Drive but have been disappointed with the iOS-first emphasis can rejoice, as a new firmware update is expanding access in a big way. At a minimum, anyone with a web browser can now stream music, photos and videos to their heart's content once they're linked to the drive over WiFi. And if you'd rather use a native app, any Android 2.2 or later device is now an option instead of having to turn to one of Apple's gadgets or the Amazon Kindle Fire. Future Wi-Drives should have the firmware loaded from the get-go. The apps as always remain free, although you'll need to spend a minimum of $50 to join the club with a drive of your own.
Kingston HyperX 3K SSD review round-up: Cheaper than its predecessor and almost as good
Kingston's new HyperX 3K SSD has appeared, powered by a second-generation SandForce SF-2281 processor. Sizes ranging from 90GB to 480GB and are appropriately priced between $140 to $700 -- depending on your storage tastes. With a SATA 6Gb/s interface wrapped in a black and aluminum casing, the HyperX 3K looks ready to spar with Intel's similarly SandForce-powered SSDs. Kingston's 2.5-inch drives have also finished the review party circuit, picking up some pretty positive responses. According to Anandtech's testing, the HyperX 3K performs almost as well as its 5K predecessor, landing just behind it for light workload tests (309.4 MB/s on average) and a heavy workload performance (225.8 MB/s) that netted it second place. Overall, they reckon the HyperX 3K is a "no-brainer," offering great performance for less of those hard-earned dollars. The relatively rugged design was the first thing that caught Storage Review's eye, due to Kingston's (presumably necessary) thermal armor. The site was suitably impressed by read rates, which were comparable to the original HyperX SSD. Write performance didn't hold up quite as well during tests and due to the reduced quality of the NAND memory used, you will see a drop on total write cycles possible -- something that mainstream users probably won't lose much sleep over. Storage Review maintains that when it comes to both performance and pricing, Kingston's latest "delivers on both fronts." You can take a closer look at what both reviews have to say -- and a whole load of tests -- at the sources below.
Kingston launches new family of high performance SSDs, doesn't care if you're a business or a consumer
Kingston's turning its SSD solutions up to eleven on its new SSDNow family of products. The SSDNow V+200 is a solid state drive toting SATA 3.0 SandForce SF-2281, capable of up to 535 MB/s read speeds and 480 MB/s writing speeds. Regardless of whether it's for your office or home rig, Kingston reckons it's got your storage needs covered, offering up the V+200 in 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB sizes. The 2.5-inch drives arrive with self-encryption as standard, alongside a three-year warranty with support -- something that's getting increasingly rare. The full press release is waiting below. Update: Prices, alongside the upgrade kit, range from $156 to $985 -- depending on exactly how many photo albums you need on solid state storage.
Kingston HyperX is an SSD soul stuck in a flash drive's body (video)
Every time we get a free USB key, we wince at the memory of spending $70 on a measly four gigs back in '06. That's why a company like Kingston has to up its game with kit like the new Data Traveler HyperX 3.0. Far from your average thumb drive, this little monster is powered by the same HyperX technology that you find inside the company's premium SSD line. The performance is pretty impressive, getting 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write -- making it Kingston's fastest ever flash drive (and a tempting shot at expanding the solid state storage on a laptop). The setup is capped off with a sturdy rubber cover and keyring hook, although we wouldn't fancy putting gear this expensive at the mercy of our car keys. Kingston isn't saying when the devices are coming out, but expect the 64GB model to set you back $193, with 128GB running up a tab to the tune of $377. Rather ominously, 256GB has no price -- presumably, if you have to ask how much it costs, you clearly can't afford it.
IRL: Kingston Wi-Drive, Dyson DC35 and being an Ubuntu fanboy
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. The lively comments in yesterday's Nest thermostat post got us thinking: for all our talk of smartphones and Ultrabooks, it's the mundane, not-glamorous stuff that we're spending most of our money on. Take Brad, for instance, who had to make room in his iTunes library for the Aladdin soundtrack and had to get creative after maxing out his iPhone's (non-expandable) storage. Or Zach, who felt not one, but two vacuum cleaners were necessary in his bachelor pad. And at least one of us avoids paying anything by choosing to tinker around in Ubuntu. How'd Brad make do with his 16GB of fixed storage? Why is Zach such a compulsive cleaner? And who's the Linux fanboy on staff? Meet us after the break to find out.
Kingston's high-performance KC100 SSD is S.M.A.R.Ter than yours
Good news for secure data fans who aren't fond of moving parts: Kingston's shipping a new line of security-focused solid state drives for all your info-hiding needs. Despite being touted as an enterprise product, the new line will happily sit in any SATA-capable machine you wish, smoothly chugging along thanks to its beloved SandForce DuraClass technology. It's not often you find a veritable plethora of features tucked between slabs of NAND, but these guys do have some smarts. Literally. S.M.A.R.T (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology -- don'tcha know) is firmly onboard, as well as self-encrypting tech to keep any schadenfreude at bay. Beyond that, you can look forward to 6Gb/s throughput, backwards-compatibility with current SATA 2 systems, plus a pretty darn generous five years of warranty. For your cut of the action you'll be shelling out $337 (120GB), $650 (240GB) or $1,270 (480GB), depending on how much data you just can't walk away from. A not-at-all pushy infomercial is embedded after the break -- for laughs, or learning.
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: accessories
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got a slew of accessories -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Fall's slowly, but surely creeping back in, and we bet you've already started to gather up the necessary gear for your return to the residence hall. Sure, you've got the basics covered, with a computer, smartphone, MP3 player and even a tablet at the ready. But wouldn't it be nice to start the school year off in style with some handy accoutrements to trick out those digital crutches? Let's face it, you're going to need a lapdesk buffer zone between you and your laptop's scorching heat for those countless hours spent churning out term papers. Or, an external hard drive, so you can store those full seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and bring the late night funny to your stressed-out friends. However you manage to make it through the year and snag that 4.0 GPA, we've got a selection of accessorized aids to match your collegiate budget. Oh, and don't forget, we're giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 readers, and you can be among the chosen few simply by dropping a comment below! Click on past the break to start browsing.
Kingston HyperX SSDs now shipping, SandForce-equipped for Hyperspeed
Brace yourselves speed freaks -- Kingston Digital is now shipping its latest 2.5-inch HyperX SSD drives, equipped with 6Gb/sec SATA Rev 3.0 and everyone's favorite SandForce SF-2281 controller. You want fast? You'll get fast, alright. This SSD's read / write speeds top out at 555MB/sec and 510MB/sec, which is surely enough to keep your rig zipping through those intense gaming marathons office workloads. You'll be able to pick up the drive itself with 120GB of storage for $270 or 240GB for $520, while the install kit -- which includes such goodies as a SATA cable, desktop mount, torque screws and more -- tacks on an extra $15 and $20, respectively. That pricing is only for a limited time though, so be sure to check the PR and hyper-edited video past the break for all the details.
Kingston Wi-Drive for iOS hits stores today, lets you create your own portable music server for $130
Services like Spotify, which had an anything but subtle launch last week, help solve the evergreen issue of limited local storage by streaming millions of tracks to your devices. But streaming services require cell reception to operate (unless you've elected to store music locally), and often carry monthly fees. We've spent a fair amount of time testing Kingston's Wi-Drive, which lets you access music, videos, and other files from a handful of devices simultaneously over WiFi -- assuming you've loaded that content to the portable media server's 16GB ($130) or 32GB ($175) of built-in storage. The device worked well during our review process earlier this month, and now you can pick up one of your own at sites like Amazon and Newegg, or at Fry's and J&R US retail outlets. The server is likely to be a better fit for families than individuals simply looking to boost their iOS device storage, due to both price and capacity limitations, but if you need to stream media to several devices at once during your next road trip, for example, then the Wi-Drive may be worth the investment.
Kingston Wi-Drive wireless storage for iOS review
With nearly 350,000 apps and counting, the iPhone's maximum capacity of 32GB doesn't allow you to even scratch the surface of the App Store's catalog. Throw in an HD movie, some TV episodes, hundreds of tracks and a few thousand photos, and you'll be chewing through those available bytes in no time. Most manufacturers compensate this limitation by including a microSD slot for additional storage, but not Apple -- you're stuck with that original capacity until you're ready to upgrade to a new device. Luckily, for those who need more storage now and don't mind paying for it, AirStash, Seagate's GoFlex Satellite, and now Kingston's ultra-slim Wi-Drive allow you to boost gigs without upgrading, or switching to another platform. None of these pocket servers come without compromise, however -- you'll be spending over $100 for even the most basic option, while adding yet another device to your portable mix.%Gallery-127906%
Kingston's iOS-lovin' Wi-Drive wireless storage device hops into FCC database
You know what that means, right? It means that Kingston's on track for keeping its "July" release promise for the above-pictured Wi-Drive. For those who missed our preview last month, this is essentially a portable, battery-powered hard drive that's meant to stream content exclusively to iOS devices. Think of it as a way to add more storage to a device that simply cannot accept more storage. Barring any last-minute fights with the number crunchers, this guy will ship for $130 (16GB) / $175 (32GB), and while an FCC appearance is no clear indication of "when," it almost always means "soon."
Kingston Wi-Drive wireless storage for iOS preview (video)
Thinking about upgrading your iPad or iPhone just to add more storage for videos, photos and music? Kingston hopes to save the day with its Wi-Drive, a WiFi-enabled battery-powered storage device designed exclusively for use with iOS. Several factors make the pocket-sized device a tough sell, however, including its cost ($130 for 16GB, $175 for 32GB), and the fact that this otherwise clever content sharing contraption adds yet another gadget to your already crowded portable mix. We'd probably save up for a new, higher-capacity device before accessorizing our old gadgets, but a compact media server does seem like the perfect companion for a road trip, serving up HD videos and other content simultaneously to multiple devices using the free iOS app. This is strictly a content server -- while you can move move content off the drive and later transfer it back, there's no backup tool included, and Kingston says we shouldn't expect one in the future, either. Click past the break for our impressions of Kingston's flash-based server, due to hit stores later this month. %Gallery-124524%
Kingston refreshes DataTraveler Ultimate USB 3.0 flash drive, demonstrates the high price of speed
Sick and tired of the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0's slow-as-molasses 80MB/sec read speeds? Good news, the flash drive has been souped up for a second generation, offering up 100MB/sec read and 70 MB/sec write speeds when plugged into a USB 3.0 port -- plugging into a 2.0 port should give you in the neighborhood of 30MB/s for both read and write. That speed ain't cheap, however -- the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB drives will run you $77, $116, and $213, respectively. The drives are available now and the press release is after the break -- if you can catch it.
Kingston's Class 10 microSD family gets bigger, stays tiny
Kingston is putting an extra boost the smallest of its tiny memory cards. The popular provider of flash storage is upping its 4GB and 8GB microSDHC cards from Class 4 specifications (up to a 4 MB/s transfer rate) to a whopping Class 10 spec and all of its 10 MB/s goodness. The newly announced models join a 16GB version that has been available for several months. By completing the family tree of Class 10 cards, Kingston is offering faster all-round performance for file transfers on smartphones, quicker write times for microSD-wielding cameras and basically a few seconds of your life back -- at lower prices than before, though you'll still be paying a premium compared to slower cards. Our microSDHC-accepting devices are itching to hop aboard this speedier train of data storage, and luckily we won't have to wait long. The two memory cards start shipping at the end of March and are being offered with an available Mobility Kit, which includes an SD adapter and a USB card reader. But, if you want a full-fat 32GB model, you'll have to wait for Q2 of 2011 like the rest of us. Pricing starts at $22 for a 4GB model up to $138 for the 16GB model -- check after the break for full breakdown of prices and more in the PR.
Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card
The SD Association took the opportunity to introduce the UHS-II standard here at CES, but Kingston's doing its best to just make the most of the protocols that are available in the here and now. The outfit has just introduced its latest range of SDHC cards, the USH-I UltimateXX, which is set to ship later this month and be perfectly backwards compatible with Class 4, 6 and 10 equipment. We're told that it'll hit read rates of 60MB/sec and write rates of 35MB/sec, with pricing set for $69.99 (8GB), $179.99 (16GB) and $349.99 (32GB). In related news, the outfit's also launching its DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 USB flash drive, and it has plans to launch an entry-level flash drive in "late Q2 / early Q3." Head on past the break for the full skinny.
Kingston's DataTraveler Mini Fun USB flash drives: they're small and thrilling
Tired of lugging around that boring flash drive? Kingston feels your pain, and it's hoping to add a fair amount of "pizazz" and "spice" to your mobile storage needs. One look at the new DataTraveler Mini Fun G2 all but confirms that there's oodles of joviality brimming beneath the colorful plastic, with a trio of hues to choose from (based on model). These guys can also be connected together for kicks and giggles, with 2GB, 4GB and 8GB models available to bring smiles to the faces of those you know and love. Pricing is set for £4.58 ($7.26), £5.04 ($7.99) and £9.00 ($14) from least capacious to most, with no surcharge to be placed on your favorite color -- in other words, bonus fun is provided gratis. Beat that. %Gallery-110493%
Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 USB 3.0 SSD reviewed, hits ludicrous speeds
We've all seen the scene in some movie or another: secret agent infiltrates the enemy stronghold, sneaks into the server room, then fights off bad guy after bad guy while an agonizingly slow progress bar ticks across the screen, super-secret egg salad recipe files taking ages to copy. If only they had a Kingston HyperX Max USB 3.0 external drive they could have escaped without needing that big final fight scene. The drive was recently tested by PC Perspective and found to feature solid construction and performance, offering the highest sequential write speeds the site had ever seen thanks to a Toshiba HG2 controller coupled with 128GB of Toshiba flash and 128MB of DDR cache memory. And, at $280 for a 128GB model, it's even somewhat reasonably priced -- well, for an external USB 3.0 SSD, anyway.
Kingston unveils HyperX Max 3.0, a SuperSpeed SSD for your pocket, we tear it down (video)
USB 3.0 and SSDs, they were just made for each other, don't you think? Kingston certainly seems to agree, as it's now rolled out its first SuperSpeed portable solid state drive, giving it the catchy title of HyperX Max 3.0. It fits within the dimensions of a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive, but differs in being able to pump 195MB of data per second when reading or 160MBps when writing. Although pricing and availability details aren't yet available, we can expect 64GB, 128GB and 256GB varieties to crop up some time soonish. Until then, can we interest you in some unboxing and teardown action, courtesy of our brethren over at Engadget Spanish? You'll find it on video just past the break.
Kingston introduces 256GB SSDNow V100 SSD for $490
They're still far from being in the bargain bin, but solid state drives are slowly but surely walking their way down from the pricing stratosphere. A week after revealing a 96GB V+ 100 model, Kingston has now uncovered a more capacious sibling that'll definitely tempt existing HDD users who have been holding tight to their platters while scoffing at the tiny SSD sizes cluttering the market. The 256GB SSDNow V100 is a 2.5-incher with sequential read speeds as high as 250MB/sec and write rates as high as 230MB/sec, and as with other Kingston SSDs, this one too packs a three-year warranty and Windows 7 TRIM support. It should be popping up on NewEgg and Buy.com soon here in the US of A for $489.99, and for those in need of an upgrade kit, it'll find its way into a pair of desktop / laptop bundles for $10 more.
