Review: Kingston KC2000 NVMe PCIe SSD (1TB)

by Parm Mann on 28 January 2020, 14:01

Tags: Kingston

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Conclusion

...real-world performance that is on a par with some of the fastest PCIe Gen 3 solutions currently available.

Kingston's high-performance KC2000 arrived on the market as one of the first M.2 SSDs to carry 96-layer 3D TLC. Such an accolade initially resulted in inflated price tags that prevented the drive from standing out alongside existing competitors such as the Corsair MP510 and WD Black SN750.

Fast forward six months and settled pricing shows the drive in a more favourable light. A 1TB model is competitive at around £145, and the combination of Silicon Motion SM2262EN controller, Micron 96-layer 3D TLC NAND and dedicated DRAM cache allows the drive to deliver real-world performance that is on a par with some of the fastest PCIe Gen 3 solutions currently available.

A couple of wrinkles do still remain - Kingston's peak sequential performance numbers aren't quite as lofty as the competition, and the firm's own A2000 is more attractive to those working on a strict budget - yet the KC2000 serves as a reminder that Kingston SSDs can cater for both mainstream and enthusiast users alike.

The Good
 
The Bad
Good all-round performance
Comprehensive security options
Available in a 2TB capacity
Five-year warranty as standard
 
Peak speeds lower than competition
Not a huge improvement over A2000



Kingston KC2000 NVMe PCIe SSD

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The Kingston KC2000 NVMe PCIe SSD is available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.



HEXUS Forums :: 5 Comments

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Why are you testing this against some older products such as the Samsung 950 pro, this product is not available or if it is, it would be more expensive than current newer products. Scan & OCuk are selling 960 & the Samsung 970 EVO 1TB which is in a similar price & availability bracket.
“testing this against some older products such as the Samsung 950 pro” is useful. If I'm going to upgrade these old components I would like to know if the new stuff will be worse or much better. A few old reference points show progress over time and what to expect from 12m/18m/24m product cycles.

If you still have the product or similar test bed system then why not keep the benchmark results. Do these new products make a noticeable difference to real world use?
Yes am fine with seeing older products as well, then you get a view over performance vs gain and more.
£145 vs £130 for 50% more performance. What's not to like. An extra 15 quid is nothing.
Jace007
Why are you testing this against some older products such as the Samsung 950 pro, this product is not available or if it is, it would be more expensive than current newer products. Scan & OCuk are selling 960 & the Samsung 970 EVO 1TB which is in a similar price & availability bracket.

I don't mind comparison with 950 Pro for those that want to upgrade, but if I am building a new machine I would like a comparison with 970 EVO and 970 Pro as well.