INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   We've mentioned numerous times in the past that SATA III compatible solid state drives (SSDs) have pretty much maxed out the performance limit of that standard (bandwidth limitations) and although that might be just in maximum read/write data transfer speeds and not continuous/constant ones (that would be nice to see) the end result doesn't really change. PCIe and M.2 based SSDs have surpassed that limitation both in maximum and constant read/write performance for a while now and although the first tend to cost quite a bit more compared to regular SATA III ones while the second are not compatible with older mainboards in the end these drives are a way out for people who are looking for something faster. It may have taken a while for them to do so but Kingston finally released their very own HyperX PCIe and M.2 models inside 2015 and with us today we have the top of the line Predator 480GB M.2 PCIe G2 SSD.

   Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Kingston designs, manufactures and distributes memory products for desktops, laptops, servers, printers, and Flash memory products for PDAs, mobile phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. Through its global network of subsidiaries and affiliates, Kingston has manufacturing facilities in California, Taiwan, China and sales representatives in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, India, Taiwan, China, and Latin America.

   Just like most current PCIex SSDs the HyperX Predator by Kingston is based on a "marriage" between a PCIex v.2 x4 lanes interface card and a M.2 2280 (m-key) form factor card. This pairing allows for much higher data transfer speeds compared to the SATA III standard and even allows for future upgrades by swapping the M.2 2280 form factor SSD with other higher capacity ones. The M.2 2280 card used in this PCIex solution features the latest 88SS9293 four-lane NAND flash controller by Marvel (codename Altaplus) along with Toshiba A19 MLC Toggle NAND flash modules (8 in total) and 1GB of DDR3 RAM running at 1600MHz. Kingston gives the entire HyperX Predator line a MTBF of 1 million hours and rates their endurance at up to 882TB/1.7DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) for the 480GB model which we have here and 415TB/1.6DWPD for the 240GB model. Kingston covers both models with a 3 year limited warranty.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The HyperX Predator M.2 PCIe G2 x4 SSD arrived inside a small red and black box that has a large product picture at the front, the company logo and the rated read/write performance of the drive.

 

 

At the rear you can see pictures of the bundle contents right next to information regarding the product printed in various languages.

 

 

Once you open the box you will find a black piece of foam protecting the drive.

 

 

The box contains the HyperX Predator PCIe SSD, low-profile PCI adapter, Acronis software download coupon and a HyperX sticker.

 

 

THE HYPERX PREDATOR M.2 PCIE G2 480GB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Size-wise the black colored HyperX Predator M.2 PCIe G2 SSD (or to be more accurate the HHHL adapter) follows the industry standard and measures 180.98mm in length, 120.96mm in height and 21.59mm in width.

 

 

Now i have to admit that i do prefer the M6e Black Edition by Plextor more in terms of design thanks to the black/red heatsink at the top but the all-black of the HyperX Predator is not bad either.

 

 

Here we see the M.2 2280 (22mm wide, 80mm long) card.

 

 

Kingston has printed four lines leaving the M.2 2280 card and going up to the PCIe connector.

 

 

The M.2 2280 card is held in place via a regular Philips screw and after removing the sticker at the top we see four Toshiba A19 64GB Toggle NAND flash modules (4 more are on the opposite side).

 

 

We also find a 512MB DDR3 @ 1600 RAM cache module (another is placed on the opposite side) and the Marvell 88SS9293 Altaplus PCIe 2.0 x4 NAND flash controller.

 

 

Taking a look at the rear we see a total of 4 holes which means that the HHHL adapter is actually compatible with longer and shorter M.2 cards.

 

 

The HyperX logo is printed at the front of the PCI bracket.

 

 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

 

   After over 7 years of testing sold state drives i have concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in others things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into our charts. Also as of February 25th 2015 our results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly two hours. Unfortunately due to the time required for these tests we repeat them a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.

   Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 7 Ultimate x64 installation with every update installed up to November 6th 2015.

 

 

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS – AS SSD / IOMETER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS – IOMETER SNIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Before we start talking about the HyperX Predator M.2 PCIe G2 480GB SSD I’d like to point out that since some of you have pointed out that our charts have grown extremely long (with almost 60 SSD models in them that’s not something that could avoided) we have been thinking about upgrading our primary test rig and if all goes as planned we will in January. We know it’s sometimes hard to read the charts but we feel that it's very important for our readers to know how one SSD compares to another which is why we don’t swap test rigs every now and then.
   With that out of the way the new Kingston HyperX Predator M.2 PCIe G2 480GB SSD is all we’d ever want to see from a consumer oriented PCIe solution and then some since it blows every other SSD in our charts (both SATA III and PCIe) out of the water with most of the time double the numbers. Strangely enough it unfortunately doesn’t do very well in some IOMeter tests but like already mentioned this is purely a consumer oriented model so i expect Kingston to improve on that with their Enterprise grade PCIe NVMe model(s) once available (a big IF here however).

   When first announced the HyperX Predator M.2 PCIe G2 480GB SSD by Kingston had an MSRP of roughly USD800/800Euros but things were and still are much better in retail since you can currently find it for USD419.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 454.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). This price tag is pretty much on par with what Plextor asks for their M6e Black Edition 512GB which can’t compete in performance with the Kingston HyperX Predator PCIe SSD (it does however have 5 years warranty, a higher MTBF and a great looking heatsink on the M.2 card). Bottom line Kingston has released a great top of the line product for enthusiasts, serious gamers and professionals and that’s why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Top Read & Write Performance
- Design (For Some)
- 1 Million Hours MTBF
- PCIe Solution
- 3 Years Warranty
- Normal & Low-Profile PCI Adapters Included
- Acronis TrueImage HD 2014 Cloning Software Coupon Included
- Price

 

CONS

- None