Kingston XS1000R Portable SSD 2TB Review

If you need a compact portable SSD, the Kingston XS1000R has got you covered. Or if you just want the XS1000 in red colorway, this works too.

Last year, Kingston presented an external SSD in the form of the XS1000. Pumping out impressive numbers, this external SSD is easily one of the best options if you’re looking for a capable device that can store your files or even games should you need to. This year’s COMPUTEX had Kingston showcasing a sleek and classy version of the XS1000 in red colorway – the XS1000R. And we’re here to check it out.

Kingston XS1000R Technical Specifications

Interface	USB 3.2 Gen 2
Speed	Up to 1,050MB/s read, 1,000MB/s write
Capacities	1TB, 2TB
Weight	28.7g
Dimensions	69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5mm
Casing Materials	Metal + Plastic
Operating temperature	0°C~40°C
Storage temperature	-20°C~85°C
Price and Warranty	Php4,595(1TB),Php7,167(2TB) Limited 5-year warranty with free technical support

 

UNBOXING

The XS1000R comes in a familiar box instead of the internal SSDs that Kingston offers that arrive in blister + carton packages. Liking how things are presented here instead of having just a layer of plastic for protection, plus it reinforces ideas of protection for the device.

Once you open it up, you’ll be met with the Kingston XS1000R itself snuggled in carton, coupled with a USB-C to USB-A cable, as well as a USB-A to USB-C adapter for devices that need both ends to be USB Type-C.

DESIGN

Coming from the XS1000, the XS1000R comes striking with a new red colorway that looks downright sleek yet understated. It seems the casing material is metal that sandwiches plastic that contains the components. 

Kingston’s logo is placed at the center, and there’s a USB Type-C port on the edge on the side, sitting beside an activity LED light. There’s a sticker on the other side that shows the certifications, standards, and the capacity of the drive. 

As for the dimensions, the XS1000R measure 69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5mm. 

Just to note

PERFORMANCE

I’ll get this out of the way – both the Kingston XS1000 and XS1000R feature the same rated read and write speeds, so we’re only expecting marginal performance difference from the first release. That said, we’re looking at 1,050 read and 1,000 write speeds here.

Motherboard	AORUS X570 ELITE
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
GPU	AMD Radeon RX 7600
RAM	GALAX HOF 16GB DDR4 @3600MHz
Cooler	Noctua NH-D15
Motherboard	GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Elite
PSU	CORSAIR RM750 80 Plus Gold
Case	NZXT H510 Elite
OS	Windows 10 Pro
Monitor	ASUS VP249QGR 144Hz 24-inch Monitor

PCMark 10 - Full System Drive Benchmark

PCMark features a full system drive benchmark that utilizes a wide-ranging set of real-world tracer from popular applications and common tasks. 

Crystal Disk Mark

CrystalDiskMark is an open source benchmark software used to measure the transfer speed of different media data storage drives including such as HD, SSD, USB memory, SD card and NAS

AS SSD Benchmark

AS SSD tests the sequential or random read/write performance without using the cache. There's also a compression test and copy benchmark included in the software.

AS SSD Benchmark

AS SSD Copy Benchmark

AS SSD Compression Benchmark

Anvil Storage Utilities Benchmark

Anvil Storage Utilities is a benchmark tool that offers its users a simple way of assessing the read and write performance of SSDs and HDDs.

ATTO Disk Benchmark

ATTO Disk Benchmark is an industry leading benchmark that help measure performance of system storage such as hard drives, solid state drives, RAID arrays, and so forth.

Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Benchmark Tool

The Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Benchmark Tool is a convenient tool that measures your computer's hardware performance and at the same time also logs the total loading time between runs. 

CONCLUSION

The Kingston XS1000R, similar to its predecessor, offers excellent value for money with its solid performance and quite the competitive pricing for the capacities it's available in. While, yeah, the comparison with the XS1000 is inevitable, it's more of a question for people who are looking for a decent portable solution that doesn't cut any corners, and with options to spare. Need one in red? The XS1000R presents itself. Of course, that doesn't mean the XS1000 is out of the picture, since the option for colors are there. 

As it is, it's one of the most affordable options if you're out in the market for a portable SSD. Its tiny form factor is one of its best assets, making it easy to store, not to mention how classy it looks in red. If you're running out of storage space for games or anything else for your main drive, and you need one that's fast, the XS1000R is a great backup tool to have during such instances. 

The Kingston XS1000R Portable SSD 2TB is currently priced at PHP7,167 and is backed by the company's reputable 5-year warranty with free technical support.