Introduced in April this year, the new KC2500 reference from Kingston is the company’s next generation M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD for desktop, workstations and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSD delivers, according to Kingston, powerful performance using the latest Gen 3.0 x 4 controller and 96-layer 3D TLC NAND. With speeds up to 3,500MB/s read and up to 2,900MB/s write, KC2500 combines outstanding performance and endurance that improves workflow for desktop, workstation and power users.
While some will dispute that the drive is only Gen 3 when Gen 4 is already around – as only a few manufacturers are making PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs now -, others will say that’s not important for most Real World uses. It’s a discussion PVC readers will find elsewhere. Here, we want to center attention on the 2TB version of the NVMe SSD, now available, according to Kingston, to join the 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities already available. With prices ranging from $104.99 to $455, the Kingston is a solution to consider if you’re after a new NVMe for your computer and also need capacity.
The Kingston 2TB KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSD may not be the faster performer around, but the 2TB version is something to consider if you want to move from HDD to SSD and need both the capacity and speed. Presented as 45x faster than a regular 7200 rpm HDD, the Kingston KC2500 reference is a sign of what the future will bring us: even higher capacity NVMe SSDs. Or high-capacity SSDs in general, as the 8 TB Samsung QVO SSD briefly showed at Amazon for $900m and due to arrive in August.
The KC2500 is housed in a compact M.2 2280 form factor that saves space for other components while allowing users to take advantage of PCIe speeds. The self-encrypting SSD supports a full-security suite for end-to-end data protection using AES-XTS 256-bit hardware-based encryption. It allows the usage of independent software vendors with TCG Opal 2.0 security management solutions such as Symantec, McAfee, WinMagic and others. KC2500 has built-in Microsoft eDrive support, a security storage specification for use with BitLocker.
“KC2500 sets a new bar for high-performance client PC usage, enabling those who demand speed and reliability to handle intensive workloads on desktops, workstations and for HPC applications,” said Tony Hollingsbee, SSD business manager, Kingston EMEA. “The compact M.2 form factor and broad range of security and encryption options provides greater flexibility for organizations who are looking to refresh their current systems, or for the power user looking to upgrade their current system with the best that NVMe PCIe SSDs can offer.”
With high capacity and superior NVMe performance, the Kingston 2TB KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSD has a limited 5-year warranty with free technical support.