Kingston XS2000 USB 3.2 2x2 - Review

The Kingston XS2000 USB 3.2 2x2 is currently the fastest external USB SSD that uses the latest generation of ASMedia controllers with communication via two PCIe Gen3 paths. This means twice the throughput compared to the USB 3.2 Gen2 standard, due to the simultaneous data transfer via a bus that has twice the bandwidth compared to the previous, fastest 10Gbps USB interface.

What is Kingston XS2000 USB 3.2 2x2

One portable, external SSD storage device that you can take with you in your pants pocket. It is so small and thin that you will not even feel it in your shirt. With a capacity of 500GB to a maximum of 2TB, it is an ideal solution for those who copy and carry a lot of data from one place to another and want to transfer it as quickly as possible.

So far, the device for this purpose has been a challenge. Either they were too expensive and big, or you had to manage using unreliable "no-name" drawers for M.2 SSD models, which mostly did not support 4th generation PCIe devices or were not even reported by computers due to exotic hardware. That has finally come to an end. Kingston has offered an XS2000 device that combines all these desires in this cute SSD device.

Characteristics

You know how tedious it can be to transfer large files, such as huge projects, 4K movies, or install games, and you're in a hurry. That is why this Kingston XS2000 currently uses the fastest available USB standard in the USB-C 3.2 2x2 interface with a theoretical data flow of 20 Gbps, which is twice as fast as with the classic USB 3.2 port of the second generation. In practice, this should mean transferring data of about 2-2.5GB per second.

To achieve such a large throughput on your computer, it must have support for a USB 3.2 2x2 port, and these are usually some of the latest devices. So far, we have only seen them on the latest generation motherboards, and we are using just one of these today for testing. It is the Gigabyte X570S AERO G which uses a dedicated ASMedia 3242 controller in combination with a new generation of chipsets - in this case, AMD X570S or like some other boards Intel Z490 and Z590 or on the other hand AMD TRX40. This provides support on the motherboard or computer itself, while on the other hand there must be a suitable USB 3.2 2x2 NVMe controller on the SSD itself.
 
So all USB 3.2 2x2 devices use a USB-C interface, but that doesn’t mean all USB-C devices are 2x2 compatible. Also, if you have a notebook with a Thunderbolt 4 connector via the USB-C interface, that does not mean that the same USB supports transfer over 10 Gbps. On current laptops, this port still operates within the second-generation USB 3.2 specifications.

Otherwise, this cute fast little one arrives in a miniature handsome aluminum case, 7 cm long, barely a little more than 3 cm wide, and 13 mm thick. It weighs only 29 grams. The device adheres to the IP55 durability specification and uses an additional rubber coating to withstand all the shocks you expose it to while wearing it or accidentally dropping it on a desk or floor. It is compatible with all current operating systems that support USB 3.2 2x2 such as Windows 10, macOS starting with 10.14, and later as well as Linux 2.6 version, Chrome OS. And most importantly - you don't need any special driver to work on the fastest specs.
 
And transfer speeds are some of the best we've seen and measured so far on external drives based on NAND memory and USB. Transfer when reading data goes from 1300-1550 MBs, while enrollment varies between 980-1320MBs. It is not at the promised maximum of 2GBs, which we assume can be achieved on the capacities of this device of 1 and 2TB due to the multi-channel configuration of NAND chips, but it is still three times faster than the fastest external USB SATA SSD models or half, more precisely 60% faster than the fastest USB 3.2 Gen 2 models that practically used NVMe SSDs at the maximum throughput of a single third-generation PCIe x1 bus.

Performance:

 

The temperature during intensive data reading and writing operations rises and is higher if you work with large files that take up a lot of space, while on the other hand smaller files are less burdensome and do not heat this SSD like large ones. We read the maximum at the 72nd division of Celsius, on the thermistor of the printed circuit board itself, while the surface of the aluminum body was only barely warm from the measured 38.5 degrees.

Considering the price of $ 100 for a capacity of 500GB, I believe that you will already have a handful of ideas on what you could use such as a fast external drive. At the very end, there is information that Kingston gives a 5-year warranty on this SSD.
 
This is the fastest USB NAND SSD device on the 3.2 2x2 standards. We honestly waited a long time like this for testing fast ports and real transfer on motherboards and laptops, so we finally got a real branded device.

Advantages: 

• Support for USB-C 3.2 2x2
• Maximum throughput of 20Gbps (2000-2500 MB / s)
• It's getting a little hot
• Does not require driver installation
• Easy to use
• Convenient dimensions and lightweight
• Affordable price

 
Disadvantages:

• Slightly lower maximum transfer in the 500GB version