Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 External USB Drive taps USB 3.0

By Geoff Duncan November 22, 2010

Memory and storage developer Kingston is getting into the market for USB 3.0 SSD drives, announcing its new HyperX Max 3.0 External USB 3.0 drive. Although compatible with everyday USB 2.0 (and even USB 1.1) devices, the SSD drive really shines when connected to a USB 3-capable computer: Kingston claims in its testing the drive transfered 10 GB of data in 72 seconds, compared to 352 seconds (almost six minutes) using USB 2.0 on the same test system.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

“The HyperX Max 3.0 External USB 3.0 Drive follows the tradition of Kingston’s HyperX enthusiast DRAM family providing users with premium quality and extreme performance,” said Kingston USB product manager Andrew Ewing, in a statement. “In addition to portability and speed, users will be pleased with the durability of this drive.”

Kingston says the drives can manage up to 195 MB/sec reading and up to 160 MB/sec writing. Kingston is touting the HyperX Max 3.0 drives as good solutions for folks who need to transfer and back up oodles of HD video, RAW high-resolution photographs, and large creative projects. Since SSD drives have no moving parts, they’re particularly suited to portable use and being carted around. They also consume comparatively little power—4.5 watts in operation—and feature a convenient color-coded LED indicator: green means a pokey USB 2.0 connection, while blue means USB 3.0.

Kingston hasn’t announced pricing on the drives—leaving that up to retail partners, presumably—but says they’ll be available in 64, 128, and 256 GB capacities this December. The drives are compatible with Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista Vista, and Windows 7.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

These 4K monitors are discounted at Best Buy — from $200

The Sony InZone M9 sitting next to a PlayStation 5.

A 4K monitor is a great way of enjoying an enhanced image as you work with more pixels, higher resolutions, and often better colors too. Over at Best Buy, there are some great monitor deals squarely focused on all things 4K. There are dozens of 4K monitors in the sale so the smart move is to hit the button below to see what’s there for yourself. If you want some help though, we’re here. We’ve picked out a few highlights in the sale so take a look for yourself.

What to shop for in the Best Buy 4K monitor sale
Samsung makes some of the best monitors around so why not start with the ? It’s currently reduced by $150 so it costs just $200. Its IPS panel looks great with AMD FreeSync support effectively eliminating screen tears and stutters. There’s also HDR support which brings with it some great looking colors while wide viewing angles mean it looks great from any perspective.

Computing

9 best processors for PC gaming: tested and reviewed

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D installed in a motherboard.

It's tough to find the right gaming CPU for your next PC. We've benchmarked dozens of processors to find the best CPU for gaming, and there's a clear winner right now: AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Although the latest chip from Team Red claims the crown, there are still several other great options on the market.

Whatever your needs and budgets, though, we have options from AMD and Intel that will be great performers. We're focused on gaming here, but if you want a processor that can game and get work done, make sure to check out our list of the best processors.

Computing

The best 5K monitors you can buy for max resolution

A person using the Dell UltraSharp 40 U4025QW 40-inch curved Thunderbolt hub monitor with a Dell laptop on a desk.

Despite their relatively steep price tags, 5K monitors have gained substantial popularity among various creative professionals, including photographers, videographers, filmmakers, and graphic designers. These displays not only deliver exceptionally sharp and detailed imagery but also come with high-end, factory-calibrated panels to ensure precise color reproduction.

A true 5K resolution is defined as 5120 x 2880 pixels, with the emphasis often placed on the horizontal pixel count by many manufacturers. It's important to note that only a few monitors offer this exact resolution. Therefore, we have compiled a list of the top monitors that provide a 5K2K resolution (5120 x 2160 pixels) as well. Here are the best 5K monitors currently available for purchase in 2024.