Final thoughts
Kingston's latest SSDNow V-series drive is the second-generation V+. Available in capacities of 64GB through to 512GB, recent hikes in the cost of memory chips means that all models arrive to market with a value proposition that's higher than £2 per gigabyte. As the fluctuations in NAND pricing directly affect all SSD manufacturers, the 128GB Kingston SSD's etail cost is in line with other premium drives'.What this means is that you will pay around £300 for a 128GB drive that will hold an operating system and a bunch of commonly used applications. Now powered by a new Toshiba controller and memory that combine to produce premium-level performance, the SSDNow V+ 128GB is a good drive whose performance is indicative of quality SSD's in Q1 2010.
SSDs are cool technology that deserve to be within reach of the average consumer, we believe. Steadily increasing NAND pricing throughout 2009 now means that drives are more expensive than, say, nine months ago, taking much of the shine off the 'got-to-have-it' technology.
The bottom line is that the second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ 128GB is worth consideration if you want a medium-capacity solid-state drive and are willing to pay the £300+ for it. We reckon the bundled version of the drive is a better bet for most, giving you significantly more value, including the excellent Acronis True Image HD backup software, for an extra £10 or so.
Still, our advice to most people would be to wait until NAND pricing and, as a result, SSDs drop in price, significantly so, during this year before shelling out for one.
HEXUS Rating
We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.
The rating is given in relation to the category the component competes in, therefore the SSD is evaluated with respect to our 'high-range components' criteria, where value plays a larger part in the overall score.
Kingston SSDNow V+ 128GB
HEXUS Where2Buy
TBC.
HEXUS Right2Reply
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