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Kingston SV300S37A/120G

SSDNow V300 120GB

▲ 545,433 ▼

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281. Flash Memory: Toshiba 19nm Toggle Mode MLC. Release date: Q4 2012.

Average Bench: 53.6% (867th of 1072)

Based on 339,020 user benchmarks.  Models: KINGSTON SV300S37A120G, KINGSTON SV300S37A12, KINGSTON SV300S37A120G, KINGSTON SV300S3, KINGSTON KINGSTON SV300S3

The 120GB Kingston V300 has a performance profile that closely matches its 240GB sibling. Both drives utilize a Sandforce LSI controller and therefore demonstrate relative weakness in their write speeds. With burst sequential read/write speeds of 497/166 MBps and 4k burst read/write speeds of 30/97 MBps the 120GB V300 is amongst the slower SSDs I have seen. A concern I have with this drive is the relatively slow real world speeds our users have experienced. Most drives have average throughput rates that are around 75% of peak. Both this and the 240GB V300s, based on 130 samples, are averaging sequential read rates of around 240 MBps which is less than 50% of peak. It's not all bad news though because the V300's are priced extremely aggressively and as a result still offer decent value for money. [Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

Poor: 30%Average: 53.6% Great: 73%

Popular builds with this SSD

Average average bench

The Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB averaged 46.4% lower than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This isn't a great result which indicates that there are much faster alternatives on the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 91.6MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 73.9MB/s

Average consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB is 42.1%. This is a relatively wide range which indicates that the Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB performs inconsistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sustained Write Speed 88.3MB/s
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 122MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 339,020 samples)
Rank 86753.6%
Min Avg Max
101 Read 227 385
83.9 Write 122 153
99 Mixed 155 204
56.2 SusWrite 88.3 127
33% 148 MB/s
Min Avg Max
11.1 4K Read 22.9 32.1
29.8 4K Write 73.9 108
13.2 4K Mixed 29.4 41.4
112% 42.1 MB/s
Min Avg Max
26.3 DQ Read 101 195
69.5 DQ Write 118 153
29.3 DQ Mixed 91.6 133
73.9% 103 MB/s
User Benchmarks BenchSequentialRandom 4kDeep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
59GB free
Firmware: 505ABBF1
SusWrite @10s intervals: 133 131 130 128 132 126 MB/s
74.5% Very good
Read 406
Write 153
Mixed 191
SusWrite 130
48% 220 MB/s
4K Read 31.8
4K Write 80.7
4K Mixed 37.2
139% 49.9 MB/s
DQ Read 200
DQ Write 145
DQ Mixed 118
103% 154 MB/s
31GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 605ABBF2
SusWrite @10s intervals: 99 94 94 88 97 91 MB/s
60.9% Good
Read 253
Write 147
Mixed 182
SusWrite 93.7
38% 169 MB/s
4K Read 25.2
4K Write 73.6
4K Mixed 37.6
125% 45.5 MB/s
DQ Read 118
DQ Write 144
DQ Mixed 123
95% 128 MB/s
110GB free
Firmware: 603ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 97 98 100 98 99 99 MB/s
59.6% Above average
Read 277
Write 125
Mixed 183
SusWrite 98.4
38% 171 MB/s
4K Read 25.3
4K Write 73.8
4K Mixed 34.3
121% 44.5 MB/s
DQ Read 94
DQ Write 124
DQ Mixed 98.3
77% 105 MB/s
31GB free
Firmware: 583ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 95 79 92 91 85 90 MB/s
56.3% Above average
Read 273
Write 122
Mixed 164
SusWrite 88.6
36% 162 MB/s
4K Read 23.6
4K Write 69
4K Mixed 32.2
114% 41.6 MB/s
DQ Read 91.2
DQ Write 123
DQ Mixed 90.4
73% 102 MB/s
18GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 521ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 82 80 81 79 82 82 MB/s
40.3% Average
Read 130
Write 98.3
Mixed 121
SusWrite 80.9
24% 108 MB/s
4K Read 18.6
4K Write 47.8
4K Mixed 22.1
82% 29.5 MB/s
DQ Read 120
DQ Write 105
DQ Mixed 92.8
75% 106 MB/s
27GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 521ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 77 74 72 64 67 63 MB/s
32.7% Below average
Read 104
Write 92.4
Mixed 90.9
SusWrite 69.6
20% 89.1 MB/s
4K Read 13.7
4K Write 38
4K Mixed 17.6
63% 23.1 MB/s
DQ Read 118
DQ Write 96.2
DQ Mixed 89.9
72% 101 MB/s
339,020 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 75,632,415 SSDs tested

 Prices

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MSRP ≈ $79 @ launch in Nov '12
AmazonUS $372 mins
EbayUS $3814 mins
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Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
Typical SSDNow V300 120GB Builds (Compare 24,200 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings
Gaming
Gaming 2%
Tree trunk
Desktop
Desktop 61%
Destroyer
Workstation
Workstation 2%
Tree trunk

Disqualified System: bin bin

CPU
Core i7-3770Intel  $297Bench 69%, 278,207 samples2,019x
Core i7-2600Intel  $197Bench 67%, 185,630 samples1,563x
Core i5-3470Intel  $59Bench 63%, 223,595 samples930x
GPU
HD 2000 (Desktop 1.1 GHz)IntelBench 1%, 150,891 samples1,322x
SVGA 3DVmwareBench 20%, 11,474 samples1,138x
GTX 1050-TiNvidia  $59Bench 29%, 946,701 samples1,037x
SSD
SSDNow V300 120GBKingston  $37Bench 54%, 339,020 samples1x
RAM
2x2GBUnknownBench 20%, 446,702 samples516x
4x2GBUnknownBench 25%, 183,252 samples376x
1x8GBUnknownBench 38%, 168,538 samples297x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 61% - Good Total price: $334

Popular SSDNow V300 120GB systems:

How Fast Is Your SSD? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute

Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.

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How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC
  • - See speed test results from other users
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware
Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) April 2024 SSD Rankings

Welcome to our 2.5" and M.2 SSD comparison. We calculate effective speed for both SATA and NVMe drives based on real world performance then adjust by current prices per GB to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top SSDs. [SSDrivePro]

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Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.

 Comments

SSDrivePro
Avatar level
1,859

Official site www.kingston.com/...

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281. Flash Memory: Toshiba 19nm Toggle Mode MLC

A cost-effective way to revive your computer...

Added 10 years ago.
USA-User
Avatar level
9,832

Poor (edit your comment) Add link

2 years ago.

Terrible, bait and switch like others have stated.

Comment 

slow ssd. but it's super cheap—Sep '14

Comment 

Kingston wins the bait & switch sleezebag trophy with this one—Sep '15

TUR-User
Avatar level
5,522

Average

4 years ago.

It was great upgrade from HDD. But it failed after 1,5 year of active usage

ROU-User
Avatar level
4,615

Disliked

3 years ago.

Comment 

The devices s/n 501 to 504 were performing way better than what Kingston is offering now with the s/n 506 and up. This marketing idea of starting with a good product, get good press and then keep only the case is bad. Do not buy Kingston.—Sep '14

NLD-User
Avatar level
3,510

Good

6 years ago.

It gave new live to my old laptop. For a very convenient price. Maybe is not the best SSD, but it is cheap and fits well to my needs.

LTU-User
Avatar level
2,306

Good

6 years ago.

Perfect SSD for upgrading 5 years laptop. Super cheap.

NZL-User
Avatar level
2,128

Good

6 years ago.

This drive is installed into a 2007 Mac Mini used as a media centre. Although it's not a fast SSD drive, it's perfect for this old Mac where the real bottle neck is the drive bus speed. Super fast compare to a standard HD, and has extended the life of this machine yet another couple of years. Thanks Kingston for your super cheap, yet super under performing drive. Works for me.

SSDrivePro
Avatar level
1,859

Terrible

10 years ago.

polKZY
Avatar level
26

Poor

5 years ago.

poor performance

nrage
Avatar level
22

Below average

8 years ago.

Poor performance when compared with other SSDs at the same price and capacity.

wywrhell
Avatar level
10

Average

4 years ago.

Elderly. Average writing and reading

Kevster5
Avatar level
8

Average

6 years ago.

Measurable fast boot up speed increase but that's to be expected with an SSD. Will do more research before my next SSD purchase as the size is a massive limitation of the value of this product.

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1072 Drives (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list

See how consistently different SSDs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

 Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Devices FAQ
What is sustained sequential write speed?
What’s the difference between SLC, MLC and TLC?
What is 3D XPoint and how fast is it?
What’s the difference between SATA, PCIe and NVMe?
What’s the difference between NAND and V-NAND?
What is sequential write speed?
What is sequential read speed?
What is incompressible data?
What is queue depth?
Solid State Drives
What is the SSD value for money rating?
What is 4K 64 thread write speed?
Can CPU power saving states (C1,C2,C3) impact SSD speed?
What is the effective SSD speed index?
How is the AS SSD write score calculated?
How is the AS SSD read score calculated?
How is the AS SSD total score calculated?
ALL FAQs »

 Best User Rated
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $273Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $132Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $186Nvidia RTX 4070 $409Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
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WD Blue 1TB (2012) $35Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $51G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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