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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%
112GB free
Firmware: 583ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 91 94 94 90 83 90 MB/s
53.1% Above average
Read 255
Write 125
Mixed 170
SusWrite 90.2
36% 160 MB/s
4K Read 21.6
4K Write 68.2
4K Mixed 29.4
106% 39.7 MB/s
DQ Read 73.9
DQ Write 126
DQ Mixed 98.2
75% 99.5 MB/s
23GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 600ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 88 78 80 76 91 84 MB/s
51.5% Above average
Read 271
Write 121
Mixed 158
SusWrite 82.8
35% 158 MB/s
4K Read 20
4K Write 66.6
4K Mixed 27.8
101% 38.1 MB/s
DQ Read 70.6
DQ Write 123
DQ Mixed 98
74% 97.2 MB/s
17GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 608ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 103 75 93 95 100 79 MB/s
45.8% Average
Read 170
Write 137
Mixed 146
SusWrite 90.7
30% 136 MB/s
4K Read 24.2
4K Write 42.9
4K Mixed 30.1
98% 32.4 MB/s
DQ Read 30.3
DQ Write 90.4
DQ Mixed 36.4
35% 52.4 MB/s
48GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 506ABBF0
SusWrite @10s intervals: 86 73 81 77 77 78 MB/s
44.9% Average
Read 150
Write 108
Mixed 112
SusWrite 78.6
25% 112 MB/s
4K Read 22.6
4K Write 62.4
4K Mixed 23.1
97% 36 MB/s
DQ Read 104
DQ Write 107
DQ Mixed 64
60% 91.5 MB/s
339,020 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 73,470,644 SSDs tested

 Prices

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MSRP ≈ $79 @ launch in Nov '12
EbayUS $387 mins
AmazonUS $5019 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 23,008 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 samples1,906x
Core i7-2600Intel  $174Bench 67%, 185,630 samples1,456x
Core i5-3470Intel  $149Bench 63%, 223,595 samples875x
GPU
HD 2000 (Desktop 1.1 GHz)IntelBench 1%, 150,891 samples1,294x
SVGA 3DVmwareBench 20%, 11,474 samples1,107x
GTX 1050-TiNvidia  $100Bench 29%, 946,701 samples967x
SSD
SSDNow V300 120GBKingston  $38Bench 54%, 339,020 samples1x
RAM
2x2GBUnknownBench 20%, 446,702 samples507x
4x2GBUnknownBench 25%, 183,252 samples367x
1x8GBUnknownBench 38%, 168,538 samples286x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 61% - Good Total price: $335

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 freeware 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 upgrades.

UserBenchmark of the month

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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) December 2023 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 9 years ago.
USA-User
Avatar level
9,618

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
5,456

Average

3 years ago.

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

ROU-User
Avatar level
4,527

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
3,432

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
2,248

Good

6 years ago.

Perfect SSD for upgrading 5 years laptop. Super cheap.

NZL-User
Avatar level
2,078

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

9 years ago.

polKZY
Avatar level
26

Poor

4 years ago.

poor performance

nrage
Avatar level
22

Below average

7 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

5 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 »

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