So, RGB-obsessed PC builder! You've bought your RGB cooling system, your RGB computer case, your extra RGB lighting strips, your RGB keyboard and mouse and headset and RAM...there's gotta be something else you're forgetting. Your solid-state storage, of course! Not content to let your RGB SSD dreams just be dreams, Kingston has released its HyperX Fury RGB ($86.99 in the 480GB version tested) to complete your world in flashy fashion. But besides being one of the few RGB-ized SSDs on the market (hint: TeamGroup has another, the Delta RGB SSD), the Fury also performed above expectations for a Serial ATA drive. And it even has a not-unreasonable cost-per-gigabyte ratio considering the specialized, blingy aspect—as long as you go with the 480GB or 960GB version.
You Light Up My Bytes
Review enough conventional 2.5-inch SSDs, and you start to notice a trend in their design: flat, usually black or charcoal plastic, an unassuming look. And for all intents and purposes, why should they be anything else? Not like anyone's going to see them once they're crammed away in a bay of your computer case or inside the shell of a laptop.
"Feh" to that, says Kingston. The company's HyperX line is known for its skew toward the gaming set, complete with an array of headsets, mice, keyboards, and now SSDs that are all blinged out specifically for the gamer in all of us.
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The HyperX Fury RGB breaks formation from pretty much every other SSD on the market with its inclusion of two LED RGB strips that run lengthwise down each side of the drive. The drive can be plugged into a motherboard that supports RGB controls, or an independent RGB controller. In the case of motherboard-centric RGB control, the drive works with RGB-sync protocols from the key motherboard makers: Asus (Aura Sync), MSI (Mystic Light), Gigabyte (RGB Fusion), and ASRock (Polychrome).
An included RGB control cable, separate from the usual SATA data and power connectors, plugs into the rear edge of the drive. It works with a four-pin RGB header at the mobo end. The drive also lets you daisy-chain this connection, so you can sync up the drive with other compliant RGB components or peripherals you have installed in your PC.
Overall the 2.5-inch, 480GB version of the Fury RGB I have here (which also comes in 240GB and 960GB variants) felt weighty and solid in my hands. Though I haven't been keeping track of SSD weights, at 5.8 ounces it must be among the heaviest SSDs that has passed through PC Labs to date.
One optional extra that can come with the Fury, if you need it, is a Kingston-branded USB 3.0 enclosure. (It comes in HyperX's "Upgraded" installation kit, which also includes a bracket for mounting the SSD in a 3.5-inch bay, and a screwdriver.) For an extra $15, the enclosure will let you turn the SSD into a portable external drive for use on the go, or swap out a 2.5-inch drive it's replacing and turn that drive into an external adjunct.
The HyperX Fury RGB SSD comes with the Kingston SSD Manager tool, which helps you to handle tasks like securely erasing the drive, updating the firmware, or checking the overall health of the drive, including the amount written...
There weren't as many features here to choose from as we usually like to see in an SSD management tool, but Kingston does include the key basics, so it's hard to ding the company on this front.
Not Particularly Pricey
Endurance rating is a key differentiator among mainstream SSDs these days. Based on a 64-layer 3D NAND TLC fabrication process, the Kingston HyperX Fury is rated for 240 terabytes written (TBW) at the test capacity, which is just about average for what we've seen from other SATA drives in this space at this capacity. (For more about terms such as TLC and NAND, check out our guide to SSD lingo.)
Something not so average about the Fury, though (aside from the obvious lighting scheme), is its price. At $58.99 MSRP for the 240GB variant, $86.99 for the 480GB variant, and $159.99 for the 960GB version, the Fury costs 36 cents per gigabyte, 18 cents per gigabyte, and 16 cents per gigabyte, respectively. (SSD prices are forever fluctuating, so use this as a rough guide.)
At the 480GB and 960GB levels, these prices are a smidge on the high side for a SATA drive, but an understandable uptick given the extra lighting and well-built exterior of the drive. The 240GB version, though, seems priced to the point where almost any shopper ought to skip right over it to the 480GB.
So, does the 480GB version we tested perform up to spec, to justify its slightly higher price point? Let's dig in.
Now, Down to Some (RGB-Enhanced) Benchmarks
In our benchmark tests, the HyperX Fury RGB performed ever so slightly above with what you'd expect from a 2.5-inch drive connected over SATA. First up is PCMark 8's Storage test, which simulates everyday disk accesses in tasks such as editing photos and web browsing. That test score is right in line with those of most other SATA drives in this class…
...as are its results in Crystal DiskMark's Sequential Q32T1 read and write tests...
The Crystal Sequential tests simulate best-case, straight-line transfers of large files. In contrast, the 4K (or "random read/write") tests simulate typical processes involved in program/game loads or bootup sequences, making use of smaller files...
The drive's Crystal DiskMark 4K results are right in line with what we would hope a SATA at this cost would be capable of pushing, just above the marks set by competing drives such as the Samsung SSD 860 QVO.
Last up is a series of large file and folder transfers done in the AS-SSD benchmarking utility, copying large files or folders from one location on the test drive to another...
The transfer-test results here surprised us, as the Kingston Fury RGB pulled ahead of every other internal SATA SSD we've tested at this capacity both in the Game Folder transfer and the Program Folder transfer.
The Rumors Are True! RGB Does Make It Go Faster
Not really, but if you looked at the numbers above in isolation, you might have to think about it twice. In real-world performance, though, all of these drives will be indistinguishable in performance, or close to it, except in the occasional edge case. It's safe to say, though, that the HyperX Fury RGB is on par with any late-model SATA SSD on the speed front when comparing drives of like capacities.
The key distinguisher, of course, is the gratuitous glow. The HyperX Fury is a great choice for any gamer who loves having every possible corner of his or her custom desktop PC case glowing in all its RGB glory. It also puts up solid performance stats across the board, though we would strongly recommend opting for the drive in either the 480GB or the 960GB flavor to get your money's worth.
The Kingston HyperX Fury RGB is another in a long line of products that make you ask: Just how much RGB is too much RGB? Spoiler: On this solid SSD, it looks to be just enough.
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