Kingston, a popular brand for storage devices, recently launched its newest products under the DataTraveler lineup, including the new DataTraveler Max that offers up to 1TB of storage capacity in an extremely compact form factor. We tested the device to see whether it actually delivers its promised performance.
Specifications
| Capacities | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Speed2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Up to 1,000MB/s read, 900MB/s write | |
| Dimensions | 82.17 mm x 22.00 mm x 9.02 mm |
| Weight | 12g |
| Operating temperature | 0°C~60°C |
| Storage temperature | -20°C~85°C |
| Warranty/support | 5-year warranty with free technical support |
| Compatible with | Windows 10, 8.1, Mac OS (v. 10.14.x +), Linux (v. 2.6.x +), Chrome OS |
| Pricing | 256GB – PhP3,450 |
| 512GB – PhP5,800 | |
| 1TB – PhP9,950 |
Design and Build Quality
Measuring at only 82.17mm x 22.0mm x 9.02mm, the DataTraveler Max is just as small as a typical thumb drive, which means you can simply put it in your pocket. The only catch is that something this small, is of course, easier to lose.
The housing is made of plastic, which is not what you’d expect for its price, especially if you’re getting the 1TB version. It also does not use a cap to cover the USB-C connector, but instead, part of the housing slides forward to hide it. The thing is, the front of the connector is still exposed. I would’ve preferred a cap instead.
Apart from the typical branding, there is an LED light to indicate drive activity. There’s also a hole for attaching a key holder or a lanyard.
Test System
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- Cooler: ASUS ROG Strix LC 240 AIO
- Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming X570 Plus
- RAM: 16GB TForce Nighthawk 3200MHz CL16
- Storage: 1TB Kingston NV1 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD , 1TB Seagate 7200RPM HDD, Kingston KC600 512GB SATA3 SSD, Kingston KC2500 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
- PSU: Seasonic Prime 750W 80+ Gold
- GPU: Colorful RTX 3080 Ultra OC
- OS: Windows 10 21H1 Build 19043.1348
Benchmarks
CrystalDiskMark
This tool allows for measuring how fast files can be written to and read from a specific storage drive. In this case, the DataTraveler Max showcased results that align with its advertised specifications. This is measured in MB/s. The higher, the better.
AS SSD Benchmark
Apart from measuring the time it takes to copy certain types of files, this tool also allows for determining the responsiveness of a storage device. The less time it takes, the better.
While the drive performed well on a 1GB file sample, the access time is significantly slower on a 10GB sample, around 10 times slower.
IOPS (Input/Output Operations per Second) refers to the number of inputs and outputs that the storage device can perform in a short amount of time.
In this simulation of copying various types of files at different sizes, you’ll notice that the DataTraveler Max performs well when it’s an ISO or a game that’s being copied, but the transfer speed significantly gets slower when it’s a program, more than 1GB in size. This 10GB file for example, took around 76 seconds to fully transfer.
Verdict
The Kingston DataTraveler Max offers a very compact design while allowing you to store a large amount of files, though the build quality could’ve been better. Performance-wise, it generally delivers on its promised speed, but be wary that it will take longer to copy files of specific types.
As for pricing, I’d say the 256GB or 512GB variant should be more than enough for everyday use, unless you plan to store files permanently on the drive. For those who can, the 1TB variant will offer the most convenience.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
