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The landscape of SSDs is constantly evolving, offering ever-increasing storage capacities and competitive pricing, particularly beneficial for gamers. Larger storage allows for extensive game libraries, especially crucial with the increasing size of modern titles. This is particularly relevant for laptop gamers and the growing handheld PC gaming community, who benefit from both portability and speed. Kingston addresses this need with the XS1000, a compact and sleek external SSD designed for portability and performance. Weighing under 29 grams, it’s pocket-sized yet powerful enough for most uses. But does this compact design compromise speed and stability? Let’s delve into a review of the Kingston XS1000 2TB.

Kingston XS1000 2TB Packaging

The XS1000’s compact size is immediately apparent from the packaging, which features a life-sized image of the drive. The box also highlights its USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity via Type-C, a standard found on most modern devices, from laptops to smartphones.

Kingston has opted for a minimalist design with the XS1000. It features a single curved edge contrasted by sharper, squared-off corners. The chassis is constructed from plastic with aluminum plates on both sides, serving both as protection and passive heat dissipation, crucial for preventing overheating during extended gaming sessions. A small blue LED indicator next to the USB Type-C port signals read/write activity.

Kingston XS1000 2TB Unboxing

Inside the box, the XS1000 comes with minimal accessories, including only a USB Type-A to Type-C cable. Users will need to provide their own USB Type-C to Type-C cable if connecting to devices with Type-C ports, such as some laptops, smartphones, or tablets. Unlike its higher-end counterpart, the XS2000, the XS1000 lacks water, dust, and shock resistance provided by the included rubber sleeve of the XS2000.

Kingston XS1000 2TB Size Comparison

Compared to a standard credit card, the XS1000 is nearly half the size, emphasizing its portability and convenience for transferring data between devices.

In speed tests, the XS1000 achieves sequential read/write speeds close to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 limit. While these speeds are impressive, they don’t quite match higher-end portable SSDs like the KLEVV R1 Portable or the Lexar Blaze SL660 (in Gen 2 mode).

However, the XS1000’s limitations become more apparent in 4K random read/write tests, where its performance is noticeably more modest.

Kingston XS1000 2TB Benchmark

When tested with less demanding games like Counter-Strike 2 and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, the XS1000 provided a performance comparable to running the games directly from a PC’s internal PCIe SSD. However, with more demanding open-world titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Starfield, longer loading times were noticeable, though not significantly detrimental to the overall gaming experience.

Heat dissipation is a consideration with the XS1000 due to its compact size and densely packed components. Despite running warmer than some lower-capacity external SSDs, the XS1000 maintained consistent speeds throughout testing without any performance throttling or disconnections.

Kingston XS1000 2TB Product Shot

Conclusion

The Kingston XS1000 2TB is a versatile external SSD capable of handling a wide range of tasks, while maintaining a compact and portable design. Though lacking some premium features, it’s a practical and affordable solution for everyday use, including gaming. Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities at a competitive price point, the XS1000 offers excellent value for users seeking portable storage.