A High-Speed Drive for Gamers and Creators, But Is It the Best Choice in 2024?
The Kingston FURY Renegade 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD promises blazing fast speeds for gamers, content creators, and professionals alike, but does it live up to its hype? In this review, we’ll delve into its real-world performance, durability, and value to determine whether it’s a must-have upgrade for your system.
Design and Build Quality: Sleek and Minimal, But Standard for Its Class
The Kingston FURY Renegade has a clean, minimalist design,
with a graphene-aluminum heat spreader that helps keep it cool under heavy
workloads.
Its sleek design makes it easy to fit into tight spaces,
such as gaming laptops or high-performance desktop builds.
However, compared to more premium options like the Samsung
990 Pro, which boasts more advanced thermal control, the FURY Renegade’s design
is functional but not groundbreaking.
Installation: Straightforward but No Added Tools
Installing the Kingston FURY Renegade 1TB SSD was quick and
simple, especially if you're familiar with the M.2 form factor.
However, the lack of any included installation tools or
additional software for migration was disappointing.
Other manufacturers, like Western Digital, often bundle
software for seamless data migration, which could be helpful for less
tech-savvy users.
Performance: Lightning Fast for Sequential Read and Write Speeds
When it comes to performance, the Kingston FURY Renegade
delivers impressive speeds, boasting up to 7,300 MB/s sequential read and 6,000
MB/s sequential write speeds.
These speeds make it ideal for gaming, large file transfers,
and demanding creative applications like video editing.
In my testing, loading times in games like "Cyberpunk
2077" were nearly instantaneous, and 4K video rendering tasks were handled
with ease.
However, compared to the WD Black SN850X, which slightly
edges it out in write performance, the Renegade falls just short of being the
absolute fastest in its class.
Real-World Usage: Great for Gamers, But Average for Mixed Workloads
In gaming scenarios, the Kingston FURY Renegade shines,
especially when loading resource-heavy games or streaming data in open-world
titles.
However, during sustained mixed workloads, such as running
multiple applications or heavy multitasking, its performance showed slight
drops over time.
By comparison, the Samsung 990 Pro held up better under
prolonged, varied workloads, making it a better option for users who need
consistent, high-end performance across a range of tasks.
Thermal Performance: Adequate Cooling, But High Under Sustained Loads
The heat spreader on the Kingston FURY Renegade does its job
well under normal conditions, keeping the SSD cool during typical gaming
sessions or file transfers.
However, during longer, more intensive operations like
rendering large video files or benchmarking, the drive did get noticeably
warmer.
This isn’t uncommon for Gen 4.0 SSDs, but compared to the
more efficient cooling of the Seagate FireCuda 530, the FURY Renegade runs
slightly hotter, which could affect long-term reliability in high-demand use
cases.
Endurance: Solid but Not the Highest
With a rated endurance of 1,000 TBW (terabytes written), the
Kingston FURY Renegade offers decent durability for regular use, such as gaming
and media creation.
While this is sufficient for most users, it’s worth noting
that competitors like the Crucial P5 Plus offer a higher endurance rating,
which could be more appealing to users who plan on writing a massive amount of
data to their drive over its lifespan.
Software and Features: Lacking in Useful Utilities
Kingston offers its SSD Manager software, which allows you
to monitor drive health, firmware updates, and other basic functions.
However, the software feels bare-bones compared to the
feature-rich utilities provided by companies like Samsung with their Magician
software.
Kingston’s offering is functional but lacks advanced options
for fine-tuning performance or managing encryption, making it feel
underwhelming for power users who expect more.
Pricing: Competitive but Not the Best Value
Priced competitively within the Gen 4.0 SSD market, the
Kingston FURY Renegade offers solid value for its speed and capacity.
At its current price point, it sits in a comfortable middle
ground between budget options and high-end models.
However, for just a bit more, you can opt for the WD Black
SN850X, which offers marginally better overall performance and endurance.
This puts the FURY Renegade in a tough spot for those
looking for the absolute best in performance.
Gaming Performance: Optimized but Still Falls Short of Specialized Drives
For gaming, the Kingston FURY Renegade is optimized to
deliver fast load times and smooth data streaming, which is essential in modern
AAA titles.
However, drives like the Seagate FireCuda 530, which are
specifically tuned for gaming environments, offer slightly better performance
in real-time texture loading and gaming benchmarks.
If you’re building a purely gaming-focused rig, the FireCuda
might be a slightly better fit, though the differences are marginal.
Long-Term Reliability: Good, But Keep an Eye on Heat
The combination of solid performance and reasonable
endurance ratings makes the Kingston FURY Renegade a reliable choice for most
users.
However, its tendency to run warmer under extended load
raises some concerns about long-term reliability in high-performance
environments, especially without additional cooling solutions.
Other drives like the Samsung 990 Pro have more advanced
heat management systems, which could make them a better option for heavy users.
Comparison with Other Drives: Competitive, But Alternatives Exist
While the Kingston FURY Renegade holds its own in terms of
raw performance and pricing, it faces stiff competition from similarly priced
models like the WD Black SN850X and Samsung 990 Pro.
These alternatives offer slight advantages in specific
areas, such as software features, endurance, or sustained performance, making
them better choices depending on your exact needs.
Conclusion: A Great SSD for Gamers and Creators with Some Minor Drawbacks
The Kingston FURY Renegade 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD delivers
impressive speed, solid endurance, and a reasonable price, making it a great
choice for gamers and content creators who need a fast, reliable storage
solution.
However, its performance under sustained loads and limited
software features may leave some users wanting more, especially when there are
slightly better alternatives on the market.
Pros:
- Impressive
read and write speeds
- Easy
installation with a sleek, minimalist design
- Competitive
pricing for Gen 4.0 performance
Cons:
- Tends
to run warm under heavy loads
- Software
is limited and lacks advanced features
- Slightly
lower endurance than some competitors
Recommended Alternative: If you're looking for a more
balanced SSD with better endurance and superior software, the Samsung 990
Pro offers a more comprehensive package for both gamers and professionals,
especially in demanding, sustained workloads
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