The Kingston Data Traveler HyperX 3.0 -
Although it does not look it, the DT HyperX 3.0 is just as large as the DTUltimate G2. Kingston has found a very clever way to disguise the size of this drive by angling the sides and also tapering the drive toward the front. This gives it an illusion of being smaller than the G2 and also makes it a little more attractive.

Kingston has also added in a couple of other visual effects to add to the appearance of the DT HyperX 3.0. They have used a matte black plastic that resembles a rubberized coating. The way this has been applied sort of resembles an “X” (in keeping with the HyperX theme) with glossy dark blue metal plates in the areas in between.

Our disassembly of the DT HyperX 3.0 was much easier than it was with the DTUltimate G2. This time all we had to do was pull the metal plates off (they were only held on by adhesive tape) and then we were able to split the plastic casing with our thumbnail.  From there we pulled out the meat of the drive and had a look at what was inside.

Kingston DTUltimate G2 Controller	Kingston DT HyperX 3.0 Controller

The DT HyperX 3.0 has a Phison PS2251-01-L which is similar to what we had with the DTUltimate G2. However, where the G2 has a 041CB revision the HyperX has an 1142C. From what we have been able to find out this is a greatly improved version of this controller. Another interesting design difference from the G2 to the HyperX 3.0 is the much larger ribbon cable. In the G2 there were two separate ribbon cables that connected the actual NAND flash to the controller PCB. Here there is a single cable that is thicker in addition to being wider than the two cables in the G2 combined. The Flash memory used is Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA80 32nm NAND Flash. Each of these has a 16GB capacity and is widely used in the industry. We have found these in everything from the iPad 2 to Smartphones to some competing SSDs.  In short Kingston has made some very nice choices here for their top end USB 3.0 drive.