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Tech head-to-head

Crucial X9 ProvsKingston XS2000

Crucial X9 Pro edges Kingston XS2000, 8.1 to 7.5. The 5 axes split 4-1, widest on Durability at 1.4.

Crucial X9 Pro

Crucial

8.1

First-party Micron flash in a plain aluminum slab, priced below the names people recognize.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Kingston XS2000

Kingston

7.5

Pocket-sized 20 Gbps storage that runs hot and owes its rating to a sleeve you can lose.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Durability, Crucial X9 Pro ahead 8.0 to 6.6. They come closest on Performance, 8.8 to 8.4. Left of center is Crucial X9 Pro, right is Kingston XS2000.

Crucial X9 Pro versus Kingston XS2000 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars for Crucial X9 Pro run left from the axis labels, bars for Kingston XS2000 run right. Crucial X9 Pro: Performance 8.4, Value 8.8, Durability 8.0, Ease of use 7.8, Design 7.4. Kingston XS2000: Performance 8.8, Value 8.2, Durability 6.6, Ease of use 7.0, Design 7.0.Crucial X9 Pro (left)Kingston XS2000 (right)PerformanceCrucial X9 Pro — Performance 8.4 out of 108.4Kingston XS2000 — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8ValueCrucial X9 Pro — Value 8.8 out of 108.8Kingston XS2000 — Value 8.2 out of 108.2DurabilityCrucial X9 Pro — Durability 8.0 out of 108.0Kingston XS2000 — Durability 6.6 out of 106.6Ease of useCrucial X9 Pro — Ease of use 7.8 out of 107.8Kingston XS2000 — Ease of use 7.0 out of 107.0DesignCrucial X9 Pro — Design 7.4 out of 107.4Kingston XS2000 — Design 7.0 out of 107.0Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the Crucial X9 Pro

Leads on Value, Durability, Ease of use and Design.

  • You want the storage rather than the branding
  • An aluminum body that sheds heat without a fan
  • Mac and Windows both in daily use

Take the Kingston XS2000

Leads on Performance.

  • A Windows machine with a 20 Gbps port and short bursty transfers
  • The drive has to disappear into a shirt pocket
  • You manage your own encryption and want nothing preinstalled

What each one gets wrong

Crucial X9 Pro

  • Scheduled backups and managed encryption should come in the box
  • The unremarkable design matters to you

Kingston XS2000

  • Long sustained writes are the normal workload
  • You want encryption and backup software in the box
  • Losing a small rubber sleeve would bother you

Specs, side by side

SpecCrucial X9 ProKingston XS2000
InterfaceUSB 3.2 Gen 2USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
ShellAluminum, IP55 ratedMetal and plastic, IP55 with sleeve
Capacities1 TB to 4 TB500 GB to 4 TB
Warranty—5 years limited

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Crucial X9 Pro or Kingston XS2000 — which should I buy?
Crucial X9 Pro leads on Value, Durability, Ease of use and Design. If Performance matters more to you, take the Kingston XS2000 instead.
Is 0.6 a real difference?
Barely. Crucial X9 Pro averages 8.1 and Kingston XS2000 averages 7.5, and the total is the plain average of 5 axes, so 0.6 is what one axis moving 3.0 looks like after averaging. The axis split, 4-1, tells you more.
Which one ranks higher in "Small and fast for an hour is what you cannot buy"?
Kingston XS2000 sits at #2 in "Small and fast for an hour is what you cannot buy", Crucial X9 Pro at #3.