Portable SSDs might not have the capacity of hard drives and might be several times the cost, but the number of companies jumping into this space shows that there is a market for them. If you're used to the performance of an SSD in your laptop or desktop PC, chances are you might be tempted to buy an external one. Kingston, or more specifically its HyperX gaming division, is betting that gamers in particular will appreciate the benefits of an SSD over a spinning hard drive – and it doesn't hurt that this demographic typically spends a lot of money on hardware.
The HyperX Savage Exo is specifically being promoted as compatible with the Microsoft Xbox[1] and Sony PlayStation[2] hardware ecosystems, but that's really just a matter of marketing and positioning, since both consoles work just fine with standard internal and USB SSDs. The Savage Exo is of course also fully functional when used with any kind of PC.
Let's take a closer look at what HyperX[3] has brought to the market to find out whether it's your best choice for general-purpose use and for console gaming.
HyperX Savage Exo design
Most portable SSDs these days are oblong, thanks to the standardisation of the M.2 module form factor (the stubby Samsung SSD T5[4] is a notable exception). Given how over-the-top some gaming products can be[5], HyperX has kept the design of the Savage Exo's housing rather demure. It's all black and grey plastic with a few angled surfaces and bevelled edges.
It's also surprisingly bulky – much more so than the WD My Passport SSD[6] and even longer (but not as wide...