A game that opens a second sooner and a work drive that finishes a long ingest sooner are very different purchases. The Renegade G5 makes its strongest case for the latter, especially when both ends of the transfer are fast. The 2 TB drive’s behavior changes as a write continues, making a single maximum-speed figure a poor estimate for when a job will finish.
In depth
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 review
Published · Updated
Best forA workstation owner moving large files between fast devices on a PCIe 5.0 system.
At a glance
- Capacity
- 1TB2TB4TB8TB
- Interface
- PCIe 5.0 x4
- Form factor
- M.2 2280
- Sequential read
- 2TBUp to 14,700 MB/s1TBUp to 14,200 MB/s4 / 8TBUp to 14,800 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 2 / 4 / 8TBUp to 14,000 MB/s1TBUp to 11,000 MB/s
Pros
- Fast cached writes can absorb substantial incoming projects. 1
- Low-profile 1, 2 and 4 TB boards leave room for motherboard cooling.
Cons
- Long writes slow substantially after the cache is exhausted. 1
- A slower source drive or connection can hide the benefit of Gen 5.
Sustained Writes
- 2 TB sample
- PCIe 5.0 ×4
- TLC NAND
Tom’s Hardware ran a sustained sequential write on a 2 TB sample. It saw about 13.1 GB/s for 11 seconds, followed by about 12.3 GB/s for 43 seconds. Later phases fell to around 2.56 GB/s and then averaged about 1.55 GB/s as the drive reorganized data. A transfer that fits in the early part behaves very differently from filling most of the drive. 1
Installation & Compatibility
- M.2 2280
- 1–4 TB: 2.3 mm
- 8 TB: 3.65 mm
The 8 TB model has a thicker board assembly than the 1, 2 and 4 TB versions. Check clearance above and below the slot in a compact machine. The tested 2 TB result is useful for planning around a cache, but doubling capacity does not establish that another model will follow the same timing.
Capacity & Endurance
- 1 TB: 1,000 TBW
- 2 TB: 2,000 TBW
- 4 TB: 4,000 TBW
- 8 TB: 8,000 TBW
Stepping up from the 1 TB to the 2 TB G5 gets you more than space. Kingston raises the peak sequential write rating from 11,000 to 14,000 MB/s and doubles the rated write endurance to 2,000 TBW. Above 2 TB the maximum write rating stays at 14,000 MB/s. For a workstation that keeps several active projects online, the reasons to move to 4 TB or 8 TB are room and endurance, with little difference in headline transfer speed.
Health & Firmware
- Kingston SSD Manager
- Drive health reporting
- Firmware updates
Kingston points Renegade G5 owners to SSD Manager to check whether their drive has a recommended firmware update. On a workstation that writes footage every day, the utility also gives you a way to check the drive’s health and usage after an ordinary week of work. Read the firmware guidance for the actual drive and back up the project before updating. A drive-health report is useful for planning maintenance, while your separate copy of the files serves a different purpose.
Alternatives
The original Gen 4 FURY Renegade can still be competitive once caches fill. Compare the work you do most often and the speed of the device on the other end. A network share or a portable drive can become the limit well before the G5 does.
Verdict
Pick the G5 to shorten frequent transfers on a system equipped to feed it. If the job is mostly opening applications or keeping a game library installed, prioritize the capacity you need over the highest figure on the box.
About this review
This is a research-based review. The Fasit has not physically tested this SSD.
Sources & Research
1 reference
Independent sources cited in this article.
- Tom’s HardwareTom’s Hardware • Kingston FURY Renegade G5 2 TB performance results (opens in a new tab)https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/kingston-fury-renegade-g5-2tb-ssd-review/2
2 TB retail G5 with bare low-profile board; reviewer ran a 15-minute sequential-write saturation test in Iometer.