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Conclusion
"RGB everything" seems like the theme in 2018. From the classic LED fans down to internal storage, there aren't many components left that haven't received the RGB treatment. We like the style of the latest RGB SSDs and look forward to seeing more of them in the future. Unfortunately, the Fury RGB looks like a high-performance part with its fancy RGB LEDs but doesn’t have the performance to match.
Our test system paused and sporadically lagged during our testing of the HyperX Fury, especially after write workloads. This condition was due to the active garbage collection folding (transferring) the data in the SLC cache into the native TLC flash during idle periods, but it doesn't bode well for real-world performance if you have heavy workloads.
After a reboot, the system was just as snappy as most other SSDs, at least until we stressed the drive with another round of testing. In some cases, the drive couldn’t even handle the pressures of a somewhat moderate workload. We've only seen this type of adverse reaction from bargain-basement DRAMless SSDs, so we certainly didn't expect it from an SSD that comes with a DRAM cache.
The Fury RGB had a burst of great performance in the light PCMark 8 workload, but during our SYSmark 2014 test, which models a power users' workload, the Fury lagged far behind the Gigabyte UD Pro. Overall, the Fury RGB is one of the slowest SATA-based SSDs to visit our test bench.
Sure, the HyperX Fury RGB is faster than an HDD. It also comes with better endurance than the WD Blue or Crucial MX500, but that comes at the expense of a smooth user experience. The drive also gulps power at a much higher rate than competing products, but that's expected given the extra power dedicated to the LED lighting.
The Fury's RGB light show is nice, but we expected the LED-infused product to be an ambassador of the brand and bring the best performance to match. Instead, the RGB comes on an entry-level product that deviates from the high-performance heritage. It is somewhat surprising that HyperX, which stands so firmly on its vow to deliver high-performance gear, would release a product that doesn't at least meet our basic expectations. In the end, the HyperX Fury RGB doesn't earn our recommendation based on its performance or price, but it is the only reasonably priced and widely-available SSD with RGB lighting. At least for now. That means some will sacrifice performance, not to mention dollars, for its flashy looks.
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