They are all SSDs, why is the gaming experience so different? Yangtze Memory TiP
2024-04-17 / tech
Do gamers with old SATA SSDs and portable solid-state drives need to upgrade during the "6.18" sales event?
The annual "6.18" promotional event is here again. For players looking to enhance their gaming experience, besides purchasing more powerful graphics cards and processors, is it necessary to upgrade their SSDs? Regarding this question, there are generally two perspectives among hardware enthusiasts and gamers. One view is that if you are already using an SSD, even if it's an older SATA SSD or a portable solid-state drive for expansion, as long as the capacity is sufficient, there is no need to upgrade. They argue that SSDs mainly improve the sequential read and write speeds for transferring audio and video files, ISO large files, etc., and the improvement in small file read and write, especially the random 4K Q1T1 performance that games rely on, is not significant, and it will not noticeably reduce game loading times.
The other view is that it is very necessary to upgrade. Although SSDs have always used NAND flash memory chips, after years of development, the performance of flash memory and SSD controllers has greatly improved. The flash memory interface bandwidth has evolved from the initial 133MT/s to the current 2400MT/s, and the SSD controller specifications have been upgraded from SATA to PCIe 4.0, PCIe 5.0, thereby driving the progress of random 4K Q1T1 performance. This can effectively reduce the loading time of game scenes. At the same time, with the application of Microsoft's DirectStorage technology in games, it can also greatly improve the game loading speed. So, which viewpoint is correct? To answer this, we have conducted a comparative experience in games using an 11-year-old high-end SATA SSD with MLC chips, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 4TB portable solid-state drive commonly used for expansion in recent years, and the latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD: Yangtze Memory TiPlus7100 2TB.
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The flagship of PCIe 4.0 SSDs!
Introduction to Yangtze Memory TiPlus7100 2TB
In the product library of Yangtze Memory, TiPlus7100 is a performance-oriented product, with the striking English word "SATURATION" printed on the packaging box. SATURATION, as a noun, means saturation, originating from the concept of the SATURATION FUNCTION, indicating that after reaching a critical value, the vertical axis value no longer changes and tends to be saturated. SATURATION is a description of the performance of the TiPlus7100 SSD: This product uses Yangtze Memory's original TLC chips and benefits from the 2400MT/s I/O speed (single flash memory interface speed) brought by the Xtacking® 3.0 architecture. Even with a cacheless design, the sequential read speed can reach up to 7000MB/s, approaching the saturated performance of the PCIe Gen4.0×4 channel. At the same time, the nominal write performance of the TiPlus7100 2TB is not low, reaching 6000MB/s, and it has good random read and write performance. Its highest 4K random read and write performance can reach 900K IOPS and 700K IOPS, respectively.
In terms of the product itself, from the outer label stickers to the product PCB, the TiPlus7100 2TB is all dominated by black as the main color, complemented by various specifications marked in white and gray on the label, making it look more professional and technological. It is worth mentioning that the thermal sticker under the label also has certain heat dissipation capabilities, which can assist in heat dissipation in environments where third-party heat sinks cannot be installed and the space is limited.After removing the sticker, it can be seen that the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 2TB adopts a DRAMLESS architecture and supports the HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology, which allows a small amount of system memory to temporarily store data that has been read from the flash memory, data that needs to be written to the flash memory, and the address mapping table. This effectively enhances the I/O performance of the SSD, eliminating the need for independent memory chips as cache, which can significantly reduce the power consumption and heat generation of the SSD. The application of SLC Cache intelligent caching technology ensures the high-speed operation of the SSD, allowing for smooth boot-up of computers, loading of applications and games, and saving and transferring of files without lag.
For the convenience of users, the Yangtze Memory ZhiTai TiPlus7100 2TB SSD also comes with a screw pillar and two fixing screws, allowing users to easily install the SSD in desktop or laptop computers upon receiving it. In terms of warranty, this product has a 5-year warranty policy plus a write capacity warranty (whichever comes first). The 2TB product tested in this instance has a TBW (Total Bytes Written) warranty write capacity of 1200TB. Even if the user has a large amount of writing, needing to write 0.5TB of data every day, it would take approximately 6.5 years to reach this write amount. Whether it is used for installing games, saving various types of data, or daily writing of various videos and modeling files, users can use it with confidence. Next, we specially built a platform based on the Core i9-14900KS processor, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER graphics card, and 32GB DDR5 7200 dual-channel memory to test it.
Test Platform
Motherboard: ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX ENCORE
Processor: Core i9-14900KS
Memory: DDR5 7200 16GB×2
Storage: Yangtze Memory ZhiTai TiPlus7100 2TB SSD
Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPERPower Supply: AORUS AP1200PM Platinum Carved
Operating System: Windows 11
Benchmark Performance Test
Exceeding 7000MB/s, Excellent Random 4K Performance!
From the benchmark test perspective, the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD demonstrates exceptional performance during testing. Its sequential read speed easily surpasses the claimed 7000MB/s, reaching up to 7140.51MB/s in CrystalDiskMark, while its sequential write speed also hits 6382.07MB/s, exceeding the claimed sequential write speed. The interface speed of 2400MT/s with Xtacking 3.0 Yangtze Memory chips is clearly a key factor in achieving this speed.
More notably, the random read and write capabilities of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD are impressive. In the random 4K Q1T1 test, which is closely related to gaming and consumer-level program applications, its read speed reaches up to 94.25MB/s, translating to 23010.74 IOPS, while many ordinary SSDs typically score under 20000 in this test. This means that the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 SSD can launch various applications and load game scenes more quickly. In the random 4K Q32T16 test, which highlights the maximum random performance of an SSD, the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD's test results also exceed the claimed performance. Its claimed maximum random 4K read/write performance is 900K IOPS and 700K IOPS, while the actual measured performance can reach 910K IOPS and 1010K IOPS.
In the AS SSD Benchmark test, although due to different testing mechanisms, the sequential read/write speeds of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD are not as eye-catching as in CrystalDiskMark, its random performance remains very prominent. In the random 4K test closely related to consumer-level applications, the read/write performance reaches 23558 IOPS and 79486 IOPS, respectively. In Anvil's Storage Utilities test, its random 4K read performance also breaks through 21000 IOPS. Overall, the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 SSD not only has outstanding sequential read/write performance, but its random 4K read/write performance is also excellent, showing a comprehensive and well-rounded performance without any weaknesses.
The disk performance test in PerformanceTest 11.0 further illustrates the point, where the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD scores as high as 53268, defeating up to 99% of users worldwide, making it a high-performance storage product at the top of the pyramid. So, how does it perform in actual gaming applications?
3DMark storage scores reach mid to high-end SSD standards.First, we examined the gaming performance of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD using the 3DMark storage performance test, which assesses the speed from startup to menu for games such as "Battlefield V," "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4," and "Overwatch," as well as the SSD's performance when playing games while recording videos, and its performance in installing and copying game files.
The ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD achieved a total score of 3797 points with an average transfer speed of 646.46MB/s. Based on some previous tests we have conducted, entry-level PCIe 4.0 SSDs typically score around 2500 points with an average transfer speed of 400MB/s to 500MB/s in this test. Only mid-to-high-end PCIe 4.0 SSDs with higher positioning can achieve scores above 3500. This indicates that the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD indeed possesses commendable gaming performance, which should enable faster game startups, installations, and storage.
Next, we compared the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD with an older high-end SATA SSD that once used MLC chips, and a newer 4TB portable solid-state drive with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface and a 10Gbps interface bandwidth in real games. Let's see if it's necessary to upgrade the SSD to enhance the gaming experience and whether there's a need to install games on a high-performance internal SSD like the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB after having an expanded-capacity portable SSD.
Traditional Games
We first tested with the latest expansion of "Final Fantasy XIV" released by Square Enix—"Final Fantasy XIV: Legacy of the Golden Sun." Its benchmarking tool can measure not only the average frame rate of the system but also the total time SSDs take to load five game scenes. The results for the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD were satisfactory, with a total scene loading time of only 5.539 seconds; the SATA MLC SSD took 8.832 seconds in the game, which is 59.5% longer. As for the newer product released in recent years, the 4TB portable SSD performed the worst, with a total time of 11.548 seconds, which is 2.1 times that of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD.
Traditional Games
In the benchmark test for the game "Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker," it can also measure the total time SSDs take to load five game scenes. The results were similar to the previous test. The total loading time for the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD was still less than 6 seconds, the SATA MLC SSD took 62.5% longer, and the total loading time for the 4TB portable SSD was 2.21 times that of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD.
Traditional Games
The older game "Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers" has always been a significant challenge for SSDs, with many PCIe 4.0 SSDs taking 6 seconds or more in this test. However, the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD still managed to keep the total time within 6 seconds, becoming one of the few solid-state drives that managed to keep the total time within 6 seconds in all three "Final Fantasy XIV" tests. Although the "Micro Computer" testing lab had previously tested a product with similarly excellent performance, it was a top-tier PCIe 5.0 SSD that was much more expensive than the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD.
The total loading times for the SATA MLC SSD and the 4TB portable SSD were still much longer, with the former being 61.5% longer than the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD, and the latter being 3.19 times that of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD. Despite all being SSDs using NAND flash memory chips, the experience of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD is evidently much better than the other two types of products. Why is that?The Random 4K Performance Gap Between Old SATA SSDs and Portable Solid State Drives is Significant
From the CrystalDiskMark tests of the SATA MLC SSD and the USB 3.2 Gen 2 4TB portable solid state drive, it is evident why there is such a disparity. Not only do these two products significantly lag behind the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD in sequential read and write speeds, but they also have a substantial gap in random read and write performance. For instance, in terms of random 4K Q1T1 read performance related to gaming applications, their test results are less than half of those of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD, at approximately 41% of the latter. Moreover, portable solid state drives, due to the need to access their internal SSDs through USB bridging chips, introduce additional latency, which can result in higher time consumption in some games.
DirectStorage New Game and New Demo Testing
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the traditional games mentioned above, Microsoft has introduced the latest DirectStorage API starting from the Windows 11 operating system. In traditional games, when launching a game or loading a new scene, the SSD sends compressed data to the CPU via memory for decompression, which is then transferred to the GPU for rendering. However, the decompression process takes time and occupies CPU computing power, leading to increased overall loading times.
The DirectStorage API shifts the data decompression task from the CPU to the GPU. The SSD directly transfers compressed data to the GPU's memory via memory, and the GPU decompresses and renders this data. This way, during game loading, there is no need to wait for the relatively slower CPU to complete the decompression work. This new method of moving compressed data bypasses the CPU, eliminating its bottleneck, allowing both the SSD and GPU to perform at their maximum potential, and effectively reducing the game's loading time.
To support DirectStorage technology, one must first have a computer with Windows 11, Windows 10 version 1909, or a newer version of the operating system installed, and use an NVMe SSD like the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB, as well as a GPU that supports DirectX 12 and Shader Model 6.0 standards. What benefits does support for DirectStorage technology bring?
DirectStorage: Bulk Load Demo Loading TestWe first conducted tests using Microsoft's Bulk Load Demo, a loading scenario designed with DirectStorage 1.2 technology. The tests revealed that due to the support for DirectStorage technology by the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD, its loading time was reduced to an almost imperceptible 0.34 seconds, less than one-tenth of the time taken by the SATA MLC SSD. In contrast, the SATA MLC SSD and the 4TB portable solid-state drive, which do not support DirectStorage, require data to be first transferred to the CPU, resulting in significantly longer loading times. Specifically, the SATA MLC SSD took 4.26 seconds, and the 4TB portable solid-state drive took 5.7 seconds.
DirectStorage Game: "Forspoken" Load Test
We then verified the performance using the actual game "Forspoken" that supports DirectStorage technology. The ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD, in the 7-scene loading time test of "Forspoken," did not exceed 2 seconds for the longest loading time of a single scene, all kept within 2 seconds. Four of the game scenes loaded in less than 1 second. For instance, the loading time for the 6th scene in the test was only 0.752 seconds, and the 7th scene took only 0.669 seconds, with extremely fast loading speeds that can provide players with an instant game start experience.
On the other hand, the high-end SATA MLC SSD, which does not support DirectStorage technology, had a maximum loading time of 6.932 seconds for a single scene in the 7-scene loading time test of "Forspoken." The shortest loading time for the first scene was also 3.088 seconds, and the loading time for the 7th scene was 4.522 seconds, all multiples of the time taken by the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD. As for the 4TB portable solid-state drive, the test results were even worse, with the longest scene loading time reaching 17.336 seconds, the shortest loading time for a single scene being 5.441 seconds, and the loading time for the 7th scene being 8.829 seconds, which gives the experience of having to sit in front of the screen, waiting helplessly for the game to start.
Using the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 can actually increase game frame rates!
"Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart" Test
Another game that currently supports DirectStorage technology is "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart." We specifically used this game for our experience. Compared to the previous two DirectStorage games and the DEMO, there was not much difference in loading times across the three types of SSDs in this game. The ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD took a total of 13.29 seconds to enter the new game, including skipping the CG animation. The SATA MLC SSD took 15.15 seconds to complete the same operation, and the 4TB portable solid-state drive took 16.28 seconds.However, in our testing, we discovered another significant advantage of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD—compared to the other two types of SSDs, it boasts a higher operational frame rate. With settings at 1080p resolution, maximum graphics quality, and maximum ray tracing effects, its average operational frame rate upon entering the opening scene of "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart" can reach 103fps, while the average frame rate for a 4TB portable solid-state drive is 98.4fps, and for a SATA MLC SSD, it's 97.6fps. Similar effects are observed when set to 4K resolution, maximum graphics quality, and maximum ray tracing effects; with the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD, the average operational frame rate of the test platform is 43.2fps, while with a 4TB portable solid-state drive, it averages at 42.8fps, and with a high-end SATA MLC SSD, the average frame rate drops to 41.8fps.
Why does using the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD result in a slight increase in the game's operational frame rate? The reason is not complicated, as the game "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart" can perfectly support the GPU data decompression feature in DirectStorage. When using an NVMe SSD like the ZhiTai TiPlus7100, it won't consume the processor's computing power, eliminating the need for the CPU to participate in decompression tasks, effectively reducing processor utilization, and naturally, the game's operational frame rate will be improved.
Impressive performance in everyday applications
PCMark 10 Storage Performance Test
We also tested the everyday application performance of the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD using the complete system disk performance test in the PCMark 10 storage performance test. This test includes Windows 10 boot tests, start-up and read-write usage tests for professional software such as "Premiere Pro," "Lightroom," "After Effects," "Photoshop," and "Illustrator," as well as read-write usage tests for office software like "EXCEL," "PowerPoint," and "InDesign," and the copying of ISO files and JPEG images. It can be said that PCMark 10 covers most of the software and application behaviors involved in current office application scenarios, including various sequential read-write and random read-write applications. The scores are derived by summarizing the transfer speeds and access times of each test, calculated using the geometric mean.
The test results for the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD are very satisfactory. With excellent sequential read-write performance and random performance, its complete system disk performance test score reaches as high as 3764, with a transfer bandwidth of 594.69MB/s. This score is higher than those mainstream PCIe 4.0 SSDs that score around 3100 points, indicating that the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 SSD has faster task execution speeds in the aforementioned everyday application software, and its test scores are comparable to many mid-to-high-end PCIe 4.0 SSDs with scores also above 3500.
Equipped with Smart Tool
For user peace of mindIt is worth mentioning that the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD can also be maintained using the ZhiTai Smart Tool SSD utility. It not only displays detailed information about all ZhiTai disks mounted by the user, including the SSD's health status, operating temperature, and specific values of each S.M.A.R.T. code, but it can also perform online firmware upgrades for the SSD and has a disk clearing function, which is commonly referred to as secure erase. This function can clear all data from the SSD, restoring its performance to its initial state, allowing ordinary users to easily and quickly complete SSD maintenance tasks and control various hardware information of the SSD.
It is necessary to find a "new home" for games in old SATA SSDs and portable solid-state drives.
Considering the overall experience, it is evident that to enhance the gaming experience, gamers should seriously consider upgrading to products like the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD, especially for those who are still using SATA SSDs or have no more capacity in their internal SSDs, forcing them to install games on portable solid-state drives. This SSD can significantly reduce the loading times for various games and even increase the frame rate in games that support DirectStorage,全面提升游戏体验. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the "6.18" promotional event has already started, and the discounted price for the ZhiTai TiPlus7100 is now available. During the event, the price for the 1TB product will not exceed 639 yuan, the 2TB product will not exceed 1099 yuan, and the 4TB product will not exceed 2099 yuan. All of these also participate in the activity of sharing reviews for a chance to win a PS5 gaming console. For gamers, now is the best time to upgrade to a high-performance NVMe solid-state drive.
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