Equipped with Yangtze Memory PC411 gaming flagship SSD - Thor Hunter Blade 16 ga
2024-04-27 / tech
With the advancement of technology, the configurations of gaming laptops have become increasingly powerful. For instance, the new model of the Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop introduced by Thunderobot this year, despite being priced around 7500 yuan, is equipped with a high-performance Intel Core 14th generation HX series processor: the 16-core, 24-thread Core i7-14650HX, and a 140W-class GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, coupled with the support of DLSS 3 technology, enabling it to run AAA titles smoothly at 2.5K resolution. However, an excellent gaming laptop must have a comprehensive gaming performance. If the storage performance is poor, causing long loading times for game scenes and requiring players to wait for a long time before playing, it cannot provide a satisfactory experience. Therefore, Thunderobot has also equipped this laptop with a flagship gaming SSD: the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive. So, does this SSD deliver a satisfactory performance in practical use?
Adopting High-Performance Core Components
Overview of the Thunderobot Hunter Blade 16 Gaming Laptop
As a flagship product, Thunderobot has adopted the strongest possible configuration for the Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop within the cost limits. It is powered by a mid-to-high-end model of the Core 14th generation HX series processor: the Core i7-14650HX, which is based on a hybrid architecture design, featuring 8 performance cores with Hyper-Threading technology and 8 efficiency cores, totaling 16 cores and 24 threads, along with up to 30MB of L3 cache. The 140W-class GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU boasts as many as 3072 CUDA cores and is equipped with 8GB of GDDR6 Samsung memory, with a default Boost frequency of 2370MHz and a memory bus width of 128 bits. When the "Furious Mode" is activated, the GPU core frequency of this machine will increase, and its Boost frequency will be raised to between 2400MHz and 2500MHz depending on the temperature. Additionally, the Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop also supports dedicated graphics card direct connection.
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To complement the GPU and provide players with a smooth gaming visual experience, Thunderobot has equipped the Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop with a 16-inch professional esports display panel crafted by BOE Technology. The screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, with a resolution of up to 2560x1600, a 240Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 500 nits, and 100% sRGB wide color gamut coverage.
The storage part of this gaming laptop offers two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 SSD slots and features a gaming flagship SSD that has been adopted by many systems: the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive. This product has impressive technical specifications, with its 1TB and 2TB capacity models capable of achieving sequential read/write speeds of 7000MB/s and 6000MB/s, respectively. This is due to the adoption of Yangtze Memory's latest original TLC chips X3-9070, based on the Xtacking® 3.0 architecture, which can provide an I/O speed of up to 2400MT/s (interface speed of a single flash memory die, also known as a Die). Even with a cacheless design, the sequential read speed of this SSD can reach as high as 7000MB/s, achieving the saturated performance of the PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 channel.
Therefore, with high-performance flash memory, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive only needs to adopt an advanced third-generation PCIe 4.0 x4 channel controller to unleash the full PCIe 4.0 performance. Compared to traditional 8-channel SSD controllers, the controller chip used in the PC411 has half the number of read/write channels, which can significantly reduce power consumption by 25% and reduce heat generation. Ultimately, the combination of the DRAMLESS four-channel controller and 2400MT/s flash memory results in an overall power consumption as low as 4W (4.5W for the 2TB capacity), making it one of the PCIe 4.0 SSD products with the highest performance-to-power ratio. This can help laptops have longer battery life and provide users with a better user experience. At the same time, this controller also supports HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology, which can use a small amount of system memory to temporarily store data read from flash memory, data that needs to be written to flash memory, and address mapping tables, thereby effectively improving the I/O performance of the SSD without the need for separate memory chips as cache.Yangtze Memory's PC411 consumer-grade solid-state drives (SSDs) currently come in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities. The Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop tested in this instance is equipped with a 1TB model. In terms of endurance, its 2TB product boasts an impressive TBW (Terabytes Written) warranty of 1200TB, while the 512GB model offers a TBW warranty of 300TB. The 1TB model tested here has a TBW warranty of 600TB, which is on par with other first-tier brand 1TB TLC SSDs.
To mitigate the heat generated by the high-performance processors, graphics cards, and flagship-level SSDs, the Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop also employs a "Xiu" technology cooling system, which consists of three fans and five heat pipes. The total length of the heat pipes can reach up to 1590mm, and the total heat dissipation area of the 292 fins can reach 165,680 square millimeters. Coupled with the 3D turbo wind tunnel design, this system increases the intake air volume on the D side of the gaming laptop, providing greater airflow and effectively reducing the operating temperatures of the memory and SSD. Let's now examine through actual testing whether the Yangtze Memory PC411 consumer-grade SSD in the Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop can deliver an excellent user experience.
Pre-test Notes:
Unlike common tests conducted on brand-new SSDs that have not been used at all, due to the Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop being equipped with only one SSD, the Yangtze Memory PC411 consumer-grade SSD 1TB tested here is a "dirty" drive that has been installed with an operating system, applications, and testing tools. For instance, the Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop used in this test has a Yangtze Memory PC411 consumer-grade SSD 1TB that has been partitioned into one section, with an actual available capacity of 952GB and a remaining capacity of 886GB. The drive has been in use for an extended period and has written a large amount of data, so it will certainly not achieve the performance of an SSD in its initialized state during the test. However, this also allows us to see the performance of the SSD after long-term use, which is more practically meaningful.
Overall System Performance Defeats 92% of Users Nationwide
SSD Performance Defeats 96% of Users Globally
Firstly, we used the "Master Lu" version 6.1024 to test the overall performance of the Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop. It can be seen that, with the help of the Core i7-14650HX processor, a 140W-class GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, and the use of the Yangtze Memory PC411 consumer-grade SSD, the overall score of the Thunder Blade 16 gaming laptop is close to 1.8 million points, defeating 92% of users nationwide. It can smoothly run AAA game titles and various productivity software. Among them, the score of the Yangtze Memory PC411 consumer-grade SSD reached 326,868 points. So, what level is this? Since "Master Lu" does not rank SSD performance, we also used the PerformanceTest 11.0 disk performance test to gain an understanding.In this test, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive (SSD) with a capacity of 1TB scored 49,816 points, while the average disk performance score of global users is only 16,279 points. This is clearly a high score, which allows the disk performance of the Thunderobot Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop to defeat up to 96% of users worldwide. So, what is its specific transfer speed?
Transfer speed breaks through 7100MB/s
Outstanding random performance
Next, we conducted an SSD benchmark performance test on this 952GB partition on the SSD. From the results, even though this partition has already installed an operating system and various software, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD with 1TB capacity still performed well on the Thunderobot Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop. Its sequential read and write speeds reached 7111.42MB/s and 6337.45MB/s, respectively, both exceeding the nominal sequential read and write speeds of 7000MB/s and 6000MB/s. At the same time, in the random 4K Q1T1 test, which is closely related to consumer applications and game startup, its read and write speeds reached 78.6MB/s and 297.85MB/s, respectively. When converted, the random 4K Q1T1 read and write IOPS are 19,190.43 IOPS and 72,717.77 IOPS, respectively. Currently, high-performance premium PCIe 4.0 SSDs have a test score of around 20,000 IOPS in the random 4K Q1T1 read test. The performance of the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD with 1TB approaching 20,000 IOPS also likely implies that it can quickly start games and read and write various types of data more rapidly in applications, which we will verify later.
In the AS SSD BENCHMARK test, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD with 1TB scored as high as 8433 points, while traditional flagship PCIe 3.0 SSDs score around 5500 points, and mainstream PCIe 4.0 SSDs score around 7900 points. The fundamental reason is the comprehensive improvement in its sequential and random read and write performance. Similar results were observed in the Anvil's Storage Utilities benchmark test, where the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD with 1TB achieved a score of 23,512.08 points, while mainstream PCIe 4.0 SSDs score around 20,000 points, showing a clear advantage for the former.
Supports DirectStorage technology
Enables quick loading of new gamesHave you noticed that on gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X/S, it often provides players with an instant game launch experience? The secret lies in Microsoft's integration of the DirectStorage technology into its new generation of gaming consoles, and on the Windows 11 operating system, Microsoft has also shared this technology with users. In traditional games, when launching a game or loading a new scene, the SSD sends compressed data to the CPU through memory for decompression, and then transmits the decompressed data to the GPU for rendering. However, decompression work 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, when loading games, 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 fullest potential, and effectively reducing the game's loading time.
Currently, to support DirectStorage technology, one must first have a computer installed with Windows 11, Windows 10 version 1909, or a newer version of the operating system, and use an NVMe SSD, as well as a GPU that supports DirectX 12 and Shader Model 6.0 standards. With the powerful hardware configuration, the use of the game flagship-level SSD: Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive, and pre-installed with the Windows 11 operating system, the Thunder Robot Hunter Blade 16 gaming laptop fully realizes support for DirectStorage technology. So, what benefits does this bring?
We first tested using Microsoft's Bulk Load Demo, which is a loading scenario designed using DirectStorage technology. The Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive 1TB completed loading this scene in just 0.26 seconds. However, when loading this scene from an external USB solid-state drive that does not support DirectStorage technology, it took 2.32 seconds, which is 8.9 times longer than the former.
We also verified this using the actual game "Forspoken" that supports DirectStorage technology. The Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive 1TB, in the 7 scene loading time test of "Forspoken," did not exceed 3 seconds for the longest loading time of a single scene, all controlled within 3 seconds. Five of the game scenes had loading times of less than 2 seconds. For example, the loading time for the first scene in the test was only 0.656 seconds, and the loading time for the seventh scene was only 1.332 seconds. The loading speed is extremely fast, providing players with an instant game launch experience.USB solid-state drives (SSDs) that do not support DirectStorage technology, when tested in 7 scene loading times in "Forspoken," showed the longest loading time for a single scene reaching 11.247 seconds, with the shortest loading time for the first scene being 3.891 seconds, and the seventh scene taking 6.301 seconds. These times are several times longer than those of the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD 1TB. Therefore, although many users now use USB portable SSDs to expand the storage of gaming laptops, whether it is the built-in SSD of the gaming laptop or the portable SSD, both use NAND flash memory, but there is still a significant difference in game loading times between them. To achieve a better gaming experience, players still need to install games on flagship-level SSDs like the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD.
In traditional games, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD 1TB also performs excellently. For example, in Square Enix's latest release, "Final Fantasy XIV: Treasures of A Realm Reborn," as well as the earlier "Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker" and "Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers," the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD 1TB demonstrated rapid game loading capabilities. The total loading time for five scenes across the three games was 7.679 seconds, 8.327 seconds, and 8.091 seconds, respectively, with individual scene loading times generally within 0 to 3 seconds. Players do not have to wait long to complete the game loading and enjoy a smooth gaming experience.
Less than 20 seconds to complete Windows 11 startup
Fast read and write application data
In addition to the game startup that players care about the most, another application that significantly affects user experience is the startup of the operating system, as it is a necessary step before using a computer. The test results for the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD 1TB are also satisfactory. Measured by professional software, whether it is a hot restart of the operating system in the computer's boot state or a cold start by pressing the computer's power switch and entering the operating system, the time to start the operating system can be controlled within 20 seconds. The operating system startup speed is very fast, with no significant difference from the daily startup of a mobile phone's operating system, both being simple and quick.
Next, we also used PCMark 8 storage testing, which includes tests for multiple applications such as games, Photoshop, InDesign, and AfterEffects. Thanks to its good sequential and random read and write performance, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD 1TB also provides users with a better experience. First, in the PCMark 8 storage performance test, it scored 5018 points. In tasks with more reading and less writing, such as After Effects, Word, and PowerPoint, the SSD's time consumption was only 70.8 seconds, 28.1 seconds, and 9.1 seconds, respectively, which is slightly faster than traditional SATA SSDs. The latter typically requires about 72 seconds, 29 seconds, and 9.5 seconds for these three tasks. At the same time, in the Photoshop Heavy v2, i.e., the Photoshop heavy load test, due to the larger amount of sequential data writing, the advantage of the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD 1TB is even more obvious, with a total time consumption of only 354.4 seconds, saving about 20 seconds compared to traditional SATA SSDs. Therefore, using the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD can also effectively enhance the productivity of gaming laptops like the Thunderobot Hunter Blade 16.Stable and Reliable
No Heat Even After 1 Hour of Random Read and Write
Despite its impressive performance, can the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade solid-state drive (SSD) operate stably in a long-duration read and write environment, and will the SSD's operating temperature be high? Especially considering the limited space inside the laptop, as seen from the disassembly of the Thor Blade 16, no additional heat spreader was installed on the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD, with only a layer of black shielding paper laid above it. To test this, we conducted a one-hour random read and write test on the SSD using PerformanceTest 11.0.
The test results show that the SSD's average activity rate during the test was 88.7%, with a peak activity rate of 100%. The highest temperature reached during the entire test was 62°C, and the average temperature was only 53°C. Clearly, thanks to the low-power design of the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD, its operating temperature under full load is not high. After all, many high-performance PCIe 4.0 SSDs require additional heat spreaders to effectively control the operating temperature within 70°C. The low-power design of the Yangtze Memory PC411 effectively controls the operating temperature, allowing it to operate stably without a heat spreader and maintain a lower operating temperature.
It Can Provide Players with Smooth and Stable Gaming Experiences
It is not difficult to see that with the excellent performance of the gaming flagship SSD: Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD, and the high configuration of the Thor Blade 16 gaming laptop, the Thor Blade 16 not only has the ability to run AAA blockbusters smoothly but also provides a fast game loading experience. Especially with full support for DirectStorage technology, it can bring a second-opening game experience in games that already support DirectStorage technology, such as "Forspoken: The Land of Magic," "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart," as well as upcoming games like "Diablo IV," "Hunt: Showdown," and "Forza Motorsport Extreme Racing," and effectively reduce the processor's load. At the same time, in traditional games, the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD can also quickly load game scenes, becoming a multiplier of experience effects in gaming laptops.
More importantly, without a heat spreader and during long-duration read and write operations, this SSD does not operate at high temperatures in the confined space of a gaming laptop, ensuring that the SSD will not fail or be damaged due to overheating, thus ensuring a smooth and stable gaming experience for players. Therefore, although the product name of the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD contains the word "commercial," its performance is very comprehensive, with no obvious weaknesses, and it can provide excellent performance in both gaming and productivity applications. We also hope that more gaming laptops will adopt gaming flagship SSDs like the Yangtze Memory PC411 commercial consumer-grade SSD, allowing players to have an even more satisfying gaming experience.
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