Thunderobot Blade 16 Gaming Laptop Review with Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD

— Charging Head Network in-depth review No. 1991 —

Introduction

The PC411 SSD is a storage solution provided by Yangtze Memory for the consumer market, designed with single-sided chips and a four-channel scheme, easily reaching the limits of PCIe Gen4x4 interface. Charging Head Network has previously conducted detailed tests on mini-hosts and ultra-thin laptops equipped with this SSD, showing excellent performance in terms of long-term read and write as well as power consumption and heat generation.

This time, Charging Head Network has brought in the Thunderobot Blade 16 gaming laptop, which also features this SSD. The Thunderobot Blade 16 can be configured with an i9-13900HX processor and RTX4060 discrete graphics card, paired with the “Feng” technology cooling system, achieving performance release of nearly 200W. Under this configuration, can the performance limits of the PC411 SSD be further released, and what are the specifics of heat generation and power consumption? Let’s take a look.

Product Introduction

The Thunderobot Blade 16 continues the brand’s consistent gaming gene, with a large aluminum alloy body paired with a classic deep space gray color, balancing technology and tactile feel. This Thunderobot Blade 16 is equipped with an i9-13900HX processor and RTX4060 discrete graphics card, with options for the latest 14th generation Intel Core processors.

On the A-side of the Thunderobot Blade 16, there is a laser-engraved Thunderobot neon logo at the top, with sharp lines converging to form a functional wind warning mark, full of technological sense.

The B-side features a camera; it has a 16-inch screen with a resolution of 2560*1600, supporting a refresh rate of 240Hz, brightness of 500nit, and 100% sRGB color gamut, with relatively narrow side bezels and slightly wider top and bottom bezels, with the THUNDEROBOT brand logo at the bottom of the screen.

The top of the keyboard on the C-side of the Thunderobot Blade 16 features a distinctive Thunderobot logo-style light power button, while the keyboard below has a recessed design, with a super long key travel of 1.8mm, RGB three-zone backlighting, and 0.2T micro-arc keycaps, providing an e-sports feel.

The D-side of the gaming laptop has a large area of cooling grill, with a stylish silicone footpad at the top, which helps secure and increase airflow.

The Thunderobot Blade 16 has a large exhaust outlet on the left side, a USB3.1 Gen1 Type-A port (5Gbps), and a 3.5mm 2-in-1 Audio port.

The Thunderobot Blade 16 features cooling exhaust outlets on both sides of the hinge, with the middle section from left to right including an RJ45 gigabit network port, HDMI 2.1 port, AC power, USB3.1 Gen2 Type-C port (10Gbps, DP1.4 / discrete graphics, 140W PD charging), and AC power port.

There are also triangular red mechanical decoration elements on the outer side of the exhaust outlets, adding to the design sense.

The right side of the Thunderobot Blade 16 also features a large exhaust outlet and two USB3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports (5Gbps).

SSD Technical Specifications

Removing the back cover of the D-side of the laptop reveals the internal structure, with large heat pipes, cooling fans, large capacity lithium battery, SSD, and memory module areas all clearly visible.

Under the left fan is the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD, PCIe Gen4*4, NVMe 1.4 type interface, supporting both 2242 and 2280 specifications, suitable for laptops, mini-hosts, PS game consoles, etc., with higher physical compatibility.

Additionally, a parameter sticker is affixed to the front storage chip, indicating the model, FW code, and PN code, among other common information. There is also a PSID code, which can be used to execute PSID Revert operation for secure erasure of the SSD when the password is forgotten, providing higher operability for brand manufacturers.

Removing the built-in PC411 SSD reveals that the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD also features a single-sided chip design, compatible with the ports of mainstream computer motherboards on the market, and adopts a single-sided no-cache design, greatly reducing costs for customers and users. Compared to traditional eight-channel SSDs, it uses a four-channel design that can reach the PCIe Gen4x4 interface limits, achieving bus saturation (Saturate the Bus), and due to the halved channel count, it also significantly reduces power consumption and heat generation.

Moreover, the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD adopts the third-generation X-tacking® 3D flash memory technology, featuring more advanced logic processes that allow NAND to achieve higher I/O transfer speeds, while providing higher storage density than traditional 3D NAND, reducing chip area and breaking through the patent barriers of flash memory manufacturers. Additionally, without compromising performance, it offers both 2242 and 2280 sizes to meet the design needs of brand manufacturers for smaller products.

According to JESD218 specifications, the bit error rate for consumer SSDs is ≤1E-15, while for enterprise SSDs it is ≤1E-16, and the PC411 has already reached enterprise-level SSD standards in this regard. Furthermore, the Yangtze Memory PC411 features TCG Pyrite/OPAL self-encryption, thermal throttle control, SMART self-monitoring analysis, power management, and field firmware updates. The SMBus function provides the data transfer capability required for sideband management, enabling the PC411 to support both 3.3V and 1.8V sideband voltages, adaptable to various application needs and terminal devices, including laptops and mini-hosts.

Performance Testing

Connecting the Thunderobot Blade 16 to peripherals and powering it on, we will test its theoretical read and write performance through various software and scenarios to see if it meets the requirements of different users.

Using CrystalDiskInfo software to read the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD, it can identify the firmware information, serial number, etc. It supports S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, Volatile Write Cache, and other functions; even under the conditions of the gaming laptop, the idle temperature of the SSD is only 40℃, demonstrating excellent performance.

Using CrystalDiskMark software to test the speed of the SSD, the actual read speed can reach up to 7081.19MB/s, and the write speed can reach 6335.43MB/s, nearly the theoretical speed peak of PCIe 4.0 SSDs, achieving flagship performance even without DRAM cache design.

Using ATTO Disk Benchmark software to test the transfer speeds at different file sizes, we can see the test results, with write speeds reaching up to 6.56GB/s and read speeds reaching up to 5.8GB/s, indicating that this SSD performs quite well compared to mainstream flagship PCIe 4.0 SSDs on the market.

In the HDTune file benchmark test, setting the test data size to 102400MB (102.4GB) more closely aligns with the data amounts users typically import and output during video editing. Throughout the entire process, the main SSD’s read speed remained stable at around 5598MB/s, with write speeds around 4783MB/s, peaking close to 6000MB/s, potentially satisfying 90% of computer users’ transfer speed needs.

Using Master Lu to benchmark the core hardware of the Thunderobot Blade 16, it can accurately identify the specific specifications of the laptop’s processor, graphics card, and SSD, achieving a total score of 1887004, with the Yangtze Memory PC411 1TB version scoring nearly 330,000.

PCMARK 10 is a comprehensive benchmark testing software that evaluates how well the system meets modern office needs. The results show that the Thunderobot Blade 16 scored 11618 in common basic functionalities, with scores of 10889 and 14428 in productivity and content creation, respectively, demonstrating excellent overall performance.

Multi-Scene Usage

From the above introduction, it is clear that the Thunderobot Blade 16 is equipped with a Type-C interface supporting PD3.1 140W fast charging and 10Gbps data transfer.

Connecting the UGREEN USB4 hard drive enclosure with high-speed cables to the Thunderobot Blade 16’s Thunderbolt 4 interface, we tested file transfer using a 12.7G compressed file. Due to the limitations of Thunderbolt devices, ports, and cables, the full transfer performance may not be realized.

The transfer took 12.37 seconds, resulting in a transfer speed of approximately 1051.3M/s. Considering the losses during the transfer process due to cables and hard drive enclosures, this meets the transfer speed of USB3.1 Gen2 (10Gbps).

Similarly, the Thunderobot Blade 16 is equipped with a high-speed PC411 SSD, i9-13900HX, RTX4060, and other flagship configurations, allowing for seamless online video editing when connected to an external hard drive enclosure under the support of a 10Gbps high-speed transfer interface.

Temperature Testing

Next, let’s look at the temperature performance of the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD in the Thunderobot Blade 16 laptop.

Using CrystalDiskMark software to test the read and write speeds of the main unit, after testing, we used a thermal imager to capture the temperatures of the laptop’s exterior and the internal SSD.

After writing, the highest temperature measured on the surface of the Thunderobot Blade 16 was approximately 42.4℃.

Opening the shell, the highest temperature of the internal Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD was approximately 59.7℃. During testing, the Yangtze Memory PC411 SSD demonstrated excellent heat distribution at the connection point, thanks to its four-channel design, which reduces power consumption and heat generation by halving the channel count.

Charging Head Network Summary

The Thunderobot Blade 16 gaming laptop continues the brand’s consistent design language, featuring an aluminum alloy body with sharp lines and some mecha-style design elements, creating a strong sense of technology. The Thunderobot Blade 16 is also equipped with an i9-13900HX processor and RTX4060 discrete graphics card combination, with a rich array of ports including gigabit network ports, HDMI 2.1 ports, Type-C, and USB-A ports, providing a complete gaming and office experience; the large airflow openings and multiple exhaust outlets, along with the three-fan cooling design, further enhance gaming performance.

Internally, the Thunderobot Blade 16 is equipped with the consumer-grade PC411 SSD, designed without cache and with a four-channel scheme, along with third-generation X-tacking® 3D flash technology. In various software performance tests, it consistently reached the PCIe Gen4x4 interface limits, with read and write speeds stabilizing above 5500-7000MB/s; the application of the PC411 in the Thunderobot Blade 16, aided by the laptop’s own cooling, achieves higher read and write performance compared to mini-hosts and ultra-thin laptops, while also demonstrating excellent power consumption and heat generation performance, ensuring users have a stable performance and experience even under long-term high-load gaming scenarios.

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