Synthetic Storage Benchmarks
PCMark 10
We are using PCMark 10’s Full System Drive Storage Benchmark. It outputs an overall score (higher is better) that is derived from the Bandwidth (higher is better) as well as access time (lower is better) results.
On our graphs, we are also including the Netac NV7000 which we have reviewed, so it will be interesting to see how the two compare in our benchmarks. In addition, the Acer Predator GM7 in the graphs uses the same controller and NAND Flash, so that comparison will be interesting to keep an eye on.
In PCMark 10’s full system drive storage benchmark, the Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD produces a total score of 3516 and tops the charts, surpassing every SSD. There is a reason for this, as you will see in the access time below due to the fact that this is a Host Memory Buffer based SSD. At 3516 it is 13% faster than the Netac NV7000 2TB SSD and 6% faster than the Acer Predator GM7. The Acer Predator GM7 is also a Host Memory Buffer based SSD and was the previous performance leader, but the new Netac NV7000-t surpasses that in this benchmark. This doesn’t show the whole picture though, so let’s keep looking at benchmarks.
The average access time test in PCMark 10’s Storage Benchmark is why the Netac NV7000-t performs so well in the full system drive benchmark. In this benchmark, the Netac NV7000-t has the best, and fastest, average access time with 47 microseconds. Until now, the Acer Predator GM7 was the fastest drive at 50 microseconds, also an HMB SSD, but the new Netac NV7000-t 1TB beats that by a few more microseconds and has the fastest access time. Both SSDs are 1TB, so capacity is not different which would affect results. At 47 microseconds the Netac NV7000-t is a whole 10 microseconds faster than the Netac NV7000 for access time, which also wasn’t bad itself. That SSD was 2TB, so it might have some differences, the 1TB version could be faster in access time.
In the above graph, we are testing PCMark 10’s Quick Storage Benchmark, which utilizes a lighter workload of traces meant for smaller drives, it provides an interesting contrast to the wide-ranging test of the full benchmark above. In the quick system drive benchmark the Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD performs slower than the Netac NV7000. Also, not shown on the graph, the Acer Predator GM7 had the lowest score and was removed from the graph.
These results make sense. In this benchmark, it is performing very small workload traces, where it is having to access smaller files very quickly. In this scenario, SSDs with a DRAM cache will perform better, as the lookup tables are stored locally on the SSD. In Host Memory Buffer SSDs, it has to go out to system RAM. The Acer Predator GM7 performed the slowest at this, but the good part here for the Netac NV7000-t is that it wasn’t the slowest, even though it doesn’t have a DRAM cache. At 3106 it was still faster than the CORSAIR Force MP600 and PATRIOT VIPER VPR400 despite both SSDs having a DRAM cache. The Netac NV7000-t is about on par with the MSI SPATIUM M470. In reality, its performance isn’t that far off from the NV7000, only very well, almost near the top. It’s in line with Adata Legend 960 performance and only 8% apart. This is not a terrible result.