Comparing: GeForce MX350 [Disk] vs Western Digital PC SN740 512GB

Specification Comparison Table

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Submission Comparison Table

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About Hardware GeForce MX350 [Disk]

The NVIDIA GeForce MX350 is an entry-level GPU designed for thin and light laptops, delivering significant graphics performance improvements over the processor's built-in iGPU. The GPU is based on the Pascal architecture with 640 CUDA Cores, and features 2GB or 4GB of GDDR5 memory with 64-bit bus width. The MX350 is generally used for light graphics tasks such as photo editing, light video, and casual gaming, and provides GPU acceleration for CUDA-enabled creative applications.

But in this particular test, a portion of the video memory (VRAM) on the GeForce MX350 was configured as a VRAMDisk. The concept of a VRAMDisk is similar to a RAMDisk, but it uses the VRAM of the GPU as a super-fast storage medium. VRAMDisk allows the creation of temporary, high-speed drives that can be utilized for technical experiments, speed testing, or graphics caching in certain scenarios. Although its capacity is limited and volatile (data is lost on reboot), the high bandwidth and low latency of VRAM provide compelling performance in certain contexts.

The tests were conducted on a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 14ITL6 laptop with Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 12GB DDR4 3200MHz dual channel RAM, and Windows 11 22H2 operating system. The VRAMDisk was created from a 2GB GeForce MX350 GPU, with virtual disk sizes of 1GB and 1.5GB, using special software called GPU RAM Drive.

Benchmark results with CrystalDiskMark recorded read speeds of 1113.58 MB/s and write speeds of 995.48 MB/s, showing the high bandwidth potential of VRAM as a temporary storage medium. Although the performance does not match DDR4-based RAMDisks, VRAMDisks remain a unique and attractive solution for certain technical purposes, especially for users who want to utilize idle VRAM for fast I/O processes. With its dedicated laptop GPU form factor and PCIe x4 Gen 3.0 interface, the GeForce MX350 VRAMDisk opens up new exploration possibilities in the world of experimental graphics-based high-speed storage.

Device test (testbed):

Device: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 14ITL6
CPU: i5 1135G7
RAM: 12GB DDR4 3200MHz Dual Channel (8+4)
OS: Windows 11 22H2

Friday, 06 August 2021 04:34:19 | Update: 1 month ago

About Hardware Western Digital PC SN740 512GB

The Western Digital PC SN740 is a high-performance NVMe SSD specifically designed to meet the needs of modern computing, especially in ultrabooks, business laptops and other compact devices. It features a PCIe Gen4 x4 interface and NVMe 1.4 protocol, which enables extremely fast read and write speeds, making it an ideal storage solution for intensive multitasking, big data processing, and a responsive and efficient computing experience.

The SN740 comes in various capacities ranging from 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, to 2TB, providing flexibility for users with different storage needs. Built with Western Digital 3D NAND technology, the SSD offers not only high performance, but also excellent power efficiency and long-term durability. Its availability in two form factors, M.2 2230 and M.2 2280, makes it highly compatible with many of the latest devices, including thin laptops and small industrial systems.

In a real-world test using an Acer Aspire 5 A515-58P laptop equipped with an Intel Core i5-1335U processor, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and running Windows 11 operating system, the SSD ran on PCIe Gen3 x4 mode due to laptop slot limitations. Despite not running at full PCIe Gen4 speed, the benchmark results still showed excellent performance. Tests with CrystalDiskMark recorded read speeds of up to 3913.58 MB/s and write speeds of 3453.18 MB/s, while AS-SSD Benchmark recorded read speeds of 3795.33 MB/s and write speeds of 1879.37 MB/s. These numbers show that even on a PCIe Gen3 interface, the WD SN740 still offers premium performance that can compete with other high-end SSDs.

In addition to performance, the Western Digital SN740 also features enhanced security and power efficiency, making it a great choice for mobile professionals, software developers, and general users who desire fast and durable storage. With the combination of high data transfer speeds, compact design and Western Digital's brand reputation for reliability, this SSD is one of the best-in-class choices for storage upgrades on modern devices.

Device test (testbed):

Device: Acer Aspire 5 A515-58P
NVMe Capacity: 512GB
PCIe: Gen3 x4 (for run this NVMe)
CPU: i5-1335U
RAM: 8GB LPDDR5
OS: Windows 11

Tuesday, 15 August 2023 13:16:33 | Update: 1 month ago