Should I buy a QLC or TLC SSD for my NAS, SAN, or Server?
Now that we’ve covered the key differences between QLC SSDs and TLC SSDs, let’s take a closer look at the situations where you might use one over the other.
While TLC drives have become mainstream and now hold the largest market share, QLC drives are starting to catch up. However, it is unlikely that their adoption will be as quick as that of TLC SSDs unless their performance improves significantly.
QLC drives work great for their intended purpose—ie, as low-cost drives to replace HDDs in read-heavy workloads. Sometimes their peak performance can rival that of even high-end TLC-based drives, depending on the manufacturer, but their performance in steady-state situations still lags far behind.
As mentioned above, QLC SSDs deliver a lower storage cost per capacity than TLC SSDs, so if your SAN or NAS has, or will have, more read than write operations, a QLC drive is probably the best choice.
Incidentally, many of today’s most popular enterprise-grade applications are more read-heavy than write-heavy.
These include:
- Data analytics
- AI
- NoSQL databases
- Streaming media and content delivery networks
So if your application is going to involve any of the above, it’s likely that you will benefit from choosing QLCs over TLCs.
When to Use TLC SSDs over QLC SSDs
If performance, endurance, and reliability are more important to you than cost or storage capacity, a TLC SSD is generally going to be a better choice than a QLC SSD, assuming your budget can accommodate the higher price of the TLC SSDs.
The better performance and reliability of TLC SSDs typically make them a better choice for things like:
- USB drives
- Enterprise- and consumer-grade SSDs
- Storage cards for digital cameras and mobile phones
The Verdict: QLC SSDs vs. TLC SSDs
QLC SSDs can store more data than TLC SSDs and they also cost less. However, they don’t perform as well or last as long, and they can be more error-prone. TLC SSDs perform better and last longer than QLC SSDs but store less data and cost more.
It’s very important to keep in mind that the quality of SSDs can vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer, and also that your needs should drive your choices.
Need More Data Storage? Try FlashArray//C for QLC SSD
Through Pure Storage® FlashArray//C, Pure Storage offers another level of flash memory. FlashArray//C uses Pure’s DirectFlash® modules, which reduce latency and increase throughput by allowing raw flash to connect directly via NVMe. This allows FlashArray//C to optimise its flash module performance while still delivering per-capacity costs that are comparable to hybrid and HDD storage arrays.
FlashArray//C also offers:
- A modern data storage solution providing the operational agility to handle both performance-sensitive and capacity-oriented workloads
- A single pane of glass for managing all storage resources
- Evergreen™ Storage for true non-disruptive upgrades with zero downtimes or data migrations
Learn more about FlashArray//C here.