QLC vs 3D Nand Flash SSD Storage Endurance Performance and Specs

In this post, we are going to compare QLC vs 3D Nand and understand their differences and use cases.

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We have talked about storage technologies quite a lot on our website. Today, we will be discussing two of the latest storage technologies which are creating quite a lot of buzz these days. The first one is 3D Nand technology about which many of us are well aware. The second one is pretty new and not that popular, the QLC technology.

Related: WD Blue vs Green SSDs

Table of Contents

QLC vs 3D Nand

We will go in in-depth technical details and see how these technologies differ from each other, what relation they share and some other technical stuff. At the end of the post, we will also share a list of storage solutions based on these technologies. So without any more delay, let us begin.

3D Nand:

In 3D Nand flash memory, cells are stacked in multiple vertical layers. 3D Nands were designed to resolve problems we faced in old 2D or planar Nand technology. It allows storage solutions to achieve better densities while keeping the cost low. The main difference between planar and 3D Nand technology is that Planar NAND uses single memory cell layer, unlike 3D Nand, which comes with multiple layers.

Advantages of 3D Nand:

It delivers more capacity compared to Planar Nands. For M.2 SSDs, you can get up to 3.5 TB of storage, and on standard 2.5-inch SSDs, you get up to 10 TB of superfast storage.
It boosts up speed & performance in both terms of I/O and random read & writes. Moreover, it features fast 4KB read mode.
The new sleep feature in Nand technology cuts of power to inactive dies, even if there are active dies in the same package, which helps improving power efficiency

3D Nand – Key Specifications:

Technology	MLC	TLC
Density	32 GB	48 GB
Process Node	3D	3D
Bits	2 / cell	3 / cell
Page Size	18592 bytes	18592 bytes
Page Per Block	1024	1536
Block Size	18592 KB	27888 KB
Block x Plane	548 x 4	548 x 4
Prog (TYP / MAX)	1300 / 2500 us	1630 / 5000 us
P/E Cycle	3K + read retry	3K + read retry
ECC / Codeword	72b / 1 KB BCH / LDPC	LDPC /72-bit BCH
BERS (TYP / MAX)	15 / 45 ms	15 / 45 ms
R (TYP)	77 us	100 us
SNAP	40 us	53 us
ONFI Compliance	4.0	4.0
V-CQC	1.2, 1.8 V	1.2, 1.8 V
Packages	Die BGA TSOP	Die BGA
TSOP Package Options	48 pin TSOP (SDP, DDP)	–
BGA Package Options	BGA 132 (SDP, DDP, QDP, 8DP, 16DP)	BGA 132 (SDP, DDP, 3DP, QDP, 8DP, 16DP)

3D Nand – Applications:

Enterprise Storage
Cloud Storage
Consumer Storage
Client SSDs
Embedded
Mobile
Automotive

QLC (Quad Level Cell):

The QLC Nand flash storage allows the consumer to store read-centric workloads quick and easy in large values. The QLC speeds up the process for both accessing and serving the data, which ultimately leads to the better user experience. It will be an upgrade over MLC and TLC NANDs. Compared to TLC, QLC offers 33% more data density for each cell. Following are some key advantages of this storage technology:

Advantages of QLC Nand:

Compared to traditional HDDs, QLC storage takes fewer drives for delivering read centric and performance intensive workloads. It helps to reduce the overall size of a data store.
Compared to traditional HDDs in same performance bracket, QLC SSDs consumes three times less power while delivering high performance I/O per drive
The reduced data consumption leads to reduced operating temperature hence improves cooling
As discussed, it is the way to compact compared to conventional storage solutions and takes up to 41% less physical space and offers more density

3D Nand – Applications:

Real-Time analytics / Big Data
Business Intelligence, Decision support system
Active archives, Large block storage
Read-intensive artificial intelligence
Machine and deep learning
Content delivery, Video on demand, Content streaming
NoSQL Databases
Perform quick user authentication

Top 3D Nand SSDs:

Since 3D Nand technology is pretty mature, there are quite a lot of options to choose from. You can easily find top quality SSDs in your target performance and price bracket easily. Anyways, following is a list of some of the best options available out there in the market:

WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD – 500 GB – 6 Gb/s:

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Overview

Capacity	500 GB
Interface	Serial ATA 600 (6 Gb/s)
Internal Data Rate	560 MB/s on reading 530 MB/s on write
Drive Transfer Rate	600 MB/s (External)
Expansion / Connectivity	1x SATA 6 Gb/s
Compliant Standards	SMART

Hard Drive

Form Factor	M.2 2280
Features	3D NAND Technology DEVSLP SATA Lower Power Mode
SSD Endurance	200 TB
Type	Internal Hard Drive
Storage Interface	Serial ATA 600
Data Transfer Rate	600 MB/s
Internal Data Rate	560 MB/s

Environmental Parameters

Storage Temperature

-67 F – 185 F

Operating Temperature

32 F – 158 F

Power Consumption

(2050 mW) Active

(3350 mW) Read

(52 mW) Sleep

(56 mW) Write

Vibration Tolerance

Operating

5 G Acceleration

10-2000 Hz frequency range

Non-Operating

4.9 G Acceleration

7-800 Hz frequency range

Dimension & Weight

Dimension	0.9 x 0.1 x 3.1 inches
Weight	0.25 oz

Service & Support

Brand	WD
Product Line / Model	WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD WDS500G2BOB
Package Quantity	1 Unit
Warranty	3 years of limited warranty from the manufacturer

WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD – 500 GB – 6 Gb/s:

Overview

Capacity	500 GB
Interface	M.2 Card Serial ATA 600
Encryption Algorithm	256 bit AES
MTBF	1800000 sec
Hardware Encryption	Yes
Details	TCG Opal Encryption 2.0
Nand Memory Type	Single Level Cell (SLV)
Expansion / Connectivity	1x SATA 6 Gb/s – M.2 Card
Compliant Standards	SMART

Hard Drive

Form Factor	M.2 2280
Features	3D NAND Technology Active Garbage Collection Power Loss Data Protection Upgradable Firmware Adaptive Thermal Protection Device Sleep Support Error Correction Code Microsoft eDrive Compatible Multistep Data Integrity Algorithm Redundant Array of Independent NAND TRIM Support Dynamic Write Acceleration
SSD Endurance	180 TB
Type	Internal Hard Drive
Storage Interface	Serial ATA 600
Data Transfer Rate	600 MB/s
Internal Data Rate	560 MB/s (read) 510 MB/s (write)
4 KB Random Read	95000
4 KB Random Read	90000

Environmental Parameters

Storage Temperature	–
Operating Temperature	32 F – 158 F
Power Consumption	–

Dimension & Weight

Dimension	0.9 inches x 3.1 inches
Weight	–

Service & Support

Brand	Crucial
Product Line / Model	Crucial MX500
Package Quantity	1
Warranty	5 Years of limited warranty from the manufacturer

WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD – 500 GB – 6 Gb/s:

Overview

Capacity	128 GB
Interface	SATA 6 Gb/s
MTBF	2000000 sec
Nand Memory Type	3D Triple-level cell (TLC)
Compliant Standards	–

Hard Drive

Form Factor	M.2 2280
Features	DRAM Cache Dev-Sleep Mode Intelligent SLC Caching LDPC Error Correction Code SMI Controller
SSD Endurance	–
Type	Internal Hard Drive
Storage Interface	Serial ATA 600
Data Transfer Rate	600 MB/s
Internal Data Rate	560 MB/s (Read) 520 MBs (Write)

Environmental Parameters

Storage Temperature	-40 F – 185 F
Operating Temperature	32 F – 159 F
Power Consumption	–

Shock Tolerance

Operating

1500 G Acceleration

0.5 ms Shock Duration

Non-Operating

–

Dimension & Weight

Dimension	0.9 x 3.1 x 0.1 inches
Weight	0.28 oz

Service & Support

Brand	ADATA
Product Line / Model	ADATA Ultimate SU 800
Package Quantity	1
Warranty	3 years of limited warranty

Best QLC SSDs:

Unfortunately, the QLC technology has not yet matured as much as other standards like MLC and TLC have (which are used for 3D Nand SSDs). However, Intel has taken the initiative to launch the first ever QLC SSD available openly for sale. Samsung has also announced about their upcoming SSDs based on this technology. For now, here is a quick look at this one and only QLC SSD available out there on online stores by Intel:

Intel SSD 660P Mainstream QLC SSD (1 TB) :

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Intel SSD 660p is getting pretty popular as a mainstream storage solution for the impressive capacity, the performance it offers in real-world workloads while keeping the power efficiency at its finest. Technically, you will only be paying around 0.20 bucks per GB of storage. And for your surprise, there is not a single storage solution available in the same performance bracket that gets any closer to this figure. Still, it is pretty new in the market and lacks testing/benchmarks from a trusted source. We will recommend going for some other high endurance solution which will last better under heavy workloads. Regardless, the following is a quick look at some facts and figures:

Overview

Brand	Intel
Series	660p
Model	SSDPEKNW010T8X1
Type	Internal SSD (Solid State Drive)
Product Type	Mainstream (Consumer)

Details

Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacity	1 TB
Memory Components	3D NAND
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x4

Performance

Read (Sequential)	1800 MB/s Max
Write (Sequential)	1800 MB/s Max
4 KB Random Read	150000 IOPS Max
4 KB Random Write	220000 IOPS Max
MTBF	1600000 hours

Environmental Parameters

Power Consumption	40 mW (Idle) 100 mW (Active)
Temperature	Operation: 0 C ~ 70 C Storage: -55 C ~ 95 C
Humidity	5 – 95%
Shock Resistance	1000 G / 0.5 ms (Operational) 1500 G / 0.5 ms (Idle)
Vibration Resistance	2.17 G at 5 – 700 Hz (Operational) 3.13 G at 5 – 800 Hz (Idle)

Dimension & Weight

Dimension	2.38 x 22 x 80 mm
Weight	~ 10 g

Warranty & Support

Type	Limited Warranty on Parts and Labor
Duration	5 years of warranty from the manufacturer

Conclusion:

We hope this post helps you to understand everything related to these storage technologies and all the differences they share. As QLC technology gets more mature and more products are made mainstream for general users, we will keep updating you with all the latest information and products available.

For now, feel free to ask any questions or suggestion in the comment section below. We post such stuff regularly, so make sure you subscribe to this blog as well, if you haven’t done already. See you until next post, Thanks for visiting us!

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