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Available both in 2D and 3D variants, MLC offers good performance, reliability and endurance at a cheaper price than SLC. Multi-Level Cell (MLC): MLC takes up to 2-bits per cell and four levels of charge.
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SLC is only available in 2D format and mostly used in enterprise setups. However, the memory density is the lowest among the variants and the price per GB is considerably higher than the other types. SLC NAND offers the highest performance, reliability and endurance (up to 100K P/E (program/erase) cycles). Single-Level Cell (SLC): They can only store one bit per cell and take up to two levels of charge. Adding bits to the cell increases the number of states a cell can have, thereby exponentially increasing its capacity.Īdditionally, the number of bits a cell contains serves as one of the primary ways to classify NAND Flash: Data is stored as bits in the cells, the bits represent an electrical charge contained within the cell that can be readily switched on and off by means of an electrical charge. Other features in include up to a 256MB buffer, with scalability up to eight drive bays in a multi-raid environment.Īnthony Spence, from SSD and memory specialist Silicon Power, answers this question.įlash memory cells are the basic building blocks of NAND Flash.
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It offers high performance at 7200 RPM with a large 128GB cache, and it’s driven by integrated RV sensors internally that mitigate the impact of rotational vibrations on components. Toshiba’s is pitching its N300, which has a 180TB/year workload rating, at small offices seeking high reliability in a NAS hard drive.
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