Where do you buy SLC SSDs from?

[hasu]

I don't see anyone selling SLC SSDs? Are they not in production anymore?
What would be the price difference between MLC and SLC SSDs?

Thanks

 

[alzan]

Outside of Intel I'd be hard pressed to point to a specific manufacturer marketing SLC SSD's to consumers; I'm not even sure that Intel markets them, maybe for the enterprise market.

I'm not sure what the difference is currently but ~3 years ago when I bought a 20GB SLC SSD from Intel I paid about $8 per GB.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Most enterprise drives now are eMLC. I don't think SLC will be common going forward, except maybe in some very specialized applications.

 

[Cerb]

Even regular MLC is getting used, now (not every server is write-heavy, after all, but still needs all writes in flight to be written).

 

[dawza]

Enterprise and specialty markets mainly; vendors that provide solutions for industrial/commercial/niche applications (like Logic Supply) still carry SLC SSDs. Expect to pay in the $5/GB range.

The Fujitsu FSXtreme could be an interesting candidate when it makes it way to the US, at an anticipated $1/GB:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6843/fujitsu-fsxtreme-240gb-slc-ssd-review/index.html

 

[hasu]

Thanks for the replies and info, everyone!

Enterprise and specialty markets mainly; vendors that provide solutions for industrial/commercial/niche applications (like Logic Supply) still carry SLC SSDs. Expect to pay in the $5/GB range.

The Fujitsu FSXtreme could be an interesting candidate when it makes it way to the US, at an anticipated $1/GB:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6843/fujitsu-fsxtreme-240gb-slc-ssd-review/index.html

Thanks for the information and the link. Logic Supply price is a little steep though.
FSXtreme is indeed very attractive! Looks like we can order it from abroad.

Thanks!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Intel 710 SSD is still available (from Newegg on ebay), 100GB for $400. Made from MLC-HET, supposed to have 50-60K P/E cycle endurance, instead of 100K for SLC, Write latency slightly higher than SLC.

I picked up two from NeweggFlash.com cheaper, they were blowing them out.

 

[hasu]

Intel 710 SSD is still available (from Newegg on ebay), 100GB for $400. Made from MLC-HET, supposed to have 50-60K P/E cycle endurance, instead of 100K for SLC, Write latency slightly higher than SLC.

I picked up two from NeweggFlash.com cheaper, they were blowing them out.

I picked up a couple from NeweggFlash too I think Fujitsu FSXtreme mentioned by dawza may be the best option. Ordering it from abroad may have warranty implcations.

 

[hojnikb]

Any particular reason for SLC ?
Or is it just endurance scare ?

 

[Charlie98]

Any particular reason for SLC ?
Or is it just endurance scare ?

My question as well...

 

[dawza]

SLC generally is tapped for mission critical equipment, often under harsh environmental (e.g. temperature, vibration) conditions. The write endurance is still a factor, although perhaps a bit less than it was a few years ago, before controller technology and over-provisioning technology were as advanced.

It comes down to selecting an inherently superior starting material vs. compensating for lesser material using ancillary/supporting solutions. Both can be equally valid approaches for the majority of use cases.

 

[hasu]

Any particular reason for SLC ?
Or is it just endurance scare ?

Not for personal use.

 

[hasu]

SLC generally is tapped for mission critical equipment, often under harsh environmental (e.g. temperature, vibration) conditions. The write endurance is still a factor, although perhaps a bit less than it was a few years ago, before controller technology and over-provisioning technology were as advanced.

It comes down to selecting an inherently superior starting material vs. compensating for lesser material using ancillary/supporting solutions. Both can be equally valid approaches for the majority of use cases.

If we can get our hands on FSXtreme for currently advertised prices, there is no reason to "settle" for MLC (and now TLC). SLC might be suited even for DVR system. As of now the primary weak link on any computer is its permanent storage. With the new (cheap) SSD's you can lose all your data in a blink of an eye (already happened with me three years ago). I am sure that can happen with SLC as well. But for now, I am use only mirrored SSD's on my home/personal machines. I think Raid-6 with SLC may be a better solution for business server machines.

 

[Cerb]

Almost all of the "blink of an eye" losses have nothing to do with SLC v. MLC v. TLC, but software and hardware bugs. Even those related to the flash itself have generally been design flaws, usually cost or time related.

 

[hasu]

Enterprise and specialty markets mainly; vendors that provide solutions for industrial/commercial/niche applications (like Logic Supply) still carry SLC SSDs. Expect to pay in the $5/GB range.

The Fujitsu FSXtreme could be an interesting candidate when it makes it way to the US, at an anticipated $1/GB:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6843/fujitsu-fsxtreme-240gb-slc-ssd-review/index.html

I was trying to get more info on FSX-120GB, but it is not mentioned anywhere on Fujitsu's website (even http://www.fujitsu.com/tw/).