How do QLC SSDs work, and should you avoid them? | Upscaled

QLC is a type of flash that promises to enable big, cheap flash drives and SSDs, but it comes with some serious drawbacks. QLC stores four bits of data in each cell, up from 3 in TLC (most SSDs) and 2 in MLC (like Samsung's 960 pro).

Each additional bit of data increases storage capacity, but reduces the drive's lifespan and read/write speed. Manufacturers are using a host of tricks to work around these problems, but do they really fix the problems, or should you just avoid QLC for now?


Check out the QLC reviews we sampled here:
TechteamGB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebYbakQ4HYQ
Benchmark Tests
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n__WmY80us

For our full list of sources, check out this doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT0PhEZQaoxmsa-SSpAVn1PMlA0I4Ty7BgXxSnichUPQf-xNq0wzn8oLSqmi75SRy0SY2UCWoHKU4oK/pub

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