lots of questions regarding the Mushkin Source HC SSD (4tb, 8tg, 16tb)

[T-Cat]

Was looking around for a high capacity 2.5' SSD (probably getting 8tb but if 16tb were better priced I would get one for longevity) and found a strange SSD being the Mushkin Source HCs. They all use TLC 3D-NAND and looked really nice until I saw the TBW ratings which seemed rather... bad to put it mildly. For instance the 4tb variant has a TBW of 1250 on their site which would be comparable to a QLC SSD like the PNY CS900 4tb which has a TBW of 1155 (granted this one is older but still).

Which brings me to the question: What kind of NAND flash are they using and is their TBW representative of their expectation this will last as long as a QLC drive? I could just be overlooking the fact that Mushkin by SSD manufacturer standards is not as big as others along with the fact that I do not know if the SSD has DRAM or not (site says they use DRAM Cache Buffer). I am 90% sure that if they are using TLC (if Mushkin is actually using TLC), it will likely last longer than any same sized QLC drive. Oh and the good news if you are unable to find information on mushkin there is a equivilant SSD drive: The EdgeMemory eMerge 3D HC. Basically has same specs and everything so that might help (Avant Technology owns both companies but EdgeMemory seems to be for government contracting).

If any of you have further information it would be of great help.

List of Source HC SSDs (4tb, 8tb, 16tb): https://www.poweredbymushkin.com/Home/index.php/catalog/solid-state-drives/source-hc

PNY CS900 example: https://www.techpowerup.com/ssd-specs/pny-cs900-4-tb.d665 (might be an outdated example but its the first thing I found)

EdgeMemory eMerge 3D HC: https://us.edgememory.com/Home/inde...e-drives/47-emerge-3d-hc-series-high-capacity

edit: I just found out Mushkin actually has a support center of sorts that I could have used to ask my questions... somthing I probably should have done earlier
Link to their support: http://support.poweredbymushkin.com/

edit 2: Oh I forgot to mention yes you can buy the mushkin 16 terrabyte off of amazon or newegg (at around $2,000 as of this writing... not practical) but make sure its not some highly suspicious third party seller if for some reason you want to burn money on a (possibly questionable until verified) 16 terrabyte TLC 3D NAND SSD.

 

[unwind-protect]

If you have a PCIe slot free I would get a U.2 drive, e.g.:

Intel DC P4510 SSDPE2KX080T851 0M6CNF 8TB PCIe Gen 3.1 X4 4GB/s 3D TLC 1DWPD U.2 NVMe 2.5in Solid State Drive

Buy the Intel DC P4510 8TB PCIe Gen 3.1 X4 2.5" SSD SSDPE2KX080T851 at the lowest price with free & fast shipping. Get volume discounts and excellent customer service. Shop now!

serverpartdeals.com

Those things you can hammer all day long.

 

[ir_cow]

Yeah those Intel Optane can do PB of writes. Just EOL and very pricey for the size.

Realistically though unless your running a data server, I don't see how you would ever do 1.2PB of writes in the life span of the drive.

 

[unwind-protect]

Yeah those Intel Optane can do PB of writes. Just EOL and very pricey for the size.

The drive I linked to is not an Optane, and it is $420 for 8 TB.

 

[T-Cat]

If you have a PCIe slot free I would get a U.2 drive, e.g.:

Intel DC P4510 SSDPE2KX080T851 0M6CNF 8TB PCIe Gen 3.1 X4 4GB/s 3D TLC 1DWPD U.2 NVMe 2.5in Solid State Drive

Buy the Intel DC P4510 8TB PCIe Gen 3.1 X4 2.5" SSD SSDPE2KX080T851 at the lowest price with free & fast shipping. Get volume discounts and excellent customer service. Shop now!

serverpartdeals.com

Those things you can hammer all day long.

Well aware of that and yes I could use a U.2 despite my inexperience but I unfortunately use a laptop for traveling with lots of data (I do archival stuff and some machine learning on the go). While a QLC SSD would suit my needs I have known too many people and seen too many posts of QLC SSDs dying to avoid them entirely (until they prove a reliable price competitive option... if that ever happens). Yes I could just carry a bunch of inexpensive internal/external 2-4 TB 2.5 TLC SSDs (which I already do) but it can get annoying (I do have a SATA to USB connector already). If a U.2 worked with a regular laptop SATA port then optane would have been the way to go. Oh and yes I know someone is going to mention large capacity hard drives exist but their reliability and moving parts are a liability when traveling whereas SSDs (especially the MLC ones despite being pricey) are nothing short of nokias (not that you should drop them!)

tldr; I'm a laptop user with a SATA 2.5' port and uses a SATA to USB cable (yes I know the risks using a cable), HDDS not viable for travel, QLC not trustworthy/unreliable, already carries 7 SSDs ranging 2-4 TB. The Mushkin interested me for being big TLC NAND and SATA but information on them is somwhat lacking (though it probably uses micron NAND based on its release).

 

[ir_cow]

Muskin doesn't make the NAND. Only choices are SK Hynix and Micron these days.

 

[T-Cat]

Muskin doesn't make the NAND. Only choices are SK Hynix and Micron these days.

Well aware of that I just was wondering if anyone knew which specific NAND it was so I am able to see what else uses that NAND and do some research how reliable it is (probably not an issue but can't hurt to know). I highly doubt anyone has this particular SSD in any way shape or form, hence my post and Mushkins site sadly does not specify but their other stuff uses micron NAND so I am pretty sure its made by micron. I imagine some flash NAND is more reliable than others.

 

[ir_cow]

Your thinking to far into this. Look at the warranty and total writes for that given period. If it dies, RMA it. You should always have a backup of your important stuff anyways.