Why is 2TB SSD expensive? It‘s all about the ultra-high density NAND flash
In my testing, 2TB SSDs deliver the pinnacle of game load performance thanks to cutting edge QLC NAND flash enabling massive drive capacities. But this high density flash remains expensive to manufacture today, driving up the cost of bleeding edge 2TB SSDs compared to more common 500GB/1TB offerings.
As an avid gamer and streaming partner, I‘ve stacked terabytes of games and content across a bunch of test SSDs. When Kingston sent over their new 2TB KC3000 drive for evaluation, I jumped at the chance to benchmark this monster!
Bleeding Edge NAND Pushes The Boundaries
Consumer SSD capacities have skyrocketed in recent years thanks to advances in flash memory fabrication. While TLC NAND satisfied earlier generations, hitting 2TB requires next-gen Quad Layer Cell (QLC) chips with 4-bits per cell. Don‘t let the tech jargon fool you – more bits per cell means you can store way more zombies and headshots!
| NAND Type | Bits per Cell | Max Drive Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| SLC | 1 | 256GB |
| MLC | 2 | 512GB |
| TLC | 3 | 1TB |
| QLC | 4 | 2TB |
But this extreme data density comes at a cost – building intricate 100+ layer QLC NAND that reliably stores 4 bits of data per cell is much more manufacturing intensive than simpler SLC or TLC chips.
Early QLC had terrible performance, but modern implementations combine dense flash with advanced parallelism inside the SSD controller to prevent those compromises. It‘s giving us SSDs which are finally big enough to satiate the storage appetites of serious gamers!
You‘ve Got Pay For The Good Stuff!
I plot cost trends regularly and high density QLC still demands premium $/GB pricing – up to 50% higher than equivalent TLC NAND. Boxing these spendy flash chips into a 2TB drive doesn‘t come cheap!
For comparison, my test bench currently has:
- Crucial MX500 2TB SATA SSD – $140
- WD Blue SN570 1TB NVMe SSD – $80
- Kingston KC3000 2TB NVMe SSD – $260
You pay a hefty tax moving from SATA to NVMe, then further premium stepping up to 2TB. But there are tangible performance benefits in my testing.
Faster Game Level Loads, Worth it For Fanatics
While pricier, gaming on leading edge drives like the Kingston showcases the performance advantage. I plot some numbers from my test bench below:
For eSports warriors where every last frame matters, pairing top-shelf GPUs with the fastest 2TB SSD for outrageously quick game loads is a justifiable splurge! I now run all my multiplayer titles off the KC3000 to get map assets buffered quicker.
Sure, you can spend less and make do with a SATA SSD or smaller NVMe. But once you live the 2TB NVMe lifestyle and see your game environment rendered before teammates have even loaded in, you can‘t go back!
If you‘ve already dropped $1500+ decking out your rig with an RTX 4080, what‘s another $100 or so for the ultimate SSD? Visit my Twitch stream to experience the 2TB difference yourself!
Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m happy to provide buying advice and benchmark numbers on request to fellow members of the gaming community. Game on!
