Are MLC and TLC M.2 SSD's mutually compatible/supported in a laptop?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

marko7

Commendable
Feb 10, 2017
3
0
1,510
If specifications of a laptop say it supports TLC M.2 SSD drives, is there a reason why that laptop should NOT automatically support MLC M.2 drives as well?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
The Paladin

The Paladin

Polypheme
Ambassador
Oct 5, 2016
9,663
60
67,340
www.texastandyrestorations.org
they are not the same thing... like DDR3 and DDR4 are memory but DDR3 doesn't run on DDR4 board

taken from http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-slc-mlc-and-tlc-nand-flash.html
TLC (Triple Level Cell)
Storing 3 bits of data per cell, TLC flash is the cheapest form of flash to manufacture. The biggest disadvantage to this type of flash is that it is only suitable for consumer usage, and would not be able to meet the standards for industrial use. Read/write life cycles are considerably shorter at 3,000 to 5,000 cycles per cell.
Pros:
Cheapest to manufacture which in turn leads to cheaper to market SSDs.
Cons: Cells will survive considerably less read/write cycles compared to MLC NAND. This means that TLC flash is good for consumer use only.
Recommended for: Everyday consumer use, web/email machines, netbooks, and tablets.
Click to expand...
and

MLC (Multi Level Cell), MLC flash as it's name suggests stores multi bits of data on one cell. The big advantage of this is the lower cost of manufacturing versus manufacturing SLC flash. The lower cost in flash production is generally passed onto you as the consumer, and for that reason is very popular among many brands. MLC flash is preferred for consumer SSDs for it's lower costs but the data read/write life is less in comparison to SLC at around 10,000 per cell.
Pros: Lower production costs are passed onto you the consumer. Is more reliable than TLC flash.
Cons:Not as durable and reliable as SLC or enterprise SSDs.
Recommended for: Everyday consumer use, gamers, and enthusiasts.
Click to expand...
and more to your question

SLC, MLC, and TLC are all considered NAND flash. The difference between the SLC, MLC, and TLC is in their construction and physical design. For this reason, no firmware can change one type of NAND flash to the other.
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

marko7

Commendable
Feb 10, 2017
3
0
1,510


Specifically I'm looking for compatibility with the new Lenovo Y520-15IKBN?



OK, but my question wasn't about physical compatibility (in terms of dimensions, etc.). I wanted to ask if there is any reason why a MLC SSD would not get recognized by a laptop (as in BIOS) that ("officially") supports TLC SSDs?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,768
18,132
184,590


Internally, yes they are different. But the protocol and data they present to the laptop is exactly the same.
I can't see why the laptop should care about TLC or MLC.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Sakkura

Sakkura

Illustrious
Aug 22, 2011
8,129
3
37,965


As I said, it's completely internal to the SSD and never affects compatibility.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

Prateek_9

Prominent
May 28, 2017
2
0
510


I was just wondering, why it is specifically mentioned in the manual that it supports TLC SSD.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom