Specifications

SLC-based vs iSLC vs MLC: picking a SATADOM tier

Innodisk builds three endurance tiers onto the same SATADOM mechanical family. The 3SE4 uses SLC-based flash and is the top tier: the widest write endurance and the most conservative data-retention behaviour at high temperature. The 3IE4 sits below it using iSLC, offering roughly ten times MLC lifespan at close to MLC cost. The 3ME4 is the MLC tier, cheapest per gigabyte, specified for read-mostly boot duty.

The correct tier follows the write pattern, not the budget. A device that boots and reads an image may only ever write logs — 3ME4 is sufficient and cheapest. A device that journals transactions, buffers sensor samples or rewrites configuration continuously should not use MLC; the 3IE4 or 3SE4 protects against the flash reaching its P/E limit inside the product's service life. Because all three share the SATADOM footprint, the choice can be revisited late in the project without a mechanical change.

Innodisk products are supplied by QS Compute with B2B pricing, global shipping and short sample lead times for AI data center, edge deployment and industrial integration projects.