The Ultimate Qd1 vs Qd32 Comparison

by Paul | Last Updated: July 5, 2022

Solid-state drives (SSDs) are valuable as they improve the performance of a compatible computing device but not all SSDs are created equal. Different drives offer different levels of performance owing to their design. Asides interface type (e.g., NVME, PCIe), there are other designs that enhance performance.

Qd1 vs Qd32: an aspect of an SSD when tasks are being queued up to be performed is referred to as queue depth (Qd). The number of tasks queued for execution determines the number that is written after QD.

For instance, 1 thread (usually sequential) will be referred to as Qd1. What value does this information have to a user? There are disks designed to accommodate up to Qd32 (16 threads) this means that the input/output per second (IOPS) assigned to multiple tasks will be high.

In simple terms, if you perform 4 tasks at a time, there are disks that will give you a speed of 3gb/s for each task and there are disks that will perform at 1gb/s. So, Qd is just a measure of how many threads are operational on an SSD.

Qd1 vs Q32 – Basics

We have established that Qd is a measure of drive performance while it is waiting for tasks to be complete in the background. Usually, when a given software is running, it reads first then after it gets a result, it proceeds to read again (i.e., sequential). Therefore, many users will usually have just one queue depth (Qd1) except when they use database applications.

These applications involve a lot of data retrieval and input so these processes can be done in several Qd1 numbers resulting to Qd8 or more. Editing high-quality videos especially 4k also increases the number of tasks on the queue depth.

Unless you run a lot of virtual machines, getting an SSD mainly because the spec sheet advertises Q32 is not useful, what you need is a high-quality SSD that performs well and if it offers high speed at Q32, that is just a bonus.

You should also ensure that your PC has the capacity to accommodate Q32 operations before making the decision to purchase a disk because it has a Q32 specification. Also, for better latency, your aim should be on how well the disk performs at Q1. With that said, let us look at some examples of high-quality SSDs.

Qd1 vs Q32 – High Quality SSDs

There are different types of SSD, the ones that run on a SATA interface (or protocol) only, they are limited to a queue depth of 32. So, anything that exceeds that number might freeze the PC or just cancel the operation. However, SSDs that run on the NVMe protocol are so fast that they support a queue depth of over 62,000.

Here are the top 5 NVMe SSDs:

1. Samsung 980 Pro:

This is available in four storage sizes: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. It is an M.2 form factor SSD with a nickel coating that reducing heat that emanates from it while in use. It has a DRAM which is key for the durability of your disk. It is a PCIe Gen 4 which translates to a sequential read speed of 7gb/s and a sequential write speed of 5.3gb/s which is possible in the higher capacity drives like 1TB and 2TB.

With this drive, 4K performance in Input/output operations per second (IOPS):

1TB Model

• At Q1: 17,000 IOPS for read speed and 54,000 IOPS for write speed
• At Q32: 500,000 IOPS for read speed and 480,000 for write speed

500GB Model

• At Q1: 17,000 IOPS for read speed and 54,000 IOPS for write speed
• At Q32: 400,000 IOPS for read speed and 470,000 IOPS for write speed

250GB Model

• At Q1: 17,000 IOPS for read speed and 53,000 IOPS for write speed
• At Q32: 230,000 IOPS for read speed and 320,000 IOPS for write speed

2. Western Digital Black SN850:

WD manufactures some of the best hard drive disks, so it’s no shock that they make high-quality SSDs. This model comes in three storage capacities: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Like the 980, it has PCIe Gen 4 which translates to a sequential read speed of 7gb/s and a sequential write speed of 5gb/s which is possible in the higher capacity drives like 1TB and 2TB.

With this drive, 4K performance in Input/output operations per second (IOPS)

2TB Model

• At Q1: 78,000 IOPS for read speed and 180,000 IOPS for write speed
• At Q32: 700,000 IOPS for read speed and 610,000 for write speed

1TB Model

• At Q1: 69,000 IOPS for read speed and 165,000 IOPS for write speed
• At Q32: 430,000 IOPS for read speed and 366,000 IOPS for write speed

500GB Model

• At Q1: 22,000 IOPS for read speed and 65,000 IOPS for write speed
• At Q32: 297,000 IOPS for read speed and 360,000 IOPS for write speed

3. Crucial P5 Plus:

This is available in three storage sizes: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. It is an M.2 form factor SSD with an endurance rating of 600 TBW and a 5-year limited warranty. It has a DRAM which is key for the durability of your disk.

It is a PCIe Gen 4 which translates to a sequential read speed of 6.6gb/s and a sequential write speed of 5gb/s which is possible in the higher capacity drives like 1TB and 2TB.

4. Addlink S70:

This storage hardware is available in five storage capacity sizes: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB. It is an M.2 form factor SSD with an endurance rating of 3400 TBW and a 5-year limited warranty. It has a DRAM which is key for the durability of your disk.

It is a PCIe Gen 3 which translates to a sequential read speed of 3.5gb/s and a sequential write speed of 3gb/s which is possible in the higher capacity drives like 1TB and 2TB. The Addlink SSD also has models with PCIe Gen 4 i.e., S90 and S92.

5. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus:

With a read speed of 7.1gb/s and a sequential write speed of 6.6gb/s, this NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 drive comes in three storage capacities: 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. It has a DRAM which is key for the durability of your disk and a 5-year warranty.

The SSDs listed above are great and there are a lot of great options in the market, when you want to purchase a solid-state drive, asides from the storage capacity you should look out for DRAM and interface/connectivity.

Qd1 vs Q32 – SSD Essentials

Controller and DRAM: without a DRAM, your SSD will not have a cache memory resulting in poor performance and poor controller. Owing to the price of SSDs, some manufacturers make SSDs without DRAM and sell at more affordable prices.

This is not worth it, not having a DRAM in your SSD reduces its durability and does not give your PC the desired performance.

Interface/Connectivity: With an SSD you want one with NVME and PCIe. The number of PCIe lanes matters, the higher the lanes them better i.e., PCIe x4 is better than PCIe x2.