Best 4TB QLC DRAM-less SSDs
There are 11 4TB QLC DRAM-less SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Patriot VP4300 Lite at 7400 MB/s read at 4TB. Sequential reads across the group span 800–7400 MB/s at 4TB.
Why this configuration
A 4TB QLC DRAM-less SSD is a capacity-per-dollar configuration. QLC packs more gigabytes per dollar in exchange for lower rated endurance.
4TB starts to replace juggling several smaller drives.
Usually chosen for: bulk storage and read-heavy media libraries.
Good fit: read-heavy storage — media libraries and game installs you rarely rewrite; value builds and gaming where cost per gigabyte matters.
Look elsewhere for: heavy sustained writes or a video-editing scratch disk; databases, virtual machines and other sustained random-write workloads.
Ranked list
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 4TB ratings where published (11 of 11 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 4TB run 800–6700 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 4TB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patriot VP4300 Lite 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Maxio MAP1602 | 7400 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Seagate FireCuda X1070 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | TenaFe TC2201 | 7200 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Crucial P310 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Phison E27T | 7100 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Polaris 3 | 7100 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 | Lexar NQ780 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | InnoGrit IG5236 | 7000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 | TeamGroup MP44Q 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Mid-range | Maxio MAP1602 | 7000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 7 | Patriot P400 V4 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Maxio MAP1602 | 6200 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 8 | Kingston NV3 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Value | Silicon Motion SM2268XT2 | 6000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 9 | Western Digital Blue SN5000 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Value | WD Polaris 3 | 5500 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 10 | MSI Spatium M461 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Value | Phison E21T | 5000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 11 |  Crucial Externo CRUCIAL X6 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | — | "Silicon Motion SM2258XT (1-Core, | 800 | — | Find on Amazon |
The parts, explained
4TB handles big Steam libraries, video projects and archives.
QLC NAND stores more per cell for a lower price per terabyte, but sustained writes and rated endurance are lower, so it suits read-heavy storage.
DRAM-less drives use the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) instead — cheaper, and fine for everyday use and gaming, with a small penalty under heavy random writes.
Common questions
Is a DRAM-less 4TB SSD good enough?
For gaming and everyday use, yes — HMB covers those workloads well. If you run sustained heavy random writes (databases, VMs), a drive with a DRAM cache stays more consistent.
Is QLC reliable at 4TB?
QLC is fine for typical and read-heavy use; just expect a lower rated endurance (TBW) than a comparable TLC drive, and slower writes once the SLC cache fills.