Read Intensive vs Mixed Use at a Glance

Read Intensive (RI)

• Primary workload: Mostly reads
• Write endurance: Lower than equivalent higher-endurance classes
• Cost: Often lower
• Best suited for: Read-heavy applications
• Typical examples: Content delivery, boot volumes, web servers and read-heavy databases

Mixed Use (MU)

• Primary workload: Combination of reads and writes
• Write endurance: Higher than typical Read Intensive models
• Cost: Usually higher
• Best suited for: More demanding enterprise applications
• Typical examples: Virtualization, databases and transactional workloads

Quick Comparison

Read Intensive: Best when most storage activity consists of reads and write volume is relatively low.

Mixed Use: Better suited to workloads that perform substantially more writes.

What Does Read Intensive Mean?

A Read Intensive SSD is optimized for workloads where data is read frequently but rewritten less often.

Examples may include:

• Web content
• Media delivery
• Reference databases
• Operating-system volumes
• General server applications

What Does Mixed Use Mean?

Mixed Use SSDs are designed for environments with a more balanced mix of read and write operations.

They are often appropriate for:

• Virtual machines
• Databases
• Transactional applications
• Business applications
• Frequently changing datasets

Is Mixed Use Faster Than Read Intensive?

Not necessarily.

The main distinction is generally endurance and workload design, not simply speed.

A Read Intensive SSD can still provide excellent read performance.

Does Mixed Use Last Longer?

Under heavy write workloads, a Mixed Use model generally provides greater write endurance than a comparable Read Intensive model.

However, always compare the manufacturer's actual endurance specification.

What About Write Intensive SSDs?

Some enterprise manufacturers also classify SSDs as Write Intensive.

These drives are designed for workloads with very heavy write activity and typically provide greater endurance.