All Flash based storage devices are subject to Flash cell wear – USB thumb drives, Media Cards, Tablet PCs and SSDs. Flash is rated in P/E cycles or program erase cycles. This is the minimum number of times the Flash cell can be written to or erased before it is considered at the end of its useful life. There is not a penalty for read operations to an SSD. Mainstream Flash in use today ranges from five thousand P/E cycles on the high end and as low as one thousand P/E cycles on the low end. This broad range of endurance offerings allows a user to select an SSD that is appropriate for a given application and at an advantageous price point.