INEXPENSIVE SOLID-STATE STORAGE THROUGH WRITE THROTTLING

Many of the benefits of solid-state-based storage devices can be obtained, while minimizing the costs associated therewith, by write-throttling solid-state storage media in accordance with empirically derived capabilities. Untested solid-state storage media can be obtained inexpensively due to the lack of waste that is otherwise been inherent in the testing and subsequent discarding of solid-state storage media whose capabilities do not meet stringent manufacturer standards. The untested solid-state storage media is initialized through a testing procedure that empirically identifies capabilities of individual solid-state blocks, or groupings of blocks, within such solid-state storage media. Such empirically obtained capability information is then utilized to throttle the speed at which data is written to the solid-state storage media. Additionally, it can enable binning of individual solid-state blocks, or individual groupings of blocks, into bins that can comprise different performance thresholds.