NetApp AFF C Series vs AFF A Series: Which All-Flash Storage Platform Is Right for You?
NetApp’s AFF (All-Flash FAS) portfolio addresses a vast range of storage demands, but recent product launches and updates have brought frequent questions from businesses evaluating the NetApp AFF C Series versus the AFF A Series. Both lines provide enterprise-grade flash storage, but they target distinct use cases, workloads, and IT priorities. This blog post delivers a detailed, unbiased, and deeply technical comparison of the two series, equipping you with the knowledge to make informed decisions for your organization’s storage strategy.
Introduction: The Need for Choice in Modern Data Storage
Modern businesses face exponential data growth, increased demands on performance, and relentless cost pressures. IT teams must not only ensure high performance, but also resilience, scalability, and efficiency to meet evolving needs—with little room for compromise. NetApp, a leader in the storage domain, recognizes that “one size fits all” is impractical. That’s why its AFF portfolio has bifurcated into the high-performance-focused A Series and the capacity-optimized, cost-conscious C Series.
Understanding the subtle and not-so-subtle differences is crucial for solution architects, storage admins, and technology leaders tasked with modernizing storage infrastructure and safeguarding data assets.
AFF A Series: Performance, Flexibility, and Low Latency
Key Features and Capabilities
- High Performance: The A Series is engineered for the most demanding workloads—think mission-critical databases, real-time analytics, transactional systems, AI/ML pipelines, and performance-sensitive virtualization.
- Ultra-Low Latency: NVMe flash drives and end-to-end NVMe architecture deliver consistent latency measured in sub-milliseconds, making the difference for applications requiring response times in the 100s of microseconds.
- Modular Scalability: Highly flexible, allowing upgrades in controller technology, SSD sizes, and new protocols while protecting previous investments.
- Versatility: Unified block, file, and object protocol support enables consolidated workloads on a single platform.
Hardware at a Glance
| Model | Ideal For | Max Effective Capacity | Max SSDs | Chassis Form Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFF A900 | Ultimate flexibility, hybrid cloud | 65.2 PB | 480 | 8U |
| AFF A800 | Demanding workloads & AI | 316.3 PB | 2880 | 4U |
| AFF A700/A400 | Enterprise apps, scale | 702.7 PB | 5760 | 8U/4U |
| AFF A250 | Demanding mid-sized workloads | 702.7 PB | 5760 | 2U |
| AFF A150 | SMB & branch office | 106 PB | 1728 | 2U |
- End-to-End NVMe: All models, except entry-level, leverage NVMe for maximum bandwidth and minimal latency.
- MetroCluster Support: Enterprise-class business continuity and disaster recovery are supported across almost all A Series models.
- Data Management & Security: Industry-leading ONTAP software, comprehensive native data protection (SnapMirror, SnapVault), ransomware protection, and encryption at rest and in flight.
AFF C Series: Capacity, Efficiency, and Value
Key Features and Capabilities
- High-Density, Cost-Optimized: The C Series exploits QLC flash (Quad-Level Cell) technology to provide massive capacity at significantly lower cost per TB than the A Series.
- Great for Consolidation: Designed for Tier 2 and general-purpose workloads, virtualization, file services, backup targets, and as a replacement for aging hybrid/HDD and legacy storage.
- Impressive Efficiency: Up to 99% floor space savings and 97% power savings over hybrid arrays, as well as robust data reduction.
- Cloud-Ready: Seamlessly integrate with public/hybrid cloud for tiering cold data, further driving efficiency and ROI.
- Data Protection Parity: Shares the same ONTAP software stack and advanced security/ransomware features as the A Series.
Hardware at a Glance
| Model | Ideal For | Max Effective Capacity | Max SSDs | Chassis Form Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFF C80 | High-capacity workloads | 707.3 PB | 24 nodes (clustered) | 4U (48 SSD slots) |
| AFF C60 | Balanced workload consolidation | 353.6 PB | 24 nodes | 2U (24 SSD slots) |
| AFF C30 | General purpose, mid-tier | 106 PB | 24 nodes | 2U (24 SSD slots) |
| AFF C400/C250 (previous gen) | Simpler deployments | 71 PB/35 PB | 1152/576 | 4U/2U |
- Extreme Density: Up to 1.5PB raw in 2U; 3PB raw in 4U; perfect for rack-space constrained datacenters.
- Lower Power Draw: Typical power consumption for midrange models is within 680-1800W.
- High Node Count: Supports cluster scale-out up to 24 nodes typical, ideal for capacity aggregation.
Head-to-Head Performance Analysis
Raw Throughput and IOPS
- AFF A Series excels with higher maximum IO and throughput due to NVMe TLC (Triple-Level Cell) SSD technology, advanced controllers, and more memory/cache. For peak sequential read—A Series delivers up to ~30GB/s; C Series about 27GB/s.
- Practical Latency: The A Series provides consistently lower datacenter-grade latency (hundreds of microseconds), while C Series typically shows 1.5–2 ms latency on workloads not fully cache-resident.
- Random Writes: Performance is similar between lines because both utilize the same NVRAM for write acceleration; most differences are seen in random reads and sequential throughput.
- For real-time analytics, trading systems, or any workload where every millisecond counts, A Series remains the go-to. For backup, VDI, user file shares, and test/dev, C Series matches or exceeds the needs with greater value.
Scalability & Expansion
- Both offer impressive scale-out, with up to 24 nodes per cluster (depending on model), but A Series provides more expansive controller scalability and can utilize the largest SSD pools.
- The C Series is simpler to scale for capacity expansion on a budget, leveraging QLC flash as volumes of cold or infrequently accessed data explode.
Cloud & Hybrid Integration
- Both support seamless cloud integration, but the C Series is particularly well suited for cloud tiering (FabricPool), offloading cold data to S3-compatible object storage for further cost savings without performance penalty for hot data.
- Unified (block, file, object) protocols make both lines ideal for modern multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments.
Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
- C Series is designed for a lower price point per effective TB, enabled by QLC flash, high density, and aggressive data reduction.
- A Series commands a premium, reflecting its best-in-class performance, controller HW, and advanced connectivity for critical workloads.
- Energy consumption and space efficiency tilt heavily in favor of the C Series, with up to 97% power savings and substantial rack space reduction, further improving long-term TCO.
The C Series offers the lowest-capacity entry point for all-flash arrays within the NetApp stable, targeting organizations looking to replace hybrid/HDD without the costs usually associated with performance-Tier 1 all-flash.
Use Cases: Where Each Line Shines
| AFF A Series | AFF C Series |
|---|---|
| Mission-critical transactional DBs | File services (Windows/UNIX home directories, contents) |
| Ultra-low latency VMs (VDI, VDBs, high IOPS) | Backup/restore targets, disaster recovery secondaries |
| AI/ML pipelines, HPC, Analytics | Large-scale VM density, dev/test, general use |
| Tier 1 enterprise SaaS applications | Cold/archival data consolidation |
| High-frequency trading and financials | Replacement for hybrid/HDD legacy arrays |
| Environments needing MetroCluster business continuity | Organizations prioritizing cost, space, and energy savings |
| Workloads with significant future expansion/scalability needs | Cloud-integrated storage where latency is less critical |
Technical Architecture Insights
Flash Media: TLC vs. QLC
- A Series: Almost exclusively TLC NVMe (3 bits per cell)—higher endurance and performance, but at higher cost.
- C Series: QLC NVMe (4 bits per cell)—much higher raw capacity and lower $/GB. QLC endurance has improved but remains better suited to read-heavy, less write-intensive workloads.
- NVRAM Module (Write Cache): Both use NetApp’s NVRAM for fast, consistent write performance, minimizing differences for random write workloads.
Data Services
- Both run the ONTAP unified storage OS, ensuring feature parity for:
Form Factor and Hardware Differences
- A Series: Support more flexible controller upgrades, higher max RAM/CPU,, and NVMe-over-Fabric (NVMe-oF) for lowest-latency remote attachment.
- C Series: Simpler expansion, extreme density, lower power/thermal profile.
Sustainability Considerations
The C Series is purpose-built for sustainability: 95%+ space savings and 85–97% lower energy consumption over older hybrid platforms, supporting enterprise environmental mandates. The move to QLC and cloud tiering further minimizes carbon impact over legacy storage.
Which Model Should You Choose?
The answer depends on balancing your organization’s workload profile, performance demands, risk tolerance, expansion roadmap, and budget:
- Choose AFF A Series if you require:
- Consistent, ultra-low-latency storage for critical applications (sub-ms)
- Investment protection and maximum flexibility for future upgrades
- MetroCluster or multi-site disaster recovery built-in
- Highest performance per node and support for advanced NVMe-over-Fabric
- Choose AFF C Series if you want:
- Best value per terabyte for large data volumes
- Efficient Tier 2, general-purpose, or secondary storage
- Modern architecture for file, block, and object at lower TCO
- Dramatically reduced energy, cooling, and rackspace requirements
- Improved sustainability profile
Future-Proofing: NetApp’s Unified ONTAP Platform
A key strategic advantage is that both series run ONTAP, meaning that workflows, automation, security, APIs, and management remain consistent as needs evolve. This protects earlier investment, simplifies training, and ensures smooth integration for hybrid and multi-cloud initiatives.
Conclusion: Tailored to Your Business
NetApp’s recent innovation in the C Series has democratized all-flash storage, making compelling efficiency and scale available to a broader range of enterprises and workloads. At the same time, the A Series continues to define the performance benchmark for mission-critical environments.
- Evaluate your key applications and growth trajectory.
- Assess the acceptable latency for your use cases.
- Project capacity needs and regulatory requirements.
- Model the potential TCO savings—factoring not just hardware, but also space, power, management simplicity, and the business risks of downtime.
When in doubt, consult with storage architects (at PreRack IT) and share your real workloads. Many enterprises deploy both—A for Tier 1, C for everything else—building a unified, future-ready data fabric.
