Solid state drives (SSDs) are becoming increasingly popular for use in computers and other devices due to their fast performance and reliability. However, like all storage devices, SSDs can degrade over time. Checking the health of your SSD can help you identify potential issues before they cause data loss or other problems.
Why is it important to check SSD health?
There are a few key reasons why you should periodically check the health of your SSD:
- Identify early signs of failure – By monitoring SSD health, you can catch issues like bad blocks or memory cell degradation while there is still time to take action, such as replacing the drive.
- Avoid data loss – Undetected SSD issues can lead to serious data corruption or loss. Checking health regularly helps prevent this.
- Maintain performance – As SSDs age and wear out, their read/write speeds can degrade. Tracking health can help you identify when an SSD is slowing down.
- Determine lifespan – SSDs have limited write cycles before they stop functioning. Checking health monitors wear to help estimate remaining useful life.
Keeping an eye on SSD health metrics essentially gives you advance warning about potential problems. This allows you to take steps to protect your data and hardware before it’s too late.
What tools can I use to check SSD health?
There are several free utilities available to monitor the health and performance of an SSD:
1. Manufacturer Tools
Most SSD manufacturers provide their own storage device management tools. These include:
- Samsung Magician – Optimizes and monitors Samsung SSDs.
- Intel Solid State Drive Toolbox – Checks health status of Intel SSDs.
- Kingston SSD Manager – Reports drive health, optimization, and security on Kingston SSDs.
- Crucial Storage Executive – Provides diagnostics for Crucial/Micron SSDs.
These tools give you insights specific to your make and model of SSD. Look up your SSD brand to find their recommended software.
2. Third-Party Tools
There are also many third-party utilities that work across SSD brands:
- CrystalDiskInfo – Free disk health monitoring program that displays SSD wear level, total writes, and remaining life.
- SSDlife – Simple free utility that predicts future SSD lifespan based on wear level and usage data.
- DiskInfo – Free tool that assesses SSD health using S.M.A.R.T. drive monitoring and delivers comprehensible reports.
- GSmartControl – Open source SMART disk health inspector for Linux and Windows.
These tools provide generalized insights into SSD health without being tied to a specific brand. The tradeoff is they may not offer all proprietary metrics and optimizations as manufacturer tools.
What SSD health metrics should I monitor?
There are a number of key SSD health indicators you should keep track of on a regular basis:
1. Wear Level
Wear level refers to the number of program/erase cycles on an SSD. Every time data is written, SSD memory cells wear out slightly until they can no longer reliably hold data. Most SSDs today use wear leveling algorithms to distribute writes across all cells, maximizing overall lifespan.
A high wear level percentage indicates the SSD is nearing the end of its useful life as cells degrade. A low or declining wear level can signify potential hardware issues with the drive.
2. Current Usage Lifetime
This metric estimates how much longer your SSD is expected to remain functional based on wear level and past usage patterns. A usage lifetime under 100% indicates your SSD is deteriorating and may need replacement soon.
3. Uncorrectable Errors
SSDs use error correction code (ECC) technology to detect and fix data errors. However, if the number of bit errors on a drive exceeds ECC capabilities, uncorrectable errors occur. Too many uncorrectable errors indicate component failure or permanent data loss.
4. Bad Blocks
Bad blocks are sections of SSD storage space that can no longer reliably store data due to cell wear or damage. As the number of bad blocks increase, usable drive capacity decreases. Excessive bad blocks signify Hardware issues or premature drive failure.
5. Temperature
SSD controllers and NAND flash wear out faster under high temperatures. Monitoring SSD temperature helps ensure it stays within a safe operating range and allows you to provide additional cooling if needed.
A sudden spike in temperature can also indicate problems like a failing fan or other underlying issues.
6. Read/Write Errors
Read or write errors occur when the SSD has trouble accessing data from specific memory cells. This points to cell damage or controller issues. Increasing error rates require investigation and can lead to freezing, crashing, or data corruption.
7. Read/Write Speed
SSDs tend to experience slower read/write speeds as they age and cells degrade. If you notice your SSD performance dropping despite optimization attempts, it likely indicates wear or component issues.
You’ll want to keep an eye on both sequential and random access speeds for a full performance picture.
How do I check SSD health in Windows?
Windows provides a couple easy ways to get insights into your SSD’s health and performance:
1. Disk Defragmenter
Windows Disk Defragmenter shows basic drive statistics including health status, total writes, and wear level percentage. To access it:
- Open the Start Menu and search for “Defragment and Optimize Drives”
- Select your SSD and click “Analyze”
- Scroll down to view health stats including wear level and writes
2. Performance Monitor
For more detailed SSD performance data, use the Performance Monitor tool:
- Open the Start Menu and search for “Performance Monitor”
- Click the “+” icon to add counters like “Wear Leveling Count” and “Read/Write Errors”
- Monitor values over time to check for anomalies
This gives you real-time tracking of critical SSD health metrics so you can catch issues as they emerge.
3. S.M.A.R.T. Data
The S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) system built into modern hard drives monitors internal operations and reports health indicators. To check an SSD’s S.M.A.R.T. data:
- Open File Explorer and right-click your SSD
- Select “Properties” > “Tools” > Click “Check”
- Review the S.M.A.R.T. status and reported metrics
This provides deeper technical insights like temperature, unsafe shutdowns, and failed component counts.
How do I check SSD health on Mac?
Macs also include utilities to monitor SSD health statistics:
1. Disk Utility
The Disk Utility app shows high-level SMART status, total data written, wear level, and runtime for your SSD. To access:
- Open Finder > Applications > Disk Utility
- Select your SSD and view the info pane
2. System Information
For more advanced technical data, use System Information:
- Open Finder > Applications > System Information
- Select “Hardware” > “NVMe” or “SATA” > Your SSD
- View detailed SMART stats and drive characteristics
3. smartmontools
The smartmontools command line utility provides full control over monitoring and analysis of SSD S.M.A.R.T data. To use:
- Install smartmontools package
- Use “smartctl” command to view health stats
- Set up scripts to log S.M.A.R.T. data to monitor over time
How do I check SSD health in Linux?
Linux offers robust tools for examining SSD drive health and performance from the command line:
1. smartmontools
As mentioned above, the smartmontools utility can fully read out S.M.A.R.T. drive information. Key commands include:
-
smartctl -a /dev/sda
– Print full health summary
-
smartctl -l selftest /dev/sda
– Start/view self-test
-
smartctl -A /dev/sda
– Extract attributes like wear level
2. hdparm
The hdparm tool can test SSD performance. Useful options:
-
hdparm -Tt /dev/sda
– Execute read speed test
-
hdparm --read-sector /dev/sda
– Check for read errors
3. badblocks
The badblocks command identifies damaged blocks on a drive. Run it regularly to find bad blocks before extensive data loss occurs:
sudo badblocks -sv /dev/sda > badblocks.txt
4. S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring Tools
Tools like GSmartControl and Disks provide GUI access to S.M.A.R.T. data on Linux. They also support tracking drive health over time.
Conclusion
Checking SSD health does not need to be complex with the right tools. Monitor wear level, lifespan, errors, bad blocks, temps, and performance to get a complete picture of your SSD’s status.
Catching issues early allows you to take preventative steps like:
- Cloning data to a new SSD
- Increasing cooling
- Updating SSD firmware
- Optimizing usage to reduce wear
With valuable data and productivity at stake, keeping tabs on SSD health is a quick, simple process that every user should learn. Implementing regular drive health checks gives you the peace of mind that your SSD will operate reliably for its full lifespan.