It is completely normal for Solid State Drives (SSDs) to get hot during operation. SSDs contain flash memory chips and a controller that manages read and write operations. When in active use, the controller and memory chips consume power, which generates heat. Some warming is expected and well within the operating limits of quality SSDs.
What causes SSDs to get hot?
There are a few key reasons why SSDs tend to run warm when being accessed:
- Power consumption – SSDs use electricity to power the memory chips and controller. This power draw generates heat.
- Data activities – When data is being written to or read from the SSD, it requires more work by the controller and memory chips, increasing power use and heat.
- Enclosed space – Many SSDs are designed to fit in tight quarters like laptops and desktops. This confined space can cause heat to build up.
- Environment – Higher ambient temperatures will make it more difficult for the SSD’s heat to dissipate.
In essence, an SSD is a complex electronic component with many densely packed parts. It requires power to function and access data, which inevitably creates some excess heat that must be dissipated to avoid overheating.
What temperatures are considered normal?
Most consumer SSDs are designed to operate at temperatures between 0°C to 70°C (32°F to 158°F). However, optimal temperatures for longevity fall within a narrower 20°C to 50°C (68°F to 122°F) range. Temperatures up to 70°C are considered normal, but the closer to that maximum temperature, the more aggressively the SSD will need to throttle performance to prevent overheating damage.
Here are some benchmarks for SSD operating temperatures:
- Idle: 25°C to 40°C (77°F to 104°F)
- Moderate use: 35°C to 50°C (95°F to 122°F)
- Heavy use: 45°C to 70°C (113°F to 158°F)
Most SSDs will be in the 30°C to 55°C (86°F to 131°F) range during typical consumer workloads like booting an OS, launching applications, file transfers, etc. Temperatures up to about 70°C are considered normal, but the SSD may throttle performance in this range to prevent overheating.
Is a hot SSD a cause for concern?
An SSD reaching warmer temperatures like 50°C to 70°C (122°F to 158°F) during sustained workloads is not necessarily a cause for concern on its own. All SSDs are designed to handle temperatures up to 70°C or more without issue. However, there are some reasons an excessively hot SSD should prompt further inspection:
- Thermal throttling – An overheating SSD will start throttling performance. This can cause slowdowns.
- Abnormal heat – If the SSD is much hotter than similar models under load, it may indicate a fault.
- Enclosure issues – Excess heat could be caused by poor airflow and cooling in the SSD’s enclosure.
- Age – Older SSDs may run warmer than when new as the flash memory wears.
- Workload – Very heavy workloads past normal consumer use can push temperatures upward.
Ideally, SSD temperatures should stay in the 30°C to 55°C (86°F to 131°F) range for optimal performance and endurance. If your SSD is consistently reaching 70°C+ (158°F+) during normal use, take steps to improve cooling like:
- Adding case fans
- Improving airflow around the SSD
- Undervolting the SSD if possible
- Using a heatsink
For workstations and servers running very intensive workloads, it may be normal for SSDs to exceed 70°C. Most enterprise/datacenter SSDs are designed to operate up to 85°C (185°F) or even higher temperatures.
How can I monitor SSD temperature?
To check on your SSD’s temperature, there are several options:
- Utility software – Most SSD manufacturers provide utility software that can report drive temperature. Examples include Samsung Magician, WD Dashboard, etc.
- Motherboard tools – Motherboard utilities like Asus AI Suite or Gigabyte System Information Viewer can often read SSD temps.
- Third party apps – Apps like Speccy, CrystalDiskInfo, or HWInfo can all read and log SSD temperatures.
- Enclosure reporting – External enclosures may have temperature readouts on an LCD screen or LEDs.
The easiest way is generally to install your SSD manufacturer’s dedicated utility software. This will provide current temperatures and logging over time. If unsure, try multiple utilities to cross-check values.
Tips to cool down a hot SSD
If your SSD is running warmer than you’d like, consider these tips to cool it down:
- Improve case airflow – Add intake/exhaust fans to create airflow across the SSD.
- Reorient the SSD – Rotate or move it to find a cooler part of the case.
- Undervolt if possible – Undervolting can lower power draw and temperatures.
- Use a heatsink – Attach an SSD heatsink to dissipate heat better.
- Minimize enclosures – Avoid tight external enclosures that trap heat.
- Control ambient temps – Keep the surrounding environment cooler.
- Update firmware – Newer firmware may improve power management.
- Throttling when hot – Enabling thermal throttling can limit temperatures.
Even simple steps like improving case airflow or repositioning your SSD can make a decent difference. For more extreme cooling, heatsinks and undervolting are most effective.
Do heatsinks make a big difference?
Heatsinks can definitely help lower SSD temperatures, but the magnitude of difference depends on several factors:
- Heatsink design – Larger heatsinks with more cooling fins work better.
- Thermal interface – Using a thermal pad vs. thermal paste affects heat transfer.
- Airflow – Heatsinks require airflow to dissipate heat.
- Workload – The heaviest workloads show the biggest improvements.
- Throttling – Enabling throttling improves cooling from heatsinks.
With optimal conditions – a large heatsink, thermal paste, fans blowing air over the heatsink, and throttling enabled – temperatures can lower by 15°C or more. With suboptimal conditions, heatsinks may only provide a few degrees of change.
Should I be concerned about SSD lifespan?
In general, hotter operating temperatures will shorten the functional lifespan of an SSD. However, for typical consumer workloads, even temperatures up to 70°C should not significantly impact SSD longevity.
Here are a few considerations around temperature and SSD lifespan:
- Wear – Hotter SSDs wear out NAND flash memory faster, consuming more of the drive’s endurance rating.
- Age degradation – Higher heat accelerates the degradation of NAND flash over time.
- Failure rates – Excessive heat increases the chances of SSD failure.
- Guidelines – Keeping temps 30°C-55°C delays wear and extends longevity.
- Workloads – Consumer tasks generate little wear compared to heavy workloads.
For normal everyday computing – documents, media, gaming, etc. – the amount of wear from higher temperatures is negligible. But for servers under constant heavy load, cooler operation does matter for longevity.
What are safe SSD temperatures for extended use?
While SSDs can withstand short bursts of heat up to 70°C or higher, the ideal temperature range for longevity is 30°C to 55°C (86°F to 131°F). Staying within 30°C-55°C as much as possible will maximize the SSD’s functional lifespan.
At the upper limits, keeping sustained use below 70°C is considered safe by SSD makers in regard to endurance and preventing damage. For light workloads, temperatures in the 50°C-70°C range are generally still fine for the drive’s lifespan.
But for heavy workloads with sustained reads/writes, cooler is better. For enterprise/datacenter use, it’s recommended to keep drives under 55°C, and even cooler when possible through sufficient airflow or heatsinks.
With light consumer workloads, SSD lifespan differences due to temperature are measured in years. But for heavy workloads, sticking to lower temperatures can equate to months or even weeks more usable life.
What is thermal throttling?
Thermal throttling is when an SSD intentionally slows down its data transfer rates to avoid overheating once it reaches higher temperatures around 70°C. By reducing performance, the SSD lowers power consumption and heat output.
Most modern SSDs have thermal sensors and are designed to throttle performance when necessary. The exact temperatures that trigger throttling vary across SSD models, but it generally occurs between 70°C to 80°C.
Throttling acts as a protection mechanism to avoid component damage at excessively high temperatures. However, the reduced performance may be noticeable to users in real world use when thermal limits are reached.
Should I enable thermal throttling?
Enabling your SSD’s thermal throttling capability is recommended for most users as it provides a safety mechanism against overheating. The downsides of throttling are minimal for typical workloads.
The benefits of thermal throttling include:
- Prevents overheating damage from sustained reads/writes.
- Allows SSD to exceed 70°C without immediate risk.
- Extends component life by reducing wear at high temps.
- More consistent performance vs. sharp slowdowns if overheated.
The drawbacks are mainly that throttled performance may impact workflows for high intensity tasks:
- Speed may be reduced during demanding file transfers.
- Large file processing tasks will take slightly longer.
- Not optimal for servers and workstations under heavy constant load.
For desktop and laptop users, enabling thermal throttling provides a good safety net with minimal downsides. But users running more performance-sensitive workloads may prefer disabling throttling.
Can I prevent thermal throttling?
It is possible to prevent thermal throttling on many SSDs if you want maximum performance at all times. Methods vary across manufacturers but include:
- Toggle in SSD toolbox/utility software.
- Firmware tweak through EFI/BIOS settings.
- OS registry edit or other system setting change.
- Third party SSD management tools.
- Disabling throttling voids warranty in some cases.
Disabling throttling will let the SSD run at peak speeds even when very hot. However, take care to actively monitor temperatures to avoid potential damage from overheating.
An alternative to fully disabling throttling is setting a higher temperature threshold before it kicks in.
Overall, most consumers are better off leaving throttling enabled for safety. Disabling makes sense in specific situations like performance benchmarking or data center deployments with rigorous cooling.
Do NVMe SSDs run hotter than SATA SSDs?
NVMe SSDs do generally run hotter than SATA SSDs under sustained heavy workloads. There are a few reasons for this:
- Higher speeds – NVMe can handle more simultaneous operations, using more power.
- Direct PCIe connection – NVMe may have higher power delivery than SATA.
- Smaller form factors – M.2 sticks have less surface area for cooling.
However, for lighter consumer workloads, NVMe and SATA SSD temperatures are comparable. The greater efficiency of NVMe balances out much of the added heat under low loads.
It takes sustained heavy traffic like sequential file transfers at max speeds to make NVMe SSDs heat up substantially more than SATA. For mixed random I/O, the difference is marginal for most users.
Are external SSD enclosures a cooling concern?
Tight external SSD enclosures can contribute to higher temperatures compared to open air due to restricted airflow. However, quality enclosures are designed to dissipate heat adequately under normal workloads.
Factors to consider with external SSD cooling include:
- Enclosure material – Metal or plastic construction affects heat dissipation.
- Ventilation – Some enclosures have vents or grills to improve airflow.
- Active cooling – Integrated fans in an enclosure can prevent heat buildup.
- Drive speed – High speed drives generate more heat from heavy workloads.
- Usage – Heavy workloads in a confined enclosure create more heat.
For light everyday usage like storage and backups, most enclosures maintain safe temperatures. Under hours of sustained file transfers, ventilation and materials make a bigger difference.
Enterprise enclosures built for heavy workloads often include features like metal construction, thermal pads, active cooling, and temperature monitoring to keep drives cool.
Can I check an SSD’s health based on temperature?
While higher temperatures put more wear on SSDs, monitoring current drive temperature alone provides limited insight into overall SSD health or remaining lifespan.
More important health indicators to check include:
- Wear percentage remaining
- Total data written to SSD
- Error rates for reads and writes
- Number of bad blocks
In combination with other stats, sustained high temperatures may suggest a problem. But brief temperature spikes during intense activities are normal for a healthy drive.
An SSD reaching very high temps like 90°C+ can indicate more immediate trouble from a controller malfunction or failed cooling. But more moderate increases in temperature just show expected wear, not a functional problem.
Conclusion
SSDs are designed to handle reasonably high operating temperatures thanks to built-in throttling. While cooler is better for longevity, temperatures up to 70°C are considered normal and safe for most SSDs under load.
Higher-end SSDs for professional use are engineered to withstand up to 80°C or more. For light daily computing, there is minimal effect on SSD lifespan from increased heat.
Monitoring utilities can check your SSD’s current temperature. If cooling is inadequate, steps like adding airflow or installing a heatsink can lower temperatures for sustained heavy workloads.
Keeping an eye on your SSD’s temperature is recommended. But moderate warmth is expected from these dense components. Only consistently high temps approaching the SSD’s maximum ratings call for concern.