Do you need an NVMe SSD heatsink?

In this article, we'll talk about why SSDs heat up, when you might need an SSD heatsink for your NVMe drive, and the best Crucial SSD with heatsink for your PlayStation 5 (PS5).

NVMe SSDs are made up of a controller chip, a DRAM chip, and NAND flash memory chips:

• The controller chip acts as a CPU to manage all the drive's data read/write activities
• The DRAM chip serves as a cache between the SSD and any connected devices
• The NAND flash memory chips store your data

The more data you transfer, the harder each of these components will work and the hotter they will get. This will happen when you're: 

• Doing a lot of things simultaneously, like having a lot of programs open or keeping a large numbers of browser tabs running
• Moving large files around, which writes data in a new location while erasing the data from the original location
• Running data-intensive programs, such as photo/video processing  software or games

It will also take time for heat to dissipate once the SSD has gone back to being idle. 

If your SSD's controller chip gets too hot, it will throttle to prevent damage. It does this by capping its data transfer rate, which will limit your drive's performance. 

So having a passive/active way of cooling your SSD's controller chip is a good idea, as it allows your drive to safely transfer data at its maximum speeds. 

However, your SSD's NAND chips needs some level of heat to run without degrading, which means that cooling your SSD to keep it running fast may also affect its lifespan. So, if you’re a typical, everyday user, then a heatsink may not be as necessary as it would be for a professional running large workloads. Consider your computing needs and assess if a heatsink is a must for your setup.

If your computer fan starts making a lot of noise, your games start lagging, or your programs start showing a lot of “spinning wheels,” your SSD might be getting too hot. 

For an accurate measure of your SSD's temperature, download Crucial's free toolCrucial Storage Executive. This handy piece of lightweight software uses a sensor on your SSD to report its current temperature and its highest lifetime temperature. 

The operating range for most Crucial SSDs is 0 to 70 °C (or 32 to 158 °F).

If you’re concerned about your SSD’s temperature, check it frequently to see if it regularly runs above 65°C (149°F). If it does, you should consider improving your computer’s ventilation, updating or adding fans, or adding an NVMe heatsink.

A heatsink is a piece of hardware that is designed to redirect heat away from your SSD to enhance performance. Some SSDs come with built-in heatsinks. Other heatsinks can be purchased separately and attached to an SSD. More and more, motherboards are being designed with built-in heatsinks as well. 

If you plan to regularly move a high volume of data, you may want an NVMe SSD with a heatsink to combat the high temperatures associated with faster performance. 

How do heatsinks work? 
There  are several devices that are designed to keep your computer cool. They fall into two categories: passive cooling (options with no moving parts, such as a heatsink) and active cooling (options with a powered component, such as a fan). 

Fan ventilation 
Computer cases have holes in them to passively let heat out and away from delicate components. Fans are used to actively push or pull heat out through these holes. Most often, your computer will have (and need.) 

But as any gamer can attest, all fans will create some level of noise and clog up with dust over time. 

Heatsink 
Once connected to your motherboard or SSD via thermal paste, thermal tape, or a thermal pad, an SSD heatsink will 'absorb' excess heat generated by the outer components and vent it outwards. 

SSD heatsinks look like a small radiator – the fins offer a larger surface area than a flat piece of metal, so heat traveling through it will dissipate more quickly. 

For example, the Crucial SSD heatsink relies on natural conduction to passively extract heat from the source through moving it from a high-temperature to low-temperature environment. Crucial's T700 range of SSDs with heatsinks offers maximum performance without the noise or failure risk of integrated fans or liquid cooling. 

Our NVMe heatsinks are made from aluminum and nickel-plated copper to maximize performance for games and 3D rendering without throttle. 

Liquid SSD cooler 
An SSD cooler uses the same principle as heatsinks but supersized as an active solution for rigs that are regularly operating at maximum performance. 

Cooled liquid is around the system, picking up heat as it goes to be disposed of elsewhere. Liquid NVMe coolers are generally more efficient than heatsinks, but also come with higher price tags and require more maintenance.

Sony's PlayStation 5 requires an SSD with effective heat dissipation. 

The Crucial T700 and the Crucial T500 SSD are your best choices for a PS5 SSD with a heatsink. It has an integrated premium thermal heatsink that exceeds Sony’s recommendations. 

It's engineered for precision PS5 airflow and gives you ample space for more games and downloadable content (DLC) on your PS5.

Heatsinks offer passive cooling that keeps your delicate (and expensive!) computer components safe from damage caused by overheating. 

You may need an SSD heatsink if… 

• You need to continuously transfer large amounts of data, for example if you're a prosumer who uses photo or video software all day 
• You regularly experience loud fan noises or laggy, unresponsive software 
• You're upgrading your PS5 with a replacement SSD 

You don't need an SSD heatsink if… 

• Your motherboard has one built-in – most mid/high-end motherboards will come with a basic heatsink as part of the build 
• Your case already has good airflow over the CPU, GPU, and SSD 
• You only transfer large amounts of data sporadically, such as monthly back-ups or occasionally playing high-performance games