SSD Overheating
Though the general consensus is that, unlike traditional hard drives, Solid State Drives do not need cooling, for
those
SSDs on the higher-speed end of the spectrum, this might be another story.
With a growing number of digital audio or video production, gaming, and enterprise applications, recent years have
seen
a rising market demand for large-scale data transfer. A PCI express SSD today offers up to 6 times the transfer
rates
of a SATA III one, making the PCIe a much favored choice among those who are after lightning speeds and top-notch
performances. Whilst this sounds like wonderful news, the downside can be that these SSDs now come in sizes just
as, if
not increasingly, compact. The downscaling for space raises issues of power consumption and heat generation for the
storage device.
If a storage device runs at too high a temperature for a prolonged period of time, not only are the components more
prone to failure, but a shortened lifespan of the SSD and data loss are likely to ensue. A proactive measure,
therefore, must be implemented to tackle the SSD dissipation territory.
The Thermal Sensor and How It Works
Thermal throttling is one effective workaround for this situation.
A thermal sensor, as its name suggests, collects in real-time an SSD’s thermal information, making temperature
readings available for the platform Host or for the SSD controller. If the SSD’s temperature exceeds a certain
threshold level, the device’s read/write speeds are throttled down to allow the SSD to operate in a desired thermal
range. Making sure that the SSD’s temperature does not exceed this critical level is crucial for SSD durability.
The sensor obtains thermal information for smarter SSD maneuvering, and through throttling, the SSD’s performance is
temporarily reduced as a trade-off for sustainability. By doing so, the reliability of the device and integrity of
data
can be protected long-term.
Conclusion
By utilizing the thermal sensor, a storage device is able to monitor any temperature changes and protect itself from
potential damages caused by overheating. In addition, with the thermal information gathered, platform developers
and users can establish a monitoring system that caters to their individual preferences. With this protective
mechanism, data safety can be ensured and the overall system reliability optimized.