More than 100 models tested. Overview of (M.2) SSD coolers

It’s time for a comprehensive recap of the results from SSD cooler tests we’ve accumulated over the years. We’ve gathered quite a lot of data, with most of the coolers being models integrated into motherboards, compared to standalone designs available for purchase. The following article primarily creates a database of various SSD coolers, based on which you’ll be able to determine how each available model performs in terms of cooling efficiency.

Conclusion

The highest cooling performance was observed when installing the SSD on the back of the Asus Dual RTX 4060 Ti SSD graphics card. This was in passive mode, where the fans integrated into the graphics card cooler were not involved in cooling. Additionally, the same cooling performance for the SSD controller was achieved by the first SSD cooler on the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Pro X motherboard. This cooler even surpasses the Axagon CLR-M2XL, which is already excellent among third-party coolers, especially for cooling the SSD controller. These coolers are at the very top of cooling efficiency, similar to, for example, the Thermalright HR-10 2280.

The mid-range, or coolers that fall between the most and least efficient, can be found in the graphs. Lower cooling performance doesn’t always mean that the cooler is “worse” in design, but it could simply be due to its low profile or the use of “less” material. This, however, gives it above-standard compatibility, allowing it to fit even under expansion cards. A good example of this is the BeQuiet! MC1, but there are many other similar models.

When it comes to SSD coolers on motherboards, historically, MSI designs have achieved weaker results. However, it can always be noted that there is at least some reduction in temperature, which can determine whether the SSD reaches its maximum performance or not. The difference between “no cooler” and “the most efficient cooler” is approximately 50 degrees Celsius for the Samsung 980 Pro (1 TB). It’s difficult to determine this precisely, as the upper temperature limit is associated with throttling, and the measured temperatures do not correspond to comparable performance (when overheating, the SSD’s performance is lower than in a situation where the controller temperatures are still “acceptable” and non-restrictive).

Whether it makes sense to invest in an SSD cooler is subjective. If you need to cool high performance, a cooler is useful, but in practice, for gaming PCs, where even the most powerful modern SSDs do not reach high power consumption under typical loads, the cooler is more of an aesthetic addition than something you can’t do without. However, this can vary from case to case, and especially for SSDs supporting PCIe 5.0, some form of cooling is advisable—at least as a preventive measure. It’s always possible that the SSD may temporarily experience higher loads, which it cannot handle without a cooler, or if it does, the result will be lower than expected performance.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš