Review We tested 30 m.2 SSD heatsinks to find the top performer: ID-Cooling Zero M05 and M15 Review

[t3t4]

That motherboard has giant M.2 heatsinks which are also double sided. If you needed additional cooling I'd be really concerned as it's a good cooling solution. Many motherboards do not have something anywhere near that good.

I thought the cooling onboard was kinda standard for mid to high end range boards. Maybe the double sided cooling is something unique on paper, but I can tell you it's nothing in reality! There is literally nothing under the drives that make any contact! The board is very thick and heavy though, so that's what they are probably claiming as double sided cooling. The board itself does have a copper layer in it's multi-layer design if memory serves. I like the board, I'd buy it again, but I don't know if it's really worth the $400 I paid for it.

 

[thestryker]

I thought the cooling onboard was kinda standard for mid to high end range boards. Maybe the double sided cooling is something unique on paper, but I can tell you it's nothing in reality! There is literally nothing under the drives that make any contact! The board is very thick and heavy though, so that's what they are probably claiming as double sided cooling. The board itself does have a copper layer in it's multi-layer design if memory serves. I like the board, I'd buy it again, but I don't know if it's really worth the $400 I paid for it.

That board is supposed to have pads under the M.2 which I assume sink into the board, but a lot have nothing at all under the SSD.

 

[t3t4]

That board is supposed to have pads under the M.2 which I assume sink into the board, but a lot have nothing at all under the SSD.

That's exactly what I expected, but not the case at all. Take a quick look at the manual if you want to see how it really is, they have pictures/diagrams. But I assure you there is nothing under any of the SSD's nor is there meant to be anything under them. The double sided cooling is just marketing jargon like everything else on the market. Technically, the board being as thick as it is could potentially wick away some heat from an SSD, but only by convection/induction, not by physical conduction. Nothing physically touches the back side of any SSD on this board!

All my drives run cool enough though, normally hanging in the high 40 to low 50c range. I've never tried to dump a terabyte in one shot, so I don't honestly know how hot they might get over a long term sustained write. But normal usage moving around 100 gigs at a time is no problem at all, for any of the drives I mentioned while only using the inbuilt cooling solution on board.

 

[thestryker]

That's exactly what I expected, but not the case at all. Take a quick look at the manual if you want to see how it really is, they have pictures/diagrams. But I assure you there is nothing under any of the SSD's nor is there meant to be anything under them.

You either got a different board, or one which was damaged in some fashion, because I did look at the manual:

and the MSI page for the board:

aaaaaand just for fun a vid of someone installing them:

 

[t3t4]

You either got a different board, or one which was damaged in some fashion, because I did look at the manual:

and the MSI page for the board:

aaaaaand just for fun a vid of someone installing them:

Well, I sit corrected!
I do not recall anything under the drives on my board, and it was factory sealed. But I did all this back in October (2023) so clearly my memory has failed me again. I did take a quick look at the manual right before I posted my last reply, just to make sure there was nothing under the drives. I saw exactly what I described, but apparently I didn't scroll down the pdf doc far enough to see the rest of it. Yeah, my bad!
Cheers 🍻

 

[thestryker]

Well, I sit corrected!
I do not recall anything under the drives on my board, and it was factory sealed. But I did all this back in October (2023) so clearly my memory has failed me again. I did take a quick look at the manual right before I posted my last reply, just to make sure there was nothing under the drives. I saw exactly what I described, but apparently I didn't scroll down the pdf doc far enough to see the rest of it. Yeah, my bad!
Cheers 🍻

MSI doing this is somewhat notable because Gigabyte for example uses huge heatsinks but nothing on the bottom. I think the majority of current M.2 drives are single sided, but larger capacity are going to need to put the NAND somewhere.

 

[0112358]

You don't list the ineo M3...but it is a near-twin of the top thermally-rated T-FORCE DARK AirFlow I, which costs a good bit more. You don't have to have a degree in thermodynamics to see the M3's capability, which is plenty fine for all workloads. It's a "set it and forget it" low-cost solution that has been out for years now. I purchased my first one in late '21, and the second for another computer in '22. Zero issues.

 

[Albert.Thomas]

That thing is ridiculous! So now you would have to choose between running a GPU or an SSD cooler? I

One of the things I learned from this review is that I need to show pictures of these things next to a GPU

Most GPUs on the market will have no compatibility issues - however if you have one of the 4090 models which cover the M.2 slot next to your GPU it's another matter.

Here's a preview from the next review of this type

 

[t3t4]

One of the things I learned from this review is that I need to show pictures of these things next to a GPU

Most GPUs on the market will have no compatibility issues - however if you have one of the 4090 models which cover the M.2 slot next to your GPU it's another matter.

Here's a preview from the next review of this type

In my case, I have at least 2 SSD's directly under my 4090. There is no way any cooler will fit. Not that I need one with my motherboard. But just sayin.