Do magnets affect ssds?

[tSatoZi]

I asked this question on some forums but get mixed results/unrelated. Say if a neodymium (stacked 4mm dics) stayed near(11 inches away) the ssd for about 1 month. will it affect it in any way? (data, speed, ect.)
picture of magnets(1 stack of these): http://g04.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1xHRtIXXXXXahXXXXq6xXFXXXf/500pcs-2mm-x-2mm-Neodymium-magnets-2x2-rare-earth-tiny-magnets-fridge-N35-2-2-Art.jpg

Update: magnets: MAGCREDIBLE® Magnets - 1/8" x 1/16" Rare Earth Disc, Package of 100

EDIT: Also will scanning the drive pick up *problems* on the (if any)drive?
and yes the magnet is still(in container) and the ssd is disconnected from any machine/not on

EDIT II:
got a better picture: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ALu4Y-Z3L._SL1221_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CvlyZavVL._SL1217_.jpg

 

[blazorthon]

Just sitting there, no, it would not. If it's moving around a lot and the SSD is on, then you might have some problems, but that's just speculation and I don't know for sure if the voltage induced is enough to affect anything. 11 inches is pretty far away for a magnet, so there probably wouldn't be a noticeable effect, but again, that's guesswork.

It won't erase stored data like a magnet on a hard drive.

 

[drtweak]

a quote taken from PC World article.

Fortunately, most modern storage devices, such as SD and CompactFlash memory cards, are immune to magnetic fields. "There's nothing magnetic in flash memory, so [a magnet] won't do anything," says Bill Frank, executive director of the CompactFlash Association. "A magnet powerful enough to disturb the electrons in flash would be powerful enough to suck the iron out of your blood cells," says Frank.

 

[N3rdR4ge]

depends on the strength of the magnet. those ones in the picture, no chance.

 

[joex444]

SSDs are affected by electricity, not magnetism.

HDDs are also shielded, so you'd need several Tesla of magnetic field in order to alter anything to start with. Think about how strong the magnet inside the HDD is if you're ever torn one open. That magnet is inside the drive, much closer than you can get a magnet from outside and it's not shielded inside there. Next, the amount of force that is applied to a magnetic object by a magnet is a fourth power law, so if the magnet is halfway between the outside of the drive and the platter then it would apply 16x the force that placing a magnet of the same strength would if it were on the outside of the drive. There's just no way that HDDs are able to be erased by external magnets that you'd see outside of an electromagnetic laboratory.

I always laugh when I see people try and keep magnetic screwdrivers away from the drive.

 

[blazorthon]

To be fair, of course they'll say things like that because they want to sell the products. In reality, a permanent magnet affects any circuit, but only when the magnet or the circuit is moving. Well, it's actually more complicated than that, but that's a basic idea. Moving the magnet or circuit induces a current in the copper traces that doesn't belong there. However, even fairly powerful magnets probably can't' do much to a small circuit, especially from that far away.

Magnetic fields (flux, so not a field on its on, but a moving or otherwise changing field) induce current in circuits (this is why generators produce power), so saying that SSDs are completely unaffected by magnets is false. Also, it's fairly easy to wipe a hard drive with a magnet. They certainly are not shielded enough to stop decent neodymium magnets. This is also how inductors work.

Magnetic screwdrivers are pretty weak, like fridge magnets. Those wouldn't harm most hard drives.

 

[Dugimodo]

Even a conventional hdd which is magnetic is actually pretty hard to damage with regular magnets (not that you should risk it), SSDs should be completely fine. The caution with magnets is really a hold over from floppy disk days and doesn't have much relevance any more. If you stuck fridge magnets to the side of your PC case (just to be safe - don't) nothing would happen.

 

[tSatoZi]

I asked this question on some forums but get mixed results/unrelated. Say if a neodymium (stacked 4mm dics) stayed near(11 inches away) the ssd for about 1 month. will it affect it in any way? (data, speed, ect.)
picture of magnets(1 stack of these): http://g04.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1xHRtIXXXXXahXXXXq6xXFXXXf/500pcs-2mm-x-2mm-Neodymium-magnets-2x2-rare-earth-tiny-magnets-fridge-N35-2-2-Art.jpg

Update: magnets: MAGCREDIBLE® Magnets - 1/8" x 1/16" Rare Earth Disc, Package of 100

EDIT: Also will scanning the drive pick up *problems* on the (if any)drive?
and yes the magnet is still(in container) and the ssd is disconnected from any machine/not on

To be fair, of course they'll say things like that because they want to sell the products. In reality, a permanent magnet affects any circuit, but only when the magnet or the circuit is moving. Well, it's actually more complicated than that, but that's a basic idea. Moving the magnet or circuit induces a current in the copper traces that doesn't belong there. However, even fairly powerful magnets probably can't' do much to a small circuit, especially from that far away.

Magnetic fields (flux, so not a field on its on, but a moving or otherwise changing field) induce current in circuits (this is why generators produce power), so saying that SSDs are completely unaffected by magnets is false. Also, it's fairly easy to wipe a hard drive with a magnet. They certainly are not shielded enough to stop decent neodymium magnets. This is also how inductors work.

Magnetic screwdrivers are pretty weak, like fridge magnets. Those wouldn't harm most hard drives.

Also will scanning the drive pick up i.e. bad sectors *problems* on the (if any)drive?
and yes the magnet is still(in container) and the ssd is disconnected from any machine/not on

 

[blazorthon]

The magnet would not cause bad sectors in an SSD and if the SSD is not on, then a permanent magnet won't cause any problems.

Scanning for bad sectors is never a bad thing to do, but any bad sectors on the drive would have been caused by something else, not the magnet.

 

[tSatoZi]

The magnet would not cause bad sectors in an SSD and if the SSD is not on, then a permanent magnet won't cause any problems.

Scanning for bad sectors is never a bad thing to do, but any bad sectors on the drive would have been caused by something else, not the magnet.

Just wondering if it were a hard drive instead of the ssd, same distance. How bad would it affect the HD? Reusable, data wiped, bad sectors, etc.

 

[blazorthon]

11 inches is pretty far, so the data might be fine, but I wouldn't let a fairly strong magnet like a neodymium magnet be near a computer or hard drive on general principle. Even if the magnet did wipe data, the drive is still reusable, but again, 11 inches is pretty far for a magnet.

I don't think a magnet can physically damage a hard drive such that it would cause bad sectors unless the magnet is strong enough to warp the drive's disks and that simply isn't the case except with a very powerful electromagnet.