Info Heatsink for 2-sided M.2 22110 SSD

[bit_user]

I bought a server board, which has one M.2 22110 slot. I decided to take advantage of this fact and get a 110 mm SSD for it. So, I found a good deal on a Samsung PM9A3 drive, a few months ago. This is a server-grade SSD, which is becoming increasingly rare to find in a M.2 form factor. Performance-wise, it's a couple generations behind the 990 Pro, but perhaps it's still better on things like sustained writes and lower tail latencies.

Unfortunately, that motherboard doesn't have any built-in heatsink for that M.2 slot, leaving me in the position of having to buy an aftermarket cooler for the drive. Being a server-grade drive, it generates substantially more heat than many consumer-grade drives, especially at idle (the whitepaper claims up to 8.2 W active, 2.5 W idle). For best longevity and data integrity, you don't want SSDs to have high average temperatures.

Worse, it turns out the market for 110 mm SSD heatsinks is extremely small. I found a couple options which could work, if you have a single-sided drive. However, this drive is double-sided and those didn't make contact on part of the backside where I definitely wanted cooling. I found a Thermalright cooler, but instead of having fins, the top part turns out to be just a solid block of aluminum, which might be reasonable for spiky loads, but terrible for a drive with high idle power.

In the end, I found exactly one cooler that ticked all the boxes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155880372217
JEYI 22110 SSD Heatsink M.2 NVME Radiator Aluminum PCIE SSD Efficient Cooler
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Seems reasonably well-made. The back is a bit thin, but maybe they had to make it so thin to avoid mounting compatibility problems?

I still need to buy a couple more components before I can test it out, but I just wanted to report that the cooler seems legit and probably the best one out there, for 110 mm double-sided SSDs. I don't expect any miracles, but I think even a modest temperature reduction would be worthwhile.

 

[cherrysmoke]

I see it has the same operating temperature range as a lot of other m.2 drives.

If your case has good airflow there's really no need for an aftermarket heatsink.

 

[bit_user]

I see it has the same operating temperature range as a lot of other m.2 drives.

But not the same idle power as most M.2 drives.

If your case has good airflow there's really no need for an aftermarket heatsink.

It's not a binary thing. The higher temperature your SSD stays at, the faster it'll wear out. That's because cells leak charge faster at higher temperatures, which means the drive needs to refresh them more frequently, and cells can only handle so many writes.

I'm most concerned because it's a double-sided SSD. I really wanted to minimize heat buildup on the underside.

 

[cherrysmoke]

But not the same idle power as most M.2 drives.


It's not a binary thing. The higher temperature your SSD stays at, the faster it'll wear out. That's because cells leak charge faster at higher temperatures, which means the drive needs to refresh them more frequently, and cells can only handle so many writes.

I'm most concerned because it's a double-sided SSD. I really wanted to minimize heat buildup on the underside.

then the one you posted should do a nice work!