[SOLVED] M.2 NVMe Heatsink Question from a Newbie

Nov 28, 2022
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As the title indicates I am brand new to PC builds and am working towards putting together my first build. I am also new to this forum so I'm hoping it can be a solid source of good information to help me along the way, so apologies in advance if I use incorrect terminology etc.. (and please correct me too).

I'm looking to install a M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4. X4, NVMe 1.3c SSD, currently considering purchasing the 1TB Samsung 980 Pro. With these in particular there is an option for with a heatsink, or without a heatsink on the SSD itself. From what I've been able to gather thus far, these things can get kind of toasty so is thermal throttling really a concern with these when the typical use is gaming?

However the motherboard that I have already purchased for this build (ASUS Prime X570-Pro Ryzen 3 AM4 with PCIe Gen4) makes a point to let you know that it's PCIe 4.0 M.2 storage slot has a heatsink for this slot included on the motherboard.

So what I'm trying to figure out is if I should purchase an SSD with the included heatsink, and if I did would I be able to install it in the slot with the included heatsink on the board? I'm afraid that if I purchase the SSD with the heatsink it won't fit properly underneath the plate (this is the board heat sink?) that needs to be secured back onto the board once the SSD has been slotted. The motherboard user manual doesn't include anything about this after a cursory glance. If space requirements did allow for this would there be any practical benefits in terms of temps? Or am I way overthinking this and since my motherboard includes a heatsink I need to just purchase the SSD that does not include a heatsink?

I appreciate any and all feedback and thanks for reading all this.
 
Solution
ASUS Prime X570-Pro

The board comes with an NVME heatsink. You don't need to purchase one. The big metal long thingy at the bottom right of the board covers an NVME slot. As the proud owner of multiple ASUS boards and supporter of ASUS, they usually come with thermal pads, too. My ASUS TUF X299 Mark 1 came with thermal pads for its included heatsink and I didn't have any temperature issues.

My current ASUS WS X299 SAGE did not come with any heatsinks, so I'm using an INEO heatsink with active cooling, although I have the fan set to OFF most of the time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0827PM9VR
Jul 31, 2022
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ASUS Prime X570-Pro

The board comes with an NVME heatsink. You don't need to purchase one. The big metal long thingy at the bottom right of the board covers an NVME slot. As the proud owner of multiple ASUS boards and supporter of ASUS, they usually come with thermal pads, too. My ASUS TUF X299 Mark 1 came with thermal pads for its included heatsink and I didn't have any temperature issues.

My current ASUS WS X299 SAGE did not come with any heatsinks, so I'm using an INEO heatsink with active cooling, although I have the fan set to OFF most of the time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0827PM9VR
 
Solution
Nov 28, 2022
2
0
10
The board comes with an NVME heatsink. You don't need to purchase one. The big metal long thingy at the bottom right of the board covers an NVME slot. As the proud owner of multiple ASUS boards and supporter of ASUS, they usually come with thermal pads, too. My ASUS TUF X299 Mark 1 came with thermal pads for its included heatsink and I didn't have any temperature issues.

My current ASUS WS X299 SAGE did not come with any heatsinks, so I'm using an INEO heatsink with active cooling, although I have the fan set to OFF most of the time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0827PM9VR

Thank you very much for the reassurance on this. So it sounds like I really was overthinking it quite a bit. I'll have to take that cover off to see if it has the thermal pads as well, which based on your response it sounds like it will. Thank you again!
 
Jul 31, 2022
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Thank you very much for the reassurance on this. So it sounds like I really was overthinking it quite a bit. I'll have to take that cover off to see if it has the thermal pads as well, which based on your response it sounds like it will. Thank you again!

NVME SSDs don't need a ton of cooling. My laptop has a Samsung PM981A and a simple small square sheet of steel is enough to bring it below throttling temperature.

I assume since you're going with 1TB that this is going to be your main drive. However, I suggest getting a 256GB for boot and a 1TB for games and such, so if your boot drive gets corrupted or damaged you don't have to spend time redownloading all your games. The motherboard you're getting does have two NVME slots, so there's really no reason not to, and you can get any fancy heatsink you want for those extra style points.