[SOLVED] Where is the controller located on a M.2 drive?

[Fl1cks]

I’ve heard something about the controller on M.2 drives not needing cooling as much as the other components and that it performs better when it runs warmer from multiple sources including Linus from LTT. My idea was to put heatsinks wherever this controller isn’t located at a M.2 drive so my question is where exactly this controller can be found on M.2 drives, specifically the three that I have which are WD SN850 500GB, Crucial P5 500GB, and Crucial P5 250GB. Does anyone know anything about this?

https://imgur.com/a/S5KVlDH

View: https://imgur.com/a/S5KVlDH

 

[siaan312]

Well, firstly you got that wrong.
The controller is actually the part that needs the most cooling, while the dram and especially the nand needs less cooling.
Either way, the controller is usually the closest thing to the m.2 connector (the gold pins).

You should see linus's newest video about the subject. he tested drives with a heavy load and no cooling or something like that, and basically the tl;dr of that is, your ssd is fine the way it is with no additional cooling or stuff like that.
If you're concerned, just put it in a well ventilated place, like the front of a motherboard instead of the back (if your motherboard has an m.2 slot on the back)

 

[fzabkar]

There are photos in this review:

https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/9500/crucial-p5-500gb-nvme-2-ssd/index.html