I built my first PC about 10 days ago and reused the ADATA Gammix S70 Blade NVMe SSD from my PlayStation 5. It works normally for Windows and games, but I haven't checked its temperatures yet. The drive still has the thin heatspreader it came with because I'm worried about damaging it by removing it. Will that be enough cooling during demanding games, or could the SSD overheat and fail? Since it's currently my boot drive, should I buy another SSD for games, move Windows to a new drive, or simply keep using this one as the main drive?
2 Answers
You don’t need to move Windows just because the SSD was previously used in a console. The thin factory heatspreader may be adequate for normal use, but the S70 Blade’s controller benefits from additional cooling. If your motherboard includes an M.2 cover, use it over the existing heatspreader if it fits. Monitor the controller temperature during large file transfers or demanding workloads, since gaming usually doesn’t stress an SSD continuously. Buying another drive is reasonable for extra storage or easier replacement, but it isn’t necessary solely to protect Windows.
The S70 Blade uses a controller that can run fairly hot, so proper cooling is a good idea. If your motherboard has an M.2 heatsink, you can generally install it over the SSD’s existing thin heatspreader rather than removing it. Just make sure the drive fits properly and that the thermal pad makes good contact without excessive pressure. Check temperatures with a monitoring utility while gaming; occasional thermal throttling is less concerning than consistently high temperatures. Since this is a fast drive with onboard DRAM, it’s perfectly suitable as your boot drive. Keep backups regardless, because a second SSD is not a substitute for backup protection.
Usually yes, provided the heatsink has enough clearance and the thermal pad contacts the heatspreader. Don’t force the cover down, and check the SSD temperature under load after installing it.
I was worried that putting the motherboard heatsink over the original heatspreader wasn’t recommended. Is it safe even though the SSD won’t be bare?