Should I use my motherboard's thermal pads for my SSD?

As SSDs have become faster and more powerful, so the cooling requirements have increased. To enjoy optimal performance from the latest SSDs, such as the brand new MP600 ELITE, you’re going to need to make sure that the drives are kept cool so as not to throttle (slow down to prevent overheating).

Just like the once-humble CPU and even graphics card, you’re going to need some kind of cooling to get the most from it.

While the cooling on CPUs and graphics cards has turned into a whole industry, SSDs aren’t quite so demanding. Passively cooling should be more than enough for most users—at least for normal operations, anyone regularly transferring large files, such as high-resolution video editors, should go for something a bit beefier like the MP700 PRO with Air Cooler.

The most common form of SSD cooling is provided by your motherboard. Motherboard manufacturers have been improving SSD cooling as a way of differentiating themselves, but also to make sure that users don’t run into problems trying to keep something cool that is right next to the motherboard. Passive heatsinks are the best solution here, although you can find small fans have been employed to bolster the cooling capabilities as well.

Installing an M.2 SSD these days generally involves removing a cooling plate above the M.2 slot, clipping your M.2 SSD in place, and then replacing the heatspreader on top of the SSD to help keep it cool in operation.

Job done? Not quite, as there’s often a question you’ll have to ask yourself when reattaching the SSD heatspreader: should you remove the thermal pads on the bottom to get the best performance out of your drive?

The quick answer is no, leave it on. You may need to remove a film strip that’s on top of it though, as depending on the pad used it may be tacky to the touch in order to adhere to your speedy SSD. But the general idea of these pads is to make for a better contact between the top of the SSD and the bottom of the heatspreader.

There are two main types of thermal pad: one is stretchy and quite thin like chewing gum, while the other is spongy. The former offers slightly better performance provided the top of the SSD is completely flat, something that isn’t always the case, while the latter allows for the differences in flash, controller, and IC height. You could potentially change whatever you’ve got but given we’re talking a few degrees difference between the two, it’s probably not worth the effort.

If you’re serious about your SSD cooling, then a dedicated heatspreader/heatsink is better idea. This is why we offer the likes of the MP600 ELITE with Heatspreader, to help ensure you’ve got optimal cooling.