YouTuber and overclocked der8auer has tested a bunch of M.2 SSD coolers from China to see if they are any good. Spoiler alert, some are not even worth the box they ship in.
If you have ever browsed AliExpress for anything related to tech or computers, you probably stumbled upon some SSD coolers. From uniquely-designed to cheaply-built models, prices cover all tiers. To check which ones can actually cool an SSD and which are borderline scams, der8auer on YouTube bought a handful and put them under load.
Starting with the Jiushark M.2-five Dual Engine on a Gen 5 Crucial T700 SSD, this actively-cooled heatsink delivered better temperatures than the motherboard’s integrated heatspreaders. To be exact, the Dual Engine reached around 60°C, with idle temps sitting at 40°C. For reference, the motherboard’s heatsink kept the SSD near 70°C. Those tiny fans help quite a lot if you can handle the high-pitch noise.
Next, der8auer tested the FinalCool, and this is where things went south with temps reaching 72°C idle. After just a few seconds of benchmarking using CrystalDiskMark the SSD begins throttling to lower the heat. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop it from hitting its maximum safe temp, which crashed the system.
However, if you are still rocking a Gen 2 or maybe even Gen 3 SSD and you like RGB lighting, this may be a good solution. Just don’t expect the temperatures to drop – rather the opposite. For me, I’d rather pay more to get a model that cools while having RGB instead of cheap out and risk degrading performance… or even worse, crashing the system.
The third test was using the Jeyi M.2 Copper Graphene Heatsink. Since it’s simply a copper sheet like those found on many SSDs, the performance was lacklustre. The SSD once more reached its maximum safe temperature and crashed the system. The funny thing about this one is that the brand claimed up to 10°C temperature reduction.
The last cooler is the Ineo M12 Cooler Heatsink. This one features a bunch of copper bars/pipes but no fin stack. Here, the idle temp sat at 52°C, maxing at 75°C under load. Not bad for a passive design. It also looks nice and unique compared to the others. Beware, the brand claimed heatpipe construction, which is not the case.
Now that you know the value of cheap products, if you are looking for an SSD cooler from a reputable brand, check out the Thermalright HR-10 or the Corsair Hydro X Series XM2 M.2 Water Block. The latter is smaller yet potentially more performant thanks to being liquid-cooled.
