Most of us preferSSD over HDDas they are comparatively faster, reliable, and durable. But very few know that even the solid state drive has a lifespan, and it’s necessary to check its health from time to time.
Well, an SSD health check simply meansdetermining the solid state drive’s status, transfer speed, optimization, and performance. Thus, this gives you an idea of its working condition and how long it will last.
Regarding the same, this article focuses on everything you should know about SSD’s health and lifespan. Also, we will assist you in checking the present health condition of your solid state drive using six effective ways.
What is the Lifespan of SSD?
Like any other storage device, SSDs are susceptible to physical damage and even deteriorate over time. Basically, the lifespan of these storage devices is determined by various metrics –age, Tera Bites Written (TBW), and Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD).
Before getting a new SSD, we recommend checking its lifespan. Generally, manufacturers indicate the endurance (TBW) that lets you determine the total number of terabytes that can be written over time.
For example, if your SSD has a lifespan of 500 TBW with a total storage of 2 TB, you may write 2 TB of data 500 times overall. Once this criterion is fulfilled, the storage device stops working.
Generally,SSDs last as long as ten years, but this is heavily affected by usage. Thus, it’s pretty crucial that you check its health once in a while to learn how your solid state drive is performing.
When Should I Check SSD Health?
Checking health helps youdiscover the SSD’s temperature, life remaining, interface speed, and even monitor performance.
Additionally, most manufacturers have adopted a feature calledS.M.A.R.T., an abbreviation forSelf-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology. Basically, this attribute lets us monitor SSD status, power-on count, power-on hours, airflow temperature, and many more.
How Can I Check SSD Health?
Interestingly, checking SSD health status is easily possible without downloading any application. However, if you want to explore more, we recommend using the manufacturer’s management tool or some free tools.
In this section, we will guide you through all the possible ways of checking SSD health.
Check Status in Defragment & Optimize Drive Utility
