[Tech Friday] M.2 Thermal Guards for NVMe SSDs

Great PCMasterRace enthusiasts are always ready to stand their ground against console lovers, always ready to find new ways to protect their hardware from rising temperatures and always ready to fight minor details that might turn a 10 into a 9 when it comes to PC looks. All tests indicate we belong to this family of gamers and enthusiasts. 
 
It’s undeniable SSDs brought big performance changes to our computers. Some say it’s not fair to even make a comparison to old mechanical hard drives since the speed we are now able to access and transfer our data is on a completely different level. Noise-free operation and very little heat coming from such disks are also great advantages most of us rejoice to experience.
 
Technology evolved and our never-ending craving for more speed was answered through NVMe SSDs, some of which connect to M.2 ports on the motherboard. The location of such devices when installed and the ludicrous speeds they can reach turned out to bring real concerns to the table. Add to that the aesthetics of a simple PCB board with a couple of chips and a sticker on it, and everyone is losing their minds for a better solution.
 

Why M.2 Thermal Guards?

 
The controller on ultra-fast NVMe SSDs can be put to such stress it eventually faces a significant speed decrease as a safety measure against overheating. When we get used to any level of performance, waiting one extra second is more than enough time to start question existence and the meaning of life on Earth. Would you rather waste all your rage energy because your disk is suffering from thermal throttling or save it for later when the adrenaline of gaming kicks in?

Solutions are popping like battle royale games in recent times but not all will solve your core issue. Be careful! Some might even make it worse. Look for a solid aluminum cover with a considerable thickness to it and appropriate thermal pad that promotes good contact with the chips on the SSD and the shield.
 
You’ll find AORUS M.2 Thermal Guards fit the description and that’s how you know they truly help to dissipate heat and maintain top disk performance at all times. Some of our latest designs include fins to expand the surface area and make the most of any airflow available inside the chassis.  
 
M.2 Thermal Guards come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and quantities depending on the board model. Each one is designed to match different motherboard series, fit to different M.2 slot lengths and all are engineered to help with heat dissipation. We are shipping AORUS motherboard models with 1, 2 and even 3 M.2 Thermal Guards included. If you need more, you may find them as a separate accessory.
 
 

Performance

 
Moving big files around puts a massive load on the SSD controller and as a result, the temperature rises. To keep the steady mind-blowing speeds you paid for, controller’s temperature must be kept below certain thresholds or there’s a risk of falling below the performance levels of a regular SATA SSD. 
 
There are a lot of examples out there in which performance is tied to the temperature of certain components and more often than not, the cooler it stays the faster it goes. If you don’t feel comfortable facing the outside world and prefer to stay indoors playing PC games just like we do, the same happens in our PCs and we’ve already demonstrated how we keep it cool inside with Smart Fan 5 technology.
 
The final performance numbers depend on the configuration but independent review websites report differences of up to 20ºC and users’ feedback points in the same direction.

Looks

 
When curious eyes “casually” inspect our VGA to judge the potential frame rate and level of detail in popular games, it’s easy for them to spot the M.2 slots. It’s way better to show a matching design on all components and a neat armor covering any not so attractive parts. 
 
The M.2 Thermal Guards do not discriminate; they will fit any M.2 SSD. Our computers can finally achieve a sleek look even if there’s a green PCB with an ugly sticker installed somewhere on the motherboard.

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