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SSD (PCIe bus) thermal throttling?

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psymac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 17, 2002
550
164
Replaced the 128GB SSD on my 2TB Fusion Drive 2017 27" 3.8ghz iMac with the Samsung 500GB Nvme SSD (970 EVO). Works great, with R/W of about 2900/2350 mb/s, total cost about $150 (given 'free' labor, lol).

However, I do notice when running Blackmagic Disk Speed Test thermal throttling kicks in after about 2 minutes and Write drops down to about 1000mb/s. This test is apparently a sustained R/W, rather than random, which I imagine is the typical case for most users.

Apparently known issue, as this review indicates, and wondering if Apple's OEM SSD (also Samsung BTW) has this same behavior.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/sams...ve/thermal-throttling-and-final-thoughts.html

For those with OEM Nvme SSD's (PCIe bus, not Sata), do you see the same thermal throttling?
 
I did go ahead and purchase an OEM Apple 512GB SSD and installed (took about 1 hour) on my 27" 2017 iMac. Gives about 2600/2000 mb/s R/W, which is lower than the Samsung 970 Evo, which gives about 2900/2350 R/W.

However, unlike the Evo, the Apple SSD does not thermal throttle under sustained R/W cycles (using Black Magic Speed Test), even with SSD temp going as high as 47C and staying there with no fan speed increase above 1200rpm idle.

Not sure if day to day work not involving large file size work or video editing this would make a difference, and the cost difference is quite large ($130 vs $400), so the Evo actually may be an OK compromise. Take home lesson for me is to buy Apple SSD at first purchase, as non OEM mods are most likely going to suffer from some degree of compromise.
 
psymac said:
Replaced the 128GB SSD on my 2TB Fusion Drive 2017 27" 3.8ghz iMac with the Samsung 500GB Nvme SSD (970 EVO). Works great, with R/W of about 2900/2350 mb/s, total cost about $150 (given 'free' labor, lol).

However, I do notice when running Blackmagic Disk Speed Test thermal throttling kicks in after about 2 minutes and Write drops down to about 1000mb/s. This test is apparently a sustained R/W, rather than random, which I imagine is the typical case for most users.

Apparently known issue, as this review indicates, and wondering if Apple's OEM SSD (also Samsung BTW) has this same behavior.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/sams...ve/thermal-throttling-and-final-thoughts.html

For those with OEM Nvme SSD's (PCIe bus, not Sata), do you see the same thermal throttling?
Click to expand...
Was it with heatsink or without?
 
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