A few days ago we published the analysis of the Corsair MP700 , a high-performance SSD unit compatible with the PCIe Gen5 standard that, as we told you in said analysis, comes without the reference cooling system because it is too noisy and because it also requires of a SATA connector to work.
I also explained to you in said analysis that this storage unit needs a cooling system to function without problems, that this can be passive and that it is not a problem because all the motherboards that are marketed today come with a radiator in its main M.2 slot, which means that they bring a passive dissipation system.
PCIe Gen5 drives are very fast, but they generate more heat and cannot be used without a cooling system. This was no secret, it is something that we already knew since the first units of this type were presented, but the fact is that some media have made a story based on TechPowerUp’s analysis, where they decided to test the Corsair MP700 without any dissipation .
From there, the interpretations that I have seen are more than questionable, especially considering that some come from specialized media. TechPowerUp tested the drive without heatsink to expand on its results, and to give a more comprehensive view and show the user what can happen if this SSD is used against the manufacturer’s instructions.
Obviously, this does not mean that PCIe Gen5 drives have problems or need hardware upgrades or revisions. Phison itself was also clear in this regard from minute one , and said that the new generation SSD units compatible with this standard were going to need additional heatsink, either active, which is what makes the reference heatsink so noisy that everyone we know , or passive, which is what motherboards offer.
There is no news in saying that a component that clearly indicates that it needs heatsinking heats up and shuts down for safety, to prevent irreversible damage, when used without heatsinking. However, it is interesting what TechPowerUp has done by daring to show us the consequences that using a PCIe Gen5 SSD without heatsink could have.
I remind you that even with many high-performance PCIe Gen4 x4 drives we were already seeing very high temperatures, and that it was highly recommended to use them with passive cooling systems in order to get the most out of them.