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How long does an SSD last?
- SSDs last longer than HDDs due to the lack of moving parts, and they're ideal for average users.
- SSDs have limited write endurance, can survive until 700TB written on average.
- A few ways to estimate SSD lifespan include using the warranty info, MTBF hours, or CrystalDiskInfo utility.
There are plenty of convincing reasons to pick solid-state drives (SSDs) over hard-disk drives (HDDs) in 2024. Not only are they faster, smaller, and more efficient than traditional HDDs, but they're also more durable and are rated to last longer. That's right, SSDs typically have a longer lifespan compared to HDDs due to the lack of any moving parts, so they're more suitable for average users who don't need a ton of storage and only want a reliable drive that can last longer.
It's not all unicorns and lollipops in the land of SSDs, though, and they also have limited write endurance. That means you can only write a finite amount of data to an SSD before it breaks down into read-only mode and refuses to write anymore. But just how long can an SSD last before it can no longer be used properly?
Keep tabs on your SSD's health to ensure smooth performance
What is the lifespan of an SSD?
Is your SSD, with all its data, at risk?
It's true that SSDs have a limited lifespan, but it's not something that most users have to worry about. I say that because even an avid user can use an SSD for a good few years before it is at a considerable risk of failure. That being said, exactly how long your SSD lasts will largely depend on a few key factors, like how much data is written into the drive, its age, its operating condition, and more. So it's safe to say that the lifespan of your SSD is specific to your drive and the usage, making it a very subjective topic.
Based on the endurance ratings available for some modern SSDs out there on the market, it's safe to assume that a solid-state drive will survive until you've written about 700TB of data over its lifetime. Of course, your SSD may survive longer, or it may even give up earlier than that, but that's just an average figure to keep in mind. Knowing the average lifespan of your SSD will allow you to estimate its remaining lifespan.
Estimating SSD lifespan using warranty and MTBF hours
Digging deep into the spec sheet
Thankfully, you don't have to rely on an average figure to estimate how long your SSD will last before it gives up. Most, if not all, SSD manufacturers have warranty information that you could use to predict how long your SSD can potentially last. The Terabytes Written (TBW) data is specific to each SSD model, so it's better to consult your SSD manufacturer to identify how deep it is in its life-cycle, and plan a replacement purchase accordingly. The TBW rating for the 1TB XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite SSD that's installed on my PC, for instance, is 740TB. It could be higher or lower for your SSD depending on the model and its storage capacity, and you can find the exact value by consulting the specification sheet that's specific to the make and model of your drive. The TBW ratings for a different drive, such as the Samsung Evo 990 SSD shown in the screenshot above, are completely different.
Alternatively, you can also estimate the lifespan of your SSD using the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) hours provided by the manufacturer. This particular information can also be found on the specification sheet of your SSD, and it'll tell you the probability of your SSD malfunctioning within the warranty period. You can use the MTBF value of your SSD along with its warranty period to calculate the probability of its failure, but a general thumb rule to keep in mind is that the higher the MTBF hours, the less likely your SSD will fail.
Estimate SSD lifespan using CrystalDiskInfo utility
A useful utility that gives you all the relevant info
If you don't want to go through the hassle of finding the spec sheet of your SSD and calculating its remaining lifespan using its MTBF data, or you've already installed your SSD, then you can use a utility like CrystalDiskInfo to easily identify the current state of your SSD. To do this:
- Download CrystalDiskInfo utility, and install it on your computer.
- Launch it to open a window detailing all the important information related to your SSD, including its Health Status that gives you a percentage of its remaining health, along with an overall rating.
- Good. This means your SSD is fine. You don't need to do anything.
- Caution. This means your SSD is starting to fail. You should start backing up your files and looking for a replacement.
-
Bad. This means your SSD is on its last legs. Buy a replacement immediately if you haven't already.
- You can also look for the Total Host Writes value, which tells you how much data has ever been written on this drive.
You can compare the Total Host Write value highlighted by CrystalDiskInfo utility with the TBW rating of your SSD to get a general idea of how long your SSD can last.
How much data do you need to write per day?
A little bit of math will tell you how much more your SSD can handle
While everyone uses their computers to store data, what that data is and how often it changes differs from person to person. As previously stated, SSDs can handle a ton of punishment, but the more data you write and delete, the quicker it wears out. How does one ensure they aren't pushing an SSD past its limits? Knowing the official TBW rating from the manufacturer and the capacity of your SSD, you can calculate this relatively easily.
The Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) calculation lets us determine how much of our SSD we can essentially write over every day without wearing it out before the warranty expires. The formula is simple:
DWPD = (TBW in TB x 1000)/(365 days x Warranty length in Years x SSD Capacity in TB)
Let's use the SSD we used previously: 1TB XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite SSD. This drive has a TBW of 740TB, warranty of five years, and a capacity of 1TB, or 1000GB. That gives us the following:
DWPD = 740 / 365 x 5 x 1
For this SSD, the DWPD is approximately 0.41, or 41% of the drive capacity. Since the XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite can hold 1TB, you can completely overwrite up to 410GB each day for five years (that's 1,825 days) without issue.
SSDs typically last for a long time
While there's no simple way to tell how long your SSD can last before it will probably malfunction, you can use some straightforward methods to estimate its remaining lifespan. I recommend using a utility like CyrstalDiskInfo to get an idea of how much data you've written to the drive. You can then compare that value to your SSD's rated TBW value to get a general idea. Regardless of where your SSD is in its life cycle, it's always recommended that you back up your PC, to ensure you never lose your valuable data.
