Knowing the remaining lifespan of the SSD you are using can reduce the risk of data loss due to SSD damage.
SSD stands for “Solid State Drive” which is a non-volatile data storage device used in computers and other electronic devices. SSDs use flash memory technology to store data, which is different from hard disk drives (HDDs) which use rotating magnetic platters for data storage.
SSDs have several advantages over HDDs.
- SSDs have higher data read and write speeds, which means faster data access times.
- SSDs have no moving mechanical parts, so they are more resistant to shock and vibration and have lower noise.
SSDs are commonly used in laptops, desktops, servers, and other devices that require high-performance data storage. SSDs are also used in devices such as smartphones, digital cameras, and game consoles to increase their speed and performance.
The average lifespan of SSDs
The average lifespan of an SSD can vary depending on a variety of factors, including build quality, type of use, and how often it’s used.
The average lifespan of an SSD is usually measured in “Total Bytes Written” (TBW), which refers to the total data that can be written to an SSD before it reaches its lifespan limit or fails. SSD manufacturers generally provide TBW estimates for each SSD model they produce.
The general estimate for SSDs today is an average lifespan of about 3 to 10 years, depending on the factors mentioned earlier. However, it should be noted that this is only an estimate and not a guarantee. Some SSDs may fail before reaching the estimated TBW, while others may last longer.
Many other factors can affect the lifespan and performance of an SSD, such as environmental conditions, operating temperatures, overuse, and unpredictable failure of electronic components.
How to use the Hard Disk Sentinel utility to predict the remaining lifespan of an SSD
Hard disk Sentinel is a useful tool to check how long your SSD will last. You can use the portable version of this utility if you only use it to check the health of the SSD.
- Download Hard Disk Sentinel Potable.
- Extract the downloaded zip file and run the file “HDSentinel.exe”.
- In the application window, you will get information such as the following image:
“Health”: SSD health information, the maximum number is 100%.
“Estimated remaining lifetime”: the estimated remaining life of the SSD you are using.
Estimating SSD life based on MTBF and TBW
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) is a metric commonly used to measure the reliability of a device or component, including SSDs and HDDs. However, MTBF does not provide direct information about the remaining service life or remaining lifespan of the SSD.
MTBF is the estimated average time between failures that occur on a device. This metric is based on trial-and-error historical data. MTBF indicates the overall reliability of the device but does not provide information about the remaining lifespan or remaining service life.
To estimate the remaining lifespan of an SSD, a more relevant metric is the TBW (Total Bytes Written) mentioned earlier. TBW is an estimate of the total amount of data that can be written to an SSD before it reaches the manufacturer’s estimated age or failure limit.
By checking the number of TBWs that have been used on your SSD, you can estimate how much-remaining life of the SSD remains. However, this is also only an estimate, and factors such as daily usage, workload type, and SSD quality also affect the overall performance and lifespan of the SSD.
So, while MTBF is useful for measuring the overall reliability of an SSD, TBW is more relevant in estimating the remaining lifespan or lifespan of an SSD.
TBW and MTBF information can be found in the SSD specifications provided by the manufacturer.