How to Extend Your SSD Lifetime

Solid state drives (SSDs) offer many benefits to businesses, including faster performance and less noise. But while SSDs don't suffer the same kinds of failures as HDDs, they do have a limited lifespan and are susceptible to wear.

The average lifespan of an SSD is based on a combination of the drive's age, number of terabytes written over time (TBW) and how often it is used. Tech companies use different metrics to estimate the life span of SSDs, but most agree that a typical drive can be expected to last between 10 and 15 years.

TBW is calculated by multiplying the physical capacity of an SSD in gigabytes (GB) by its program/erase cycles (P/E Cycles), which are defined in JESD219A and pre-conditioned to simulate a drive's steady state, then dividing that number by the write amplification factor or WAF.

P/E Cycles are a critical factor in an SSD's longevity, as they degrade the memory of its flash cells over time. When a P/E cycle occurs, it slowly wears down the cell's memory until the drive cannot use it anymore.

As a result, it is important to keep an eye on how much you are using your SSD. By deleting unused files or moving them to an external drive, you open up space for wear leveling algorithms to distribute data evenly among the flash cells. This helps to ensure that an SSD stays usable for as long as possible. In addition, a TRIM tool can be used to clean up data from cells that are no longer being used, which is an effective way to extend the lifetime of your SSD.