There is a significant difference in the specifications between Gen3 and Gen4 SSDs, but this difference is not very noticeable in most real-world use cases. Daily usage mainly relies on random read/write performance, where the gap is small.
SSD garbage collection is an automated background process run by the SSD’s internal controller. Its job is to clean up invalid data (garbage) left by file deletions, overwrites, and system changes, reorganize fragmented flash memory space, and refresh usable storage blocks for new data writes.
Prioritize an SSD with a heatsink if you own a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 NVMe drive and use your PC for heavy tasks or have limited airflow. But for users with SATA SSDs, PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives, or only light daily computing tasks, a heatsink is an unnecessary expense.
If the strike goes ahead, prices of solid-state drives, memory modules, AI core memory and other products are highly likely to see a new round of sharp increases. The memory market, already in a price hike cycle, is set to have its upward momentum further accelerated.
To check your SSD health, the most reliable way is to use S.M.A.R.T. — a built-in feature in all modern SSDs — paired with OS-native tools or trusted third-party software. You don’t need advanced technical skills.
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