Unused SSD lifespan (shelf life)

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jhyukkang

jhyukkang

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Hi, I have a SSD that I don't need and I want to put this on shelf storage for a while (Maybe years).

I know SSDs have data retention period with ambient temperature BUT I don't care about data on it and in fact, I will be wiping this drive.

So my question is, will this SSD still work as it does today when I eventually need to use it and take it out of shelf? Will write endurance left still be available to me after sitting unplugged for long time? For example if my SSD is rated for 100TB writes, and I wrote 20TB during it's use. I have 80TB left for use TODAY but will it still be 80TB after being unpowered for long time?
 
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Karadjgne
Well, not forever. It's a pc component. Just like IDE drives, assume that Sata and USB will only have a certain usable lifespan before something else takes its place. The older usb/2 is already in dire straights, being gradually outed in favor of usb3 which has a 19/20 pin header vrs the 9/10 pin of usb/2. IDE is all but extinct on any newer board, AGP is gone, pci is getting rare, so it's not an outlandish assumption that Sata drives will also fade away, replaced by Sata II or something entirely different when 6Gb becomes outmoded.

Whether or not the drive is still functional when that starts happening will be immaterial, the true shelf life of any pc component is based on the tech that'll support it.
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Nobody knows for sure. SSDs are relatively new, and have been upgraded with better stock, so only the original releases will have any real age on them. Data retention is usually around 1 yr or so at room temp, but as to lifespan, it should be well after that as there's no power through the ssd to cause any deterioration.
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Well, not forever. It's a pc component. Just like IDE drives, assume that Sata and USB will only have a certain usable lifespan before something else takes its place. The older usb/2 is already in dire straights, being gradually outed in favor of usb3 which has a 19/20 pin header vrs the 9/10 pin of usb/2. IDE is all but extinct on any newer board, AGP is gone, pci is getting rare, so it's not an outlandish assumption that Sata drives will also fade away, replaced by Sata II or something entirely different when 6Gb becomes outmoded.

Whether or not the drive is still functional when that starts happening will be immaterial, the true shelf life of any pc component is based on the tech that'll support it.
 
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Solution
JoeMomma

JoeMomma

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Nov 17, 2010
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There is a phenomenon called 'Metal Whiskering' that can kill electronics in long term storage.
Random microscopic hairs can grow from solder at a rate of 1mm a year.
If a whisker touches a circuit, that SSD will die.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisker_(metallurgy)

I made a time capsule with all of my art files sealed in concrete.
I was told that the USB drive will fail in 30 years because of whiskers.
 
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seagate_surfer

seagate_surfer

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Hello jhyukkang, an SSD contains electronic components that over time will degrade but with adequate storage and handling it should last enough that you should not worry about it unless you have data stored on it. The data stored on a SSD that is not been used is about a year.
 
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