Regularly downloading large files to SSD

[Quiz]

Will downloading large files (8-10 GB) regularly (maybe every couple of days) to an SSD cause too much wear and tear on the SSD? I am asking for situations where you only have SSDs in your PC vs. also having HDDs.

 

[Nenu]

I wont do that, especially with QLC. There could be many more writes than for the size of file you download, depending on the download method.
Its up to you to weigh up the consequences, you should know what the expected life is vs daily DTR for the specific SSDs you use.

 

[pitingres]

I'd say not a problem, unless you are filling the SSD nearly full. Let's inflate that to 50 GB/day every other day, that's still only about 10 TB/year rounding up. Unless your drive is total shite, it should be good for many years.

 

[Quiz]

Is downloading torrents to an SSD a bad idea?

 

[motqalden]

Much like how car warranties are X number of miles or X number of years (whichever comes first) ssd warranties are X years or X TB worth of writes. How many writes depends on the model and size of the drive. A typical 500GB ssd usually is 5y / 300TB, where a 1TB drive is 5y / 600TB. You would need to exceed 150GB of writes daily to hit your write limit before the 5 years is up on your average 500GB ssd. (roughly) long story short... generally you dont need to worry about writes unless it is a small or older ssd with limites warranty.

 

[pitingres]

Is downloading torrents to an SSD a bad idea?

Downloading torrents to anywhere is often a bad idea.

But if you're asking specifically whether torrent downloading does something horrible to the SSD, the answer is no, not that I'm aware of.

 

[viper_0307]

Do the math, 8-10GB a day? On basis of 10GB a day, 1 TB in 100 days, so 3.66 TB per year for argument sake. This should be way below the TBW of the warranty of 3-5 years. In a nutshell, you should be fine. Consider the type of NAND and the warranty.

 

[Abula]

I have torrenting 24/7 on a Micron 5200 MAX for two years now, it continues to have 100% on CDI.

 

[Valnar]

If I only had an SSD, I wouldn't worry too much unless it's a crappy QLC drive. But if this is a desktop computer and you have the ability to add a HDD, why not?

 

[pitingres]

If I only had an SSD, I wouldn't worry too much unless it's a crappy QLC drive. But if this is a desktop computer and you have the ability to add a HDD, why not?

Because hard drives are noisy and slow, and because this small amount of writing wouldn't disturb even a crappy QLC drive, even continued for a few years.

 

[Valnar]

Because hard drives are noisy and slow, and because this small amount of writing wouldn't disturb even a crappy QLC drive, even continued for a few years.

But, it WILL though. Maybe not enough for you to care before you replace it, but it will. A hard drive can be written to without any penalty except normal age or MTBF.

 

[GotNoRice]

I have torrenting 24/7 on a Micron 5200 MAX for two years now, it continues to have 100% on CDI.

I have noticed some wild discrepancies in this SMART attribute between drives. Usually Samsung drives will report <100% accurately, but many other brands will simply report 100% until the day they die.

 

[isp]

Check the endurance rating for your drive. Think my most used drive is 1TB capacity with about 200TBW so far. Still works fine.

 

[pitingres]

But, it WILL though. Maybe not enough for you to care before you replace it, but it will. A hard drive can be written to without any penalty except normal age or MTBF.

So what? As long as the SSD doesn't fail, using up lifetime is right and proper and how it works. To repeat, the amount of writing suggested by the OP will come nowhere near using up the drive lifetime endurance even after 10 years, and if the drive fails early that's a warranty issue. (and could just as easily happen to a hard drive, via "normal" aging of bearings and other moving parts.)