How Long Will Your SSD Actually Last? We Calculated It

SSDs feel immortal compared to spinning hard drives. No moving parts. No clicking sounds of doom. But they have a hidden death sentence: a finite number of writes.

Every file you save, every app you install, every Windows update — they're all counting down your SSD's lifespan.

The TBW Rating: Your SSD's Expiration Date

Every SSD has a TBW (Terabytes Written) rating. This is the manufacturer's estimate of how much data you can write before failure becomes likely.

SSD Type	Typical TBW	Notes
Budget 500GB	150-300 TBW	Entry level, DRAM-less
Mid-range 1TB	400-600 TBW	Most consumer SSDs
High-end 1TB	600-1200 TBW	Premium, better endurance
Enterprise 1TB	1000+ TBW	Server-grade

Once you exceed TBW, the drive doesn't explode. But cells start failing, and the drive enters a degraded state with increasing error rates.

How Much Do You Actually Write?

Most people dramatically underestimate their write load.

Light user (web browsing, documents):

• 10-20 GB/day
• ~5-7 TB/year
• 150 TBW drive lasts: 20+ years

Normal user (gaming, apps, media):

• 30-50 GB/day
• ~15-18 TB/year
• 300 TBW drive lasts: 15-20 years

Heavy user (video editing, development, gaming):

• 50-100 GB/day
• ~25-35 TB/year
• 600 TBW drive lasts: 15-25 years

Professional/creative (constant video rendering):

• 100-300 GB/day
• ~50-100 TB/year
• 600 TBW drive lasts: 6-12 years

For most consumers, TBW isn't a practical concern. Your SSD will outlast the rest of your computer.

Calculate your SSD's remaining lifespan: Storage Duration Calculator

The Hidden Write Amplification

Here's what most people don't know: your SSD writes more data than you ask it to.

Write amplification occurs because:

• SSDs can't overwrite data in place — they must erase and rewrite entire blocks
• Garbage collection constantly reorganizes data
• Wear leveling spreads writes across cells
• Trim operations and maintenance writes

A write amplification factor of 2x is common. That 30 GB file save might cost 60 GB of actual cell writes.

Cheap SSDs without DRAM cache have higher write amplification. You get what you pay for.

How to Check Your SSD's Health

On Windows:

1. Download CrystalDiskInfo (free)
2. Check "Total Host Writes" or "Total NAND Writes"
3. Compare to your TBW rating

On Mac:

1. Install DriveDx or use terminal: smartctl -a disk0 (requires smartmontools)
2. Check "Data Units Written"
3. Convert to TB (1 unit = 512 bytes typically)

What to look for:

• Percentage of TBW used
• Current health status
• Any reallocated sectors (bad sign)

NAND Types: Not All Flash Is Equal

SSD lifespan depends on NAND type:

NAND Type	Cells Per Layer	Write Endurance	Cost
SLC	1	100,000 cycles	$$$$$
MLC	2	10,000 cycles	$$$
TLC	3	3,000 cycles	$$
QLC	4	1,000 cycles	$

Most consumer SSDs are TLC (good balance) or QLC (budget, lower endurance).

QLC drives are fine for game storage or media archives. For your OS drive with constant writes, TLC is worth the modest premium.

The Real Lifespan Killers

TBW matters less than these factors:

Power loss during writes: Sudden shutdowns while writing data can corrupt the SSD's internal structures. Use a UPS if power is unstable.

Sustained high temperatures: SSDs throttle when hot. Operating constantly at 70°C+ degrades NAND faster.

Filling the drive completely: SSDs need free space for wear leveling and garbage collection. Keep at least 10-15% free.

Controller/firmware issues: The SSD controller can fail before the NAND does. Buy from reputable brands with good track records.

Warning Signs of SSD Failure

Watch for:

• Increasing bad block counts (check in CrystalDiskInfo)
• Read-only mode (drive stops accepting writes)
• Very slow performance that doesn't recover
• BSOD or system crashes during disk operations
• Drive disappearing from BIOS intermittently

SSDs often fail suddenly rather than gradually. Once you see warning signs, back up immediately.

Backup Is Your Real Insurance

Unlike HDDs that often give warning clicks, SSDs can die without notice.

The real protection isn't buying higher-TBW drives — it's maintaining backups:

• 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite
• Regular backups (daily for critical data)
• Test your restores occasionally

Your backup strategy should assume your SSD might die tomorrow. Because it might.

Practical Recommendations

For most people:

• Buy a TLC drive from a reputable brand (Samsung, WD, SK Hynix)
• Don't worry about TBW — you won't exhaust it
• Keep 10-15% free space
• Monitor health annually

For heavy users:

• Consider enterprise/prosumer drives (higher TBW)
• Monitor writes quarterly
• Budget for replacement every 5 years
• Backup religiously

For paranoid users:

• Buy two smaller drives instead of one large
• Rotate critical data between drives
• Air-gapped backups for irreplaceable data