We’ll likely learn more about how efficient these drives are early next year at CES 2024 or not long after. So if you’re not keen on a PCIe 5.0 drive due to fans and bulky coolers, you might not have long to wait for better options. Just don’t expect them to be cheap when all signs are pointing to SSD price increases next year.
It’s less about how much heat they are generating and more about how on most case builds, the m.2 is getting little to no air flow, so ambient temp of the case is the only thing allowing it to move heat away from the components.
This thing is just a gawdy nightmare for someone who just really wants all the bells and whistles even if they don’t really add benefit.
Yeah, even with a heatsink and blasting my case fans at max my m.2 SSD hovers around 50 degrees idle. It’s getting to the point I’m seriously considering taking off the side panel and pointing a fan straight at the motherboard to keep it cool.