We’ve been conditioned to think that 70°C is a danger zone for all PC parts, but for an SSD controller, that’s just a comfortable Tuesday. The first wave of 14GB/s Gen 5 drives gave the industry PTSD because they would literally shut down without active cooling. However, for most users, particularly those using a standard Gen 4 drive like the Samsung 990 PRO or WD Black SN850X, a heatsink is a cosmetic accessory rather than a performance necessity.