NVMe drives, like all SSDs, have a finite lifespan determined by the number of write cycles they can endure. Checking the health of an NVMe drive is crucial for preventing data loss and ensuring optimal performance.

Key SMART Attributes for NVMe Drives

Percentage Used / Media Wearout Indicator

This is the percent of manufacturer-rated device life used so far. It maxes out at 255.

Available Spare

This indicates the percentage of remaining spare blocks available. When this drops below a certain threshold, it’s a critical warning.

Temperature

NVMe drives can get hot, and sustained high temperatures can impact their lifespan and performance. Monitoring the composite temperature is important.

Critical Warning

This is a general indicator of a critical issue detected by the controller.

Unrecoverable Data Errors (UDC)

UDC is the number of unrecoverable errors detected.

Power Cycles / Power-on Hours

These indicate how many times the drive has been turned on and its total operating time.

Data Units Read/Written

The total amount of data read from and written to the drive.

How to Check NVMe Drive Health

BIOS/UEFI

Access your system’s BIOS/UEFI settings during boot-up and look for drive health information.

Manufacturer’s Tools

Use software provided by your drive’s manufacturer, such as Samsung Magician for Samsung SSDs or WD Dashboard for Western Digital drives.

Windows Built-in Tools

Windows 10/11: Go to Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes. Select your SSD and check its properties for health information.

Command Prompt

Use commands like wmic diskdrive get status to get a quick health status.

However, studies suggest that over 30% of failures occur without triggering S.M.A.R.T. alerts. ULINK DA Drive Analyzer‘s AI aims to catch these “non-S.M.A.R.T.” failures. It offers proactive failure prediction based on advanced AI and a large, diverse dataset. It is especially advantageous for critical data environments where preventing downtime and data loss is paramount.

 

DA SmartQuest: DA Drive Analyzer’s AI-Powered Drive Failure Prediction for Windows