Anyone else experience failing SSD next to heatsink on AN515-41?

After less than a year inside my AN515-41 the secondary SSD is failing. All the diagnostics show it is fine but after a few minutes of being plugged in it begins to disconnect/reconnect repeatedly. I actually replaced the SATA cable as I thought that could be the issue but it is not. Even when plugged in via USB I get the same problem. The secondary SSD in this model is placed right next to the laptops heatsink which in turn gets very hot during use even when placed on a cooling pad like mine is. I cannot help wondering if the heat from the laptop has caused this SSD to fail prematurely.
Has anyone else experienced such a failure?

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Puraw

Hello @Nitro5user83

On the 2017 Acer Nitro 5 AN515‑41, the M.2 slots are positioned away from the CPU/GPU heatsink assembly. Depending on the exact board revision, this model may have:

One M.2 slot (NVMe/SATA‑capable) toward the lower‑right of the board, or
Two M.2 slots — the primary NVMe/SATA slot plus a secondary M.2 (often SATA‑only) mounted elsewhere on the PCB.

Even with two slots, neither is placed directly against the heatsink on this generation’s layout. That means the heatsink is not a direct cause of SSD failure here. Issues like overheating or disconnects are more often related to airflow, the SSD model’s own heat output, or cable/port faults — not heat conduction from the cooler.

If your revision supports NVMe, a solid replacement choice is the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1 TB PCIe Gen 3 NVMe SSD for reliable performance and endurance. Please double‑check NVMe compatibility in your service manual or BIOS before purchase.

Nitro5user83

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1352389#Comment_1352389

The secondary drive for the AN515-41 is not NVMe it is SATA and it is indeed positioned right next to the fans and heatsink as you can see here

Puraw

Hello @Nitro5user83

Thanks for posting the photo — it helps clarify the layout. On your AN515‑41 revision, the secondary M.2 bay is indeed nearer the fan shroud, but it’s still not in physical contact with the CPU/GPU heatsink. That means the heatsink is not the likely cause of the repeated disconnects you’re seeing.

Given the symptoms — same behaviour even over USB, and the fact this slot is SATA‑protocol only — the more probable culprit is simply a failing M.2 SATA SSD.

Recommendation: Replace it with a reliable M.2 2280 SATA model such as the Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB for solid performance and endurance in that slot. NVMe drives are not supported there, so be sure to choose SATA‑protocol M.2.

Nitro5user83

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1352393#Comment_1352393

I did not say that the SSD was in contact with the heatsink, just that it is positioned right next to it. I am aware that the SSD is failing, I also said that in my original post. My post stated that I suspect the reason for this rather new SSD to be failing after such a short amount of time could be due to the heat in that area (right next to the heatsink, not touching it). So therefore I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience

Nitro5user83

OK so after further digging it seems that other users of the SSD I have had had the same problem with premature failure. It could be that the drive is particularly sensitive to heat or it could be that it is just rubbish… Either way I will buy a better one and sell the RMA that I get for this one. The 860 EVO you suggested seems like a good option 👍️

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