M.2 SSD drives with heatsink

M.2 heatsink

— the presence of a heatsink in an M.2 form factor drive (see the relevant paragraph).

The heatsink is usually a metal plate attached to the drive board. It improves heat dissipation, which is especially important at high loads associated with large amounts of information. M.2 drives with a heatsink are designed primarily for high-performance systems, in particular gaming.

There's also a special type of ultra-thin and lightweight graphene heatsinks. They adhere to the surface of the M.2 SSD, covering key areas (controller and memory chips) that generate the most heat. This allows for more even heat distribution and minimizes heat buildup.