When we hear overheating or thermal throttling in computers, the mind immediately thinks of the CPU or graphics card. These two have been the main heat-generating components for as long as we can remember. But as PCs get faster and faster, other components have to pick up pace as well. Naturally, this means things get hot elsewhere too, and that our computers are running warmer than ever.

NVMe SSDs

Fast doesn't come without furious

NVMe drives, especially Gen 5 ones, are pushing ridiculously high speeds, with the fastest drives providing up to 15 GB/s of throughput. This is made possible by the SSD controller, inside which the logic gates have to switch between 0 and 1 billion times per second. There's also the physical (PHY) layer inside the controller that drives the PCIe signal. In fast Gen 4 and Gen 5 NVMe drives, this layer has to work overtime to maintain signal integrity. High-storage SSDs also have double-sided NAND stacking, which can act as an insulator and makes it difficult for heat to escape.

Add to that the small M.2 package and high heat density, plus thermal resistance in the various SSD components, and you have a serious thermal concern. That is why fast SSDs come with thermal pads and (often massive) heatsinks to keep them cool. Gen 6 drives will run even hotter, and you can expect heatsinks with a fan to be the norm. Still, these drives will rely on good airflow more than anything. If you're rocking such a drive, you should keep an eye on temperatures (especially under sustained loads), and make sure your case fans are correctly oriented.

Motherboard VRMs

Those massive heatsinks aren't for nothing

Voltage regulator modules (VRMs) convert the 12V power from the PSU to 1.1-1.4V that the CPU can work with. They also convert power to be provided to the RAM, chipset, integrated controllers, and more. But, most of the phases in a motherboard VRM are dedicated to the CPU, so this is where most of the heat is produced. When the CPU's power demand is high (under intense workloads or when you overclock), the MOSFETs (acting as switches) have a high amount of current flowing through them. During this, some current is lost as heat due to internal resistance. Similarly, a small amount of heat is dissipated during switching. (which can occur hundreds of thousands of times per second!). Though MOSFETs are designed to minimize these losses, only so much can be done.

MOSFETs working together in series reduce heat output as the current is divided between them. An extensive number of VRM phases can therefore be helpful, even if you're not putting the CPU under heavy load. Most motherboards nowadays will at least have a small heatsink and thermal pads for the MOSFETs, while more high-end motherboards use large heatsinks, thermal pads, or even heat pipes. Like with SSDs, these heatsinks only provide passive cooling. To keep your VRMs running cool, again, ensure good airflow in your PC.

DDR5 RAM

Though they may not throttle like you're used to

RAM temperatures generally haven't been a major problem (even with overclocking) until the advent of DDR5 RAM. Not only can DDR5 memory push much greater speeds, it houses its own integrated power management integrated circuit (PMIC) and voltage regulator, which adds further heat output. Even so, thermal issues with DDR5 RAM are likely only while pushing high speeds (enthusiasts have already clocked well over 10000 MT/s!). These thermal issues usually manifest in the form of memory errors and system crashes, though ASUS noted in internal testing that memory performance drops by 22% under high temperatures.

Hard Drives

Don't let 'em spin out of control

HDDs can't run as fast as solid state drives, as their working mechanism is mechanical, but they do rotate at thousands of revolutions per minute. The spindle motor draws constant power to keep the plates spinning, and friction between the spindle and the bearing generates separate heat. Aerodynamic drag (or air friction) also accounts for heat production as it creates friction against the hard drive's disk, requiring energy to overcome it. Hard drives also tend to be installed in drive cages with poor ventilation, and multiple drives installed together can insulate each other.

Hard drives typically slow down beyond the 50-60°C mark, depending on the model. Effects of overheating can involve reduced read and write speeds as well as higher seek times (which itself slows performance, too) due to misalignment. HDDs can also become noisy as different parts expand under heat, causing increased vibration and bearing friction. If you're facing an overheating hard drive, improve airflow in your chassis or buy a fan (or two) for the drive. (yes, they exist!)

Your CPU and GPU shouldn't get all the attention

It's understandable that most users focus on cooling the CPU and GPU the most—after all, they do the actual heavy lifting inside your PC. However, the modern computer has other components that are also working harder than ever, and deserve some sort of attention. Fortunately, most of these components come with their own cooling solutions now, and (for the most part) they just need you to keep your PC dust-free and to exhaust heat effectively.