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Use Windows PowerShell to check your NVMe SSD’s reported health and reliability counters. The key commands are Get-PhysicalDisk and Get-StorageReliabilityCounter. If Windows reports a Wear percentage, Microsoft defines 100% as the point at which the device’s estimated wear limit has been reached—but the percentage is not a countdown to a specific failure date.
Check the SSD’s status in PowerShell
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Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell. In Windows Terminal, choose a PowerShell tab.
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Run
Get-PhysicalDiskto list physical disks visible to Windows’ storage provider. Identify the NVMe SSD by its friendly name, model, or size, then check itsHealthStatusandOperationalStatus. Microsoft documents health values including Healthy, Warning, Unhealthy, and Unknown. See Microsoft’s Get-PhysicalDisk documentation.The Tool Desk
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Request reliability counters for the identified disk. Replace
<disk name>with its friendly name:#1 Best Overall
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Get-PhysicalDisk -FriendlyName "<disk name>" | Get-StorageReliabilityCounter | Format-ListTo request counters for all visible physical disks instead, run:
Get-PhysicalDisk | Get-StorageReliabilityCounter | Format-ListCheck the disk identity before interpreting results. Microsoft documents this cmdlet and pipeline pattern in its Get-StorageReliabilityCounter reference.
Read the values Windows returns
Look for the following fields if the drive and storage provider expose them. These counters are reported by the storage device, and their availability varies by device, provider, driver, and Windows version.
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Rank #2
- Ideal for high speed, low power storage
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- Up to 6,000MB/s read, 4,000MB/s write
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- 5-year limited warranty
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Wear: A percentage indicating device wear. Microsoft says that at 100%, the estimated wear limit has been reached. The value is not a guaranteed estimate of days or years remaining.
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Temperature and maximum temperature: Compare the reported readings with the operating range specified for your exact SSD model. There is no single temperature cutoff established here for every NVMe drive.
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Read and write errors: Note whether errors are corrected or uncorrected. Uncorrected errors are a reason to take the result seriously and protect your data.
Rank #3
Sandisk Optimus 5100 500GB NVMe SSD, PCIe 4.0, M.2 2280 | Up to 6,600MB/s Read Speeds, Up to 5,600MB/s Write Speeds, Internal Solid State Drive - SDSP51500GAN- SPEED UP PROJECTS. Launch creator applications fast with uncompromising PCIe 4.0 read speeds up to 7,100MB/s,[2] (1TB and 2TB[1] models) and write speeds up to 6,700MB/s[2] (1TB[1]-4TB[1] models).
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- UNCOMPROMISED RELIABILITY. With up to 1,200 TBW[3] (4TB[1] model) endurance rating, your drive is designed for creators.
- KEEP YOUR DRIVE UPDATED. Monitor your SSD’s performance and check for updates with the downloadable SANDISK Dashboard application.[5]
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PowerOnHours: The documented counter is the number of hours the device has been powered on since manufacture. It describes use, not a remaining-life estimate.
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Microsoft’s MSFT_StorageReliabilityCounter class documentation defines these fields and notes that the information is dynamic and should be obtained from the storage device when needed.
What Wear percentage can—and cannot—tell you
Wear is useful as a reported wear indicator, but it does not translate into a universal calendar countdown. Microsoft documents the estimated wear limit at 100%; its documentation does not provide a general formula for converting a lower percentage into a particular number of months or years. Avoid treating, for example, 20% Wear as a promise of a specific amount of service life.
Rank #4
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- BREAKTHROUGH POWER EFFICIENCY: Use less power and get more performance; Enjoy up to 50% improved performance per watt over 980 PRO, plus optimal power efficiency with max PCIe 4.0 performance**
- SMART THERMAL CONTROL: Samsung's own nickel-coated controller delivers effective thermal control; With its slim size, 990 PRO is a perfect fit for desktops and laptops that meet the PCI-SIG D8 standard***
- THE CHAMPION MAKER: Up to 65% improvement in random performance enables faster loads for an ultimate gaming experience on PS5 and DirectStorage PC games****
- SAMSUNG MAGICIAN SOFTWARE: Get the most out of your SSD with Samsung Magician's advanced yet intuitive optimization tools; Monitor drive health, protect valuable data, and receive important updates for your 990 PRO
A missing or blank Wear field means that this Windows/provider/device path did not return a value. It does not mean zero wear or prove that the SSD is healthy. Microsoft’s cmdlet example includes a blank Wear field, and its counter documentation describes values supplied by storage devices.
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Healthy status and no concerning counters: This is a useful current status report, not proof that every kind of failure is impossible. Keep your normal backup routine.
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Warning or Unhealthy status, uncorrected errors, unusual temperatures, or a wear-limit report: Make a current backup promptly before troubleshooting further. Check temperatures against the exact drive’s specifications rather than applying a generic threshold.
Best Value
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- MORE TIME TO CLEAR THAT CHECKPOINT. Built with laptops and handheld gaming devices in mind, with up to 100% more power efficiency over the previous generation.
- DO MORE WITH DASHBOARD. Ensure your drive is optimized for prime performance with the downloadable WD_BLACK Dashboard (Windows only).
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Unknown status or missing counters: Windows may not be receiving the relevant information from the provider, driver, or SSD. Consult the computer or SSD manufacturer’s official utility or documentation for your exact model; an unavailable field alone does not establish that the drive has failed.
Why the result may differ between Windows PCs
The Microsoft references linked above are for the Windows Server 2025 Storage module and Windows hardware driver documentation. Although the counter class lists client support beginning with Windows 8 desktop apps, that does not guarantee that every Windows installation or current NVMe model exposes every counter. The commands can list only disks visible through the available Storage Management Provider, and returned fields depend on what the device and provider report.
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