The values that are cited are not written in stone. The lifetime of SSDs significantly depends on the write strategy used. Manufacturers use special algorithms for this, which endeavor to achieve the most efficient “write management” possible. The widespread wear-leveling technology, which is managed by the built-in controller or the firmware of an SSD, evenly distributes the entries of all memory blocks. By not always writing in the same block, a balanced utilization and the subsequent delayed aging of an SSD can be achieved.
Another measure to extend the lifetime of an SSD is to activate the TRIM function. The TRIM command has provided improved memory management since Windows 7 was released. If the operating system was installed directly onto the SSD, it is usually activated automatically. You can also activate the command yourself via the command line (fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0, if TRIM is deactivated). Activation is made easier with the tools that SSD manufacturers offer online for monitoring and maintaining solid state disks free of charge.
Over-provisioning is an optional component of intelligent storage management. If the function is activated, an operational “special memory” becomes available to the SSD controller. This can then be used as a kind of cache for managing and relocating temporary data. Over-provisioning can support SSD maintenance via garbage collection, wear leveling, and bad block management, for example. When the function is activated, however, you forego some storage capacity. Not all SSDs support this function.
As a user, you can also do something to increase the lifetime of the SSD. You can outsource backup directories for larger and write-intensive data backups to inexpensive HDDs. Folders for temporary files and browser profile folders, into which a lot of data is permanently written, do not have to be on an SSD. System-relevant files, which are also responsible for the performance of Windows (e.g., pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys), should remain on the SSD in order to guarantee efficient system performance.
In addition to the most intelligent memory management possible, other factors are also decisive for the service life of the electronic memory. It is important to know how an SSD should be stored and handled. Thermal problems (e.g., high ambient temperatures) and high humidity can damage the memory or shorten its service life. Mechanical-physical influences (e.g., from falling) are less of a threat to an SSD than to a HDD, but damage from mechanical forces cannot be completely ruled out.
Electronic factors can also influence the lifetime of an SSD. The controller (meaning the control unit of an SSD) is particularly susceptible to surge damage. If SSDs are not used for a long time, data can also be lost if it is not accessed for a while. As a precaution, you should check on it occasionally, use it briefly, or at least boot the device. Otherwise, a loss of cell charge can lead to data degradation. Among other things, this can result in bit errors that, despite error correction, trigger firmware corruption and thereby disable an SSD. SSDs should therefore not be used for the permanent offline archiving of data.
Other factors include defective flash semiconductor memories, incorrectly programmed firmware and firmware updates, and memory management algorithms that have not been programmed optimally. SSDs are generally technologically complex. In terms of possible sources of error, malfunctions and negative influences that can end or at least limit service life, they are inferior to the simpler, classic, magnetic storage technology of HDDs. Of course, user errors and other factors can also lead to data loss, such as corrupt files, faulty file systems and file allocation tables, viruses, accidental formatting and the unplanned deletion of files, folders, and partitions.