EXTREME HEAT with Sandisk Extreme Go USB 3.1 Flash Drive 128GB - SDCZ800-128G-G46

TLDR; I tried to use this device as a bootable OS drive for Windows 10 while it was plugged into a USB 3.0 port. The heat was so intense that it literally bent the plastic/metal USB plug.

Using the Windows Media Creation tool, I made a Windows 10 ISO. I then used Hasleo WinToUSB to install Windows 10 on the USB stick.

I was able to boot into Windows 10, set everything up and install drivers. The problem came when I was extracting files from a zip file containing ethernet drivers. As it was extracting, I noticed that randomly the speeds would go from 40-50 MB/s down to zero, then back up, then zero etc. It did this about 4-5 times. I noticed it was getting kind of hot to the touch.

I looked closer and it turned out the plug on the USB drive had  literally started to melt and curl upwards!!!

I powered down the system and did a little bit more testing. Turns out when you have the device plugged into USB 2.0 that it works reasonably fast still even for USB 2.0 and doesn’t overheat at all, at least compared to the heat created when it’s plugged into a USB 3.0 or 3.1 port. 

In closing, if you’re just using this device to transfer files it’s fine. But if you’re a crazy person like me and try to get extreme use out of your electronics, this device is not for you. 

Note - I am extremely careful with my computer hardware devices and I would be the first to own up to accidentally bending the plug, but I don’t have the kind of Hulk strength and Hawkeye dexterity required to bend this plug without it snapping in two. 

Picture 2

Yes, they can get hot, very hot.  Are you sure there was nothing under the drive pushing it up?

Thank you for sharing this post, including the pictures.

I found this thread via a Google search.

I have the exact same drive.

My Dell laptop fan is running loud and fast.

The drive is HOT.

I pull the drive out and the laptop fan quiets down.

While I appreciate the symptom description and confirmation it leaves the question:

What is the fix?!

Does the heat problem exist when it’s being written to or read from?   Is the drive still exFAT or has it been reformatted?

According to a hardware monitoring toll that I use called speedfan (version 4.52) the current temperature of my 64GB SanDisk Extreme is 236C degrees. Wow!

Can it really be that hot? Or maybe the program is misinterpreting the sensor information?

Regards.

73
-Grace
NNNN
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