Why is my SSD running much much cooler after installing a heatsink for it?

[Citrusflavour01]

I know it might seem like a stupid question but I don't understand how it would run around 50-60°C to 30-40°C? Perhaps I need to change the airflow and possibly increase fan speed? From my understanding, heatsinks for SSD doesn't make much of a difference. I'm currently using my AIO cpu cooler as an exhaust.

[TetraSky]

It doesn't make much of a difference... As far as performance goes. (though 60 is a bit high IMO, is this a limited airflow case with plenty of glass panels wiith very few actual intake?)

But obviously, if you put a chunk of metal on a heat generating chip, it will run cooler than if it didn't have it.

[another random person]

It may also be a thermal sink so under constant loading you may see temperatures that are 10 or so degrees below previously encountered.

[Bramble991]

that seems to be heatsink working as intended. what was the problem?

maybe your SSD wasnt able to dissipate heat properly without it, or located in bad place for dissipating heat. 

[mariushm]

The heat is produced in a very small concentrated place, in the ssd controller chip. The flash memory chips don't produce that much heat. 

With only the sticker spreading some heat across the ssd, there's not much heat transfer so the temperature stays up. 

With the heatsink applied, heat can go from controller chip directly into the cold metal above and then spread across the fins of the heatsink. The heatsink acts like a cold bottle, it takes a long time for the heat from the chip to heat up the metal chunk, and there may also be some natural air movement through the case which moves air through the heatsink fins taking the minute heat increase away.