Although there is some cooling interference using a 2.5 SATA drive in the bay, the majority of thermal issues have come from actually using hard drives.
HDDs are denser, and create/generate thermal conditions, adding to additional cooling problems. The majority of the 2.5 SATA SSDs are in an aluminum case and generate a minimalistic amount of thermals.
Still, a number of our clients have come up with more advantageous installation solutions to receive 2TB of SATA storage
M.2 NGFF to SATA Adapter Card B Key/B & M Key SSD Converter
The card adapter is both thinner and narrower, allowing it to be positioned for better airflow within the bottom of the case, while having virtually nothing to absorb and retain heat.
This has been the configuration used by many of our clients for some time now, with no problems.
A number of other clients have shucked this model here
Silicon Power Ace A55 2TB SSD Review
With great success.
MaxProAndU Team