View Full Version : HOT HDDs
gobBobo
09-13-2006, 03:38 PM
I have 2 Maxtor drives. a Diamondmax9 and a Diamondmax10, both sata.
the get up to temps of around 70c, which is really hot. my question is do those hard drive coolers help at all?
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&Ntt=hard+drive+cooler&N=0&Dx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&D=hard+drive+cooler&Ntk=All&product_code=306878&Pn=Hard_Drive_Dual_Fan_Cooler
rtierney
09-13-2006, 03:41 PM
70C on a harddrive?
that is nuts...they should be no where near that.
what's the airflow in your case look like? have at least one intake and exhaust fan?
they're taking a nose dive towards death at that temperature.
gobBobo
09-13-2006, 03:43 PM
i have the bob slay case - hard drives are on the bottom halfhttp://www.geocities.com/gobbobo/bobslay006.jpg
dj_2004
09-13-2006, 04:41 PM
They aren't getting any airflow. If possible cut a fan hole (and install a fan) in the back to at least remove the heat from the drives. Or cut two holes sideways and have one fan as an intake and have the other sucking the air out.
larrymoencurly
09-13-2006, 08:38 PM
If one of those fans sucks in and the other blows out, that's bad design and will make the air in the bottom of the case stagnate and heat up. Maybe just drilling several holes in the bottom, under the HDs, will help the cooling, especially if the HDs are mounted vertically, but otherwise I'd really want a fan to blow air over the electronics (mount bottom drive upside down so one fan can cool both circuit boards).
protias
09-14-2006, 10:31 AM
If one of those fans sucks in and the other blows out, that's bad design and will make the air in the bottom of the case stagnate and heat up. Maybe just drilling several holes in the bottom, under the HDs, will help the cooling, especially if the HDs are mounted vertically, but otherwise I'd really want a fan to blow air over the electronics (mount bottom drive upside down so one fan can cool both circuit boards).
i dont understand how the air would be stagnent at the bottom when hot air rises. dj_2004's recommendation is what i would personally do.
defakto
09-14-2006, 01:42 PM
It doesn't rise that fast, you need something to push the air for effective cooling. Just relying on convection to cool the drive is a very, very bad idea.
protias
09-14-2006, 02:14 PM
It doesn't rise that fast, you need something to push the air for effective cooling. Just relying on convection to cool the drive is a very, very bad idea.
well, that is why i also endorsed the fan over the drives and another fan in the rear, just as dj_2004 said ;)
70C dude? They're already toast. I wouldn't even consider using them anymore...and RMA and get new ones. :eek:
larrymoencurly
09-15-2006, 04:03 AM
i dont understand how the air would be stagnent at the bottom when hot air rises. dj_2004's recommendation is what i would personally do.I'm guessing it's because the fan forced air moves a lot faster from front to back than the gravity convection at the bottom can circulate up and down. I've read that something like this happens with gable roofed homes that have a ridge vent installed -- the air doesn't flow from the soffit vents to the ridge vent but instead from the gable vents to the ride vent, causing the air lower down to "stack".
protias
09-15-2006, 09:17 AM
that makes a little more sense. but my reasoning is that if the air is being pushed out the back faster than it comes in, then it should also take out the air thats just "stagnent" in the case. correct or is my brain just not have a few circuits in the right place (or even on :p)?
Lazn_Work
09-15-2006, 10:16 AM
that makes a little more sense. but my reasoning is that if the air is being pushed out the back faster than it comes in, then it should also take out the air thats just "stagnent" in the case. correct or is my brain just not have a few circuits in the right place (or even on :p)?
nope, look up fluid dynamics.. errm wait that is a whole college degree.. But anywho, air will flow the path of least resisitance, take a ruler and point it from your air inlet, to your exhaust fan, and the air will do it's best to follow that straight line, no matter how strong the fans are.
If you want to change that, put other fans in the case, or make ducts to force the air to go where you want it to.
Just to illustrate the HD mounting position in this case, here's a pic (or 2) from the Mod the Box (http://www.modthebox.com/review430_1.shtml) review of the Bob Slay..
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5394/bobslay16uw8.th.jpg (http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bobslay16uw8.jpg)http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/1223/bobslay19qh3.th.jpg (http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bobslay19qh3.jpg)
On the drilling holes below the HD mount track, perhaps do that and build a shroud to go around the HD and have the air sucked out by the PSU? Obviously not the optimal way to rely on the PSU for the cooling of the lower end of the unit, but it will do that anyway in stock form..At least this way, the HD will get some better directed cooling (assumption) - and the optical drives don't really need cooling do they?
ps..Mountain Mods has a 3xbay res mount called the Circle Jerk..WTF?! :eek: Either their marketing guys are idiots, or are CJ fans (the BAND not the ermm extra-cirricular activity!)
http://www.mountainmods.com/product_info.php?products_id=358&osCsid=6phb06nunenktl5tnojhk27h62. Better hope the CJ guys aren't sue happy - they have a lock on prior usage since they've been around oh 20 years longer than MM (assuming MM is the creator of the CJ mount). Although if I were them (the CJ), I'd be happy to have a product with my name on it - perhaps some sort of co-branding is in order? ;)
protias
09-15-2006, 04:42 PM
nope, look up fluid dynamics.. errm wait that is a whole college degree.. But anywho, air will flow the path of least resisitance, take a ruler and point it from your air inlet, to your exhaust fan, and the air will do it's best to follow that straight line, no matter how strong the fans are.
If you want to change that, put other fans in the case, or make ducts to force the air to go where you want it to.
that does help lazn. thanks :)
larrymoencurly
09-16-2006, 06:24 AM
A shroud around the HD could make the PSU fan cool the HD a lot better, but I worry about what happens in case of fan failure -- the shroud may then make the HD hotter than it would be without it. Of course this depends on the design of the shroud. One reason I mount HDs vertically is out of fear of fan failure.
How about smoking cigarettes to fill the case with smoke before starting the fans? Get the kids to help with this by making it a contest to see who can blow the most smoke.
dchrsf
09-16-2006, 09:03 PM
How about smoking cigarettes to fill the case with smoke before starting the fans? Get the kids to help with this by making it a contest to see who can blow the most smoke.
lol.
my thought: Faulty temp sensors. Try the "feel" test..
gobBobo
09-17-2006, 12:35 PM
it doesn't look like a circle jerk would be the beset solution, i have no room for it. i'm contemplating a side intake fan (80mm) and a rear output fan (80mm). the psu thing might work, but that's another dilemma. the fan on the psu that would do that isn't functioning either. lol.
btw, the drives aren't always 70c. they stay around 46-56 and then shoot up to 70 when fully using them for an extended time.
onekewlchip
09-17-2006, 09:35 PM
it doesn't look like a circle jerk would be the beset solution, i have no room for it. i'm contemplating a side intake fan (80mm) and a rear output fan (80mm). the psu thing might work, but that's another dilemma. the fan on the psu that would do that isn't functioning either. lol.
btw, the drives aren't always 70c. they stay around 46-56 and then shoot up to 70 when fully using them for an extended time.
Get a PSU with a 120MM fan sucking the air through (that works of course). It'll do wonders.
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