Do newer 7200 rpm HDD really need a separate cooling fan ?

John Smith wrote:
I had no idea that drives came with sensors... makes me wonder why the
various HD manufacturers such as Seagate, WD, Hitachi, etc, don't actually
market this and provide some kind of temperature software with the HD or for
download.

Generally if a disk is SMART capable (as are all modern drives) it will
have a temperature sensor in.

If you get any software to check the SMART information on your HD it
should tell you the temperature. Linux has a couple of utilities to do
this though I don't know how to do it in Windows.

BarryNL said this...
If you get any software to check the SMART information on your HD it
should tell you the temperature. Linux has a couple of utilities to do
this though I don't know how to do it in Windows.



MBM5 will do this in Windows...

http://mbm.livewiredev.com/

--
º~ dªv¡d ~º

I've seen a few server rooms where the case covers have been removed and
they have a big fan on a stand blowing air over the entire server.


"BarryNL" wrote in message
...
Butterfly Maiden wrote:
Do newer 7200 rpm HDD really need a separate cooling fan ?

I have a WD 120 GB HDD. Am I wasting a case fan on my HDD which might be
used better
elsewhere??

Unless the manufacturer says so (and I've never heard of one that does)
you don't NEED a cooling fan. Having said that, most computer components
will have a longer life it kept cooler. Though most people will have
long since replaced a hard disk before is packs up on its own (unless
they own a Fujitsu :-)

Of course not. Most of them heat up less than a CDROM!

They do heat up quite a bit. It is common for a motherboard and the inside
of a computer case to heat up to about 90 Degrees. This is why there needs
to be forced ventilation to move fresh air in and hot air out. A case with
2 exhaust fans is a good recipe for effective case cooling. This is why
some computer cases put the hard drive cage in front of an air intake fan in
the bottom front part of the case.

This is an example of a good case design.

Drives are better off not sitting directly on top of or underneath each
other so they can have heat exchange. Often the outside of the drive is an
aluminum alloy that allows the heat to to dissipate. Aluminum transfers
heat well. Silver is better, but too expensive.

You should leave space between CDROM drives as well. It just makes sense to
let the air travel around the drive to cool them off.

They make 5.5 inch drive bay units with fans in them that you can put a hard
drive in. Cooling off a hard drive with constant air flow should make it
last longer. Heat is the biggest killer inside a computer case.

I just use one hard drive and do not worry about it too much. They make
programs and sensors you can use to monitor heat inside a case. Most people
worry more about the processor overheating than the hard drives. A CPU can
reach temps of 150 degrees F and keep going.

"Ken" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:13:55 +0100, "John Smith"
wrote:

Excue me for being stupid but... how does a bit of software know the
temperature of the HD? A fan or mobo needs some kind of sensor?
The HD has no sensor so how does the software know the
temperature? Oops, I asked that already!

Modern HD:s HAVE a temperature sensor.