Cooling a harddrive

[diego]

Hey tech-nerds,

I am considering buying a new harddrive (my olde one crashed and left us) - it's gonna be a SATA 300 Gig-something.
Now, my last one (which died, You remember) got hot pretty fast, so I think cooling the new one below 35°C might be a good idea.

How do You guys do it, e.g. which fan do You guys recommend?

Thanks for any advice!

D++

[obsidian]

I just have a basic, quiet 120mm fan in the front of the case near where the HD rack is.

Anything with those small, thin fans tend to be very loud.

[Foo]

Now, my last one (which died, You remember) got hot pretty fast, so I think cooling the new one below 35°C might be a good idea.

How do You guys do it, e.g. which fan do You guys recommend?

Thanks for any advice!

D++

Read the recently released report by google on drive failure rates. Stated that unless the heat was extreme, it had no effect on a drive's reliability.

Also obsidian is right about fan size - bigger is quieter (presumably) because the bearings can move slower for the same rate of airflow.

[AmIdYfReAk]

yep!

+1 on those tips...

i've had hdd's run 45+cº and theve lived for years, then the heads started going. :/

[obsidian]

I've seen all sorts of elaborate hard drive coolers with heat pipes and fans (most require the HD to be mounted in a 5.25" drive bay) and are usually relatively pricey. Nothing beats the old large case fan method.

What kind of hard drive (brand/model) was your old hard drive?

[diego]

Hey there, thanks for Your advice!

I consider something like this: http://www.alternate.de/html/product/de ... cleId=8548

Is that anywhere nearly "useful"?

[obsidian]

I suppose... but I meant something like one of these:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php? ... orcatid=93

Most computer cases will have a fan mount on the front of the case just in front of the HD rack. Check to see if your case has one.

[diego]

Unfortunately, no, there is no possibility to put it infront of the case. It's either in the backside (gay) or upon the hdd itself.
The latter seems a little... moot since it doesn't leave that much room to vent the hot air out of the case, does it?