COOLEST running 7200 RPM hard disk

[Irn Mdn]

I am in search of a 7200RPM hard for a small portable firewire enclosure
with no fan to keep temps low. While Western Digital and Maxtor offer top
performance, they do generate excessive heat, especially the former. I am
incling towards Samsung or Seagate in 80-120GB range. Are there better options?

 

[Rod Speed]

I am in search of a 7200RPM hard for a small portable firewire
enclosure with no fan to keep temps low. While Western Digital
and Maxtor offer top performance, they do generate excessive
heat, especially the former. I am incling towards Samsung

It gets reasonably warm in a normal PC case internal bay.
I wouldnt run it in a much smaller external case myself.

or Seagate in 80-120GB range.

Barracudas get stinking hot when run loose on the desktop,
because they rely on conduction to get the heat away.

Are there better options?

Yep, a 5400 drive or a fan in the enclosure.

 

[Papa]

IMHO they all need additional cooling. For that reason a small enclosure is
not a good idea.

I am in search of a 7200RPM hard for a small portable firewire enclosure
with no fan to keep temps low. While Western Digital and Maxtor offer top
performance, they do generate excessive heat, especially the former. I am
incling towards Samsung or Seagate in 80-120GB range. Are there better

options?

 

[Will Dormann]

I am in search of a 7200RPM hard for a small portable firewire enclosure
with no fan to keep temps low. While Western Digital and Maxtor offer top
performance, they do generate excessive heat, especially the former. I am
incling towards Samsung or Seagate in 80-120GB range. Are there better options?

I'd be disinclined to use any 7200RPM drive in an enclosure without any
fan. I have an 80GB Maxtor 7200RPM drive an a fanless enclosure and
there's no way that I'd trust it for continuous use.

I leave it on for about 20 minutes at most (enough to image a partition)
and then turn it off. Once I forgot to shut it off after a backup.
Out of curiosity, I removed it from the enclosure and was stunned at how
hot the thing was.


-WD

 

[Tony]

I am in search of a 7200RPM hard for a small portable firewire enclosure
with no fan to keep temps low. While Western Digital and Maxtor offer top
performance, they do generate excessive heat, especially the former. I am
incling towards Samsung or Seagate in 80-120GB range. Are there better

options?

I'm not entirely sure I agree WRT WD drives. Storagereview took a look at
the WD800JB and remarked that it was among the coolest drives they've
measured. That's assuming, of course, that an IDE drive is acceptable for
your needs.

http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200205/20020529WD800JB_1.html

 

[Irn Mdn]

It gets reasonably warm in a normal PC case internal bay.
I wouldnt run it in a much smaller external case myself.


Barracudas get stinking hot when run loose on the desktop,
because they rely on conduction to get the heat away.


Yep, a 5400 drive or a fan in the enclosure.

I have a IBM deskstar 7200 in big fat 5.25" enclosure with fan. This is good
enough to edit DV from my laptop. Too bad it takes up as much space as
the laptop. I am looking for a small pocketable enclosure. It seems
Maxtor DiamondMax 5400 is the only choice in 120GB range. I doubt
WD 5400 Protege are available in that size.

 

[Rod Speed]

I have a IBM deskstar 7200 in big fat 5.25" enclosure
with fan. This is good enough to edit DV from my
laptop. Too bad it takes up as much space as the
laptop. I am looking for a small pocketable enclosure.

Yeah, but basically 7200RPM and fanless and very small isnt a real option currently.

It seems Maxtor DiamondMax 5400 is the only choice in 120GB range.

There's also the Samsung.

I doubt WD 5400 Protege are available in that size.

Probably not unless its rather obsolete stock.

 

[Jerry]

I'm looking for a new Hard Drive. You seem to like Samsung.
Would you please give me a couple reason why?
TIA, Jerry

 

[Rod Speed]

I'm looking for a new Hard Drive. You seem to like Samsung.

I do indeed.

Would you please give me a couple reason why?

Main one is that the P80 drives are amazingly quiet,
both idle noise and when moving the heads around.
And no stupid noisy head activity when idle too.

Fluid bearing, main advantage over the WDs which still dont have that.

Another advantages over WDs which I previously used is
that the Samsungs have the usual simple jumpering scheme,
unlike WD that has a stupid unique config for the single
drive on the cable when you arent using cable select.

The WDs STILL dont have an internal SMART temperature
sensor either. Thats more of an irritation that essential,
but I do like to keep track of the most important temps.

Samsungs are the last in the industry to have
full 3 year warrantys on all their drives too.

Main downside is that the Samsungs are harder to find,
quite a few flogging hard drives dont flog Samsungs.

 

[DaveL]

I just installed a Samsung 40 GB for my son's computer. After 15 minutes of
ghosting the thing was rather hot to the touch. It was quiet though.

Dave

 

[Rod Speed]

I just installed a Samsung 40 GB for my son's
computer. After 15 minutes of ghosting the thing
was rather hot to the touch. It was quiet though.

You've likely got it mounted right up against another hard drive.

Generally best to have a spare slot
between drives with 7200 rpm drives.

 

[Rita_A_Berkowitz]

You've likely got it mounted right up against another hard drive.

Generally best to have a spare slot
between drives with 7200 rpm drives.

This is another bright example of utterly mindless nonsense spewing from the
hind parts of Rod (Corncob) Speed. Proper airflow isn't going to be
achieved this way. Fix the problem the correct way by getting natural
convection currents to flow unrestricted or use a strategically placed fan.



Rita

 

[DaveL]

Actually, at that point the drive was not even mounted yet. I had it
resting on the floor, slaved onto the original drive with the case door
open. When I shut the system down and began to mount it is when I noticed
it was hot.

Dave

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Actually, at that point the drive was not even mounted yet.
I had it resting on the floor, slaved onto the original drive
with the case door open. When I shut the system down
and began to mount it is when I noticed it was hot.

Assuming that you're not pulling our collective leg,
that is why it was hot. Sitting on the floor - even in open
air - doesn't even cool the HD well. Standing it on end
would be a little better - but only a little. What the HD
needs is air *moving* past it, like inside a fan-ventilated
case. If you're going to set the HD outside the case, at
least direct a desk fan at it to keep it cool.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Rod Speed]

Some rabid bigot claiming to be

Reams of your puerile shit any 3 year old
could leave for dead flushed where it belongs.

Proper airflow isn't going to be achieved this way.

Wrong. As always.

Even someone as stupid as you should be able
to try the two configs and measure the result
using the internal SMART temperature sensor.

Fix the problem the correct way by getting
natural convection currents to flow unrestricted

And thats what having a spare slot does, fool.

or use a strategically placed fan.

Not as simple as a spare slot, fool.

 

[Rod Speed]

Actually, at that point the drive was not even mounted yet.

OK. Thats not a very good idea with 7200 rpm
drives because they do get rid of quite a bit of
the heat by conduction to the metal drive bay stack.

I had it resting on the floor, slaved onto the original
drive with the case door open. When I shut the system
down and began to mount it is when I noticed it was hot.

Yeah, most 7200 rpm drives will get quite hot
in that situation. Some get stinking hot in no time.

 

[Luxor]

If you're going to set the HD outside the case, at
least direct a desk fan at it to keep it cool.

*TimDaniels*

Haha...too funny.

 

[Rita_A_Berkowitz]

Haha...too funny.

I keep mine in a Tupperware bowl filled with liquid nitrogen.

Rita

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Haha...too funny.

Air blowing on a HD is the primary method of cooling.
That's all that Dell used in my Dell Dimension, and I've
had no hard disk drive problems in the 4 years I've had
the system. The primary hard disk drive has as its
standard mounting a plastic cage, and the only metal-
to-metal contact that it has are the two 1 1/4" long
screws which penetrate the plastic cage to hold the
HD in place. The only significant cooling is by the draft
of air passing by the HD as it transits the case. This is
the equivalent of a fan blowing on the HD, and the HD
really doesn't know whether it's inside or outside the
computer case.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Rod Speed]

Luxor wrote

Air blowing on a HD is the primary method of cooling.

Nope, the secondary. The primary is conduction
to the metal drive bay stack frame.

That's all that Dell used in my Dell Dimension,

Plenty of PCs have no specific airflow over the drive.

and I've had no hard disk drive problems in the 4 years
I've had the system. The primary hard disk drive has
as its standard mounting a plastic cage, and the only
metal-to-metal contact that it has are the two 1 1/4" long
screws which penetrate the plastic cage to hold the HD in place.

Thats uncommon with most PCs.

The only significant cooling is by the draft of
air passing by the HD as it transits the case.
This is the equivalent of a fan blowing on the
HD, and the HD really doesn't know whether
it's inside or outside the computer case.

HDs have ways knowing these things.