I have two external hard drives, both in Vantec NexStar3 USB enclosures. The older 750 GB WDC Green drive runs HOT to the touch, the 4 TB, and the 2 TB before that, run pretty warm but never hot.
Why might this be, and would that much heat cause earlier than necessary drive failure?
Hi there,
The WD Green drives should be working up to 60 degrees Celsius, which could feel really hot to the touch. The older model of the drive might be working on higher temperatures that the newer, but should not exceed those 60 degrees. I advise you install some monitoring software to determinate the exact working temperature. If you have the option, check if the drive is running hot when used without the enclosure.
If a drive works hotter than expected, this may be an indicator of an ongoing issue and, yes, might lead to an unexpected drive failure. My advice: measure the exact temperature and do regular backups.
In the links below you will find the spec sheets of the different WD Green models, where you can check temperatures:
http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/librar...879-800026.pdf
Specifications for Caviar Green and Caviar GP Serial ATA hard drives
Hope this helps
The upper spec limit of 60C does not mean the hard drives life will not be affected. See this study
Safe HDD Temperature Range to Avoid Hard Disk Failure
Over 50C would be of concern to me and I'd run the WD diagnostics as well as keeping an eye on the temp.
How to test a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows
@R2D2WD
Maybe WD have other failure data?
Excellent assistance, friends. Have downloaded the diagnostics and am monitoring. Much appreciated!
Damn. For context, it's around 28 Celcius and rising in my office right now. Turning off the external drive that's about to boil.
Internal drives are:
WDC WD6000HLHX-01JJPV0 (600 GB Raptor) is 43, now 45
WDC WD1500HLHX-01JJPV0 (150 GB Raptor) is 39, now 40, now 41
WDC WD20EARX-00PASB0 (2 TB Green) is 38, now 40, now 41
External drives in Vantec unfanned enclosures (NexStar3 USB's) are:
WDC WD40EZRX-00SPEB0 (2 TB Green) is 41, now 42, now 43
WDC WD7500AAKS-00RBA0 (750 GB Caviar) is 52, now off for obvious reasons.
Last edited by chamlin; 06 Oct 2014 at 18:34. Reason: Updating temperatures
So guys, would it be reasonable to assume that a backup drive that runs 52 degrees after only being on for a few hours is likely and unreliable drive, or said differently, a potential catastrophic loss in the waiting?
I don't know how you could assume anything.
I'd be much more apt to replace it immediately if it was a primary drive rather than a backup.
Assuming the temp is an accurate temp, there's undoubtedly a reason for it that could be found in an autopsy, but in the meantime it could run indefinitely or drop dead in 10 seconds----just like it could if temps were normal.
It's more a matter of managing your own anxiety. If you're laying awake wondering, then replace it tomorrow.
CrystalDiskInfo referred to in the failure article is a good application for monitoring disk health. I use the portable version
Download Center - Crystal Dew World
I'd pay particular attention to the entries ***sector count. In particular Reallocated Sector Count. If this starts to climb in a short period of time then your HDD is probably on the way out. The program will issue a caution when the temp exceeds a threshold (40 or 45C ?). Also remember if your room/office ambient temperature is high then that affects your HDD temps.
I never have "irreplaceable" data on just one HDD irrespective of the operating temp. You could have good temperatures but your controller board could just fail.
If you are after a yes/no opinion then for me if I had an external sitting at 50+c in idle state then I'd retire it.
The temperatures you are showing do not look so bad. You should know that drives in enclosures may be running in higher temperature than the internals. That is so because they are not really meant to be used on storage 24/7. That is what internals are for.
Anyways, you should keep monitoring your external. This particular SE drive has a bit lower temperature limit (up to 55 degrees Celsius). I rarely see those models used as externals and I can not share some experience with you, but why don't you remove it from the enclosure and check its temperature as an internal drive? I suspect that it might be running on lower temperatures, which will be some good news for you. The other external, The Green drive, is a different type of drive and should not be compared here. It is normal to be quieter and cooler.
Quote