Hard Drive temps too high

[adt]

Hi guys,

I've noticed that my hard drive temps are quite high these days. Is there anyway I can help them cool? I was thinking of leaving the case open for the summer because I never got temps this high in the winter.

Thanks in advance

 

[Mellon Head]

Wow, those are high. What are you using for case ventilation? Usually having fans blow air into and out of the case is a much better solution than leaving the case open. Intake in the front where the drives are, and exhaust out the back usually works best for drive cooling, at least for me.

I used to have an average temp of about 38 for my drives in my old case. I picked up a new one with front fans, and the temps are now 28 to 30C on average. My room temp is usually 20 to 24C.

 

[adt]

Wow, those are high. What are you using for case ventilation? Usually having fans blow air into and out of the case is a much better solution than leaving the case open. Intake in the front where the drives are, and exhaust out the back usually works best for drive cooling, at least for me.

I used to have an average temp of about 38 for my drives in my old case. I picked up a new one with front fans, and the temps are now 28 to 30C on average. My room temp is usually 20 to 24C.

Hi Mellon Head, thanks for the reply.
Well my computer is pre-built and there is only an exhaust fan at the back. I would install a fan in the front but the case won't allow me to.

 

[Mellon Head]

Hi Mellon Head, thanks for the reply.
Well my computer is pre-built and there is only an exhaust fan at the back. I would install a fan in the front but the case won't allow me to.

Is a new case an option? At those temps you're going to lose drives after not very long. It isn't too hard to relocate the guts, as long as your PC doesn't have any exotic mounting hardware or "special" brackets to mount the motherboard.

I know you're in the UK, but here in Canada, one can pick up a fairly good case with room for fans for about $35. It might pay off in the long run if you wear your drives out prematurely.

Drives are cheap. The data on them isn't.

 

[thomas242]

you caan allways move your hard drives up to the 5'' bay and put it in one of theys bad boys off newegg
Newegg.com - MASSCOOL SYTRIN Kuformula SHF1 Ultra HDD Cooler – BK

 

[NoN]

In the meanwhile, stay cool this summer! That's the one i used stick to the computer a little while ago! At medium speed, gain -7°c

 

[kucing13]

In the meanwhile, stay cool this summer! That's the one i used stick to the computer a little while ago! At medium speed, gain -7°c

does the fan use steel blade?

 

[NoN]

In the meanwhile, stay cool this summer! That's the one i used stick to the computer a little while ago! At medium speed, gain -7°c

does the fan use steel blade?

Alloy!

 

[kucing13]

Alloy!

Oh ok,my bad. I thought it was steel though

 

[Sanvean]

Hmmm you could mod it, cut a circle (dremel & file/sand) on the side panel/door and mount a 120mm fan.

 

[HMonk]

In my travels, depending on where I had to set up my system, I have on many occasions removed the side panel from my case (the side that faces the component side of the mobo) and, from two-three inches away, aimed an 8-inch fan centered between the CPU and HDDs. An alternative, if your case has a largely ventilated front panel, place the fan in front of the grill and it will blow directly across the HDD bays. Go the Amazon for a picture of the fan I use. It is eight inches in diameter, has a high and low speed, and makes little noise.

I dare say there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON, not to run your system this way. This little fan or equivalent will not let any heat build up inside the case. The obvious precaution: keep dogs, cats, kids, etc. away from the case. I have used this approach for many years on different systems and can testify to the fact that there is no problem doing so. But why would there be?

Monk

P.S. I read some of the reviews at Amazon which are mostly 4/5 stars. Two things I noticed: people talk about the great amount of air this thing puts out - which it does; one person stated that he uses it to cool his receiver. Amen

 

[kodi]

Do not run with the side cover off unless you place a table fan blowing into the case.
With the side off the rear fan draws air from the outside (from were the side of the case is open)and therefore does not draw air over your components to cool them.
Your best option is to replace the case with something with decent cooling, it will be cheaper than replacing Drives.

 

[Krispy1]

best option imo is to add 1 or more if u can cooling fans 120mm there like 10 bucks. or get a new case n make sure ur mobo can be mounted in there

 

[HMonk]

best option imo is to add 1 or more if u can cooling fans 120mm there like 10 bucks. or get a new case n make sure ur mobo can be mounted in there

I will not bore folks with CFM data but suffice it to say that a high volume 8-inch fan is gong to envelop all of the case components and exchange more air than all of your case fans combined. Furthermore, with the side panel off, there are no hot spots, dead zones, or interference from overlapping components, cables - especially 40-pin cables - that can obstruct or deflect air from from case fans.

I, obviously, cannot read people's minds; I can say that I have encountered over the years a universal taboo: "What!!! You run your system with a case panel removed!!! OMG!!!!!"

If the components are air cooled and protected from stray animals and fingers, what on earth matter does it make where the air came from and how it cools the components?

Monk

 

[kodi]

The Op has only a rear fan and with the side off it will draw air from the side across the mother board but it will not cool the hard drives which are normally mounted in the front of the case

 

[HMonk]

The Op has only a rear fan and with the side off it will draw air from the side across the mother board but it will not cool the hard drives which are normally mounted in the front of the case

What?

If the side panel is off, the rear fan cannot draw significant air across the mobo: it will draw air from its immediate environment. Case designs dictate a closed case which draws air from the open end of a closed tube (a grill in the front of the case) and then expels it through the rear fan port. True, if there are no HDD bay fans, then the HDD temps may increase depending on the ambient temp of the room (v. the closed case) With the side-panel off, HDD fans, if present, will still push or pull air across the HDD bay. Removal of the panel might augment the action of the HDD fan by allowing more air to be moved in the event the fan creates a positive pressure within the case. In fact, removing the side-panel at the worst, will not change the present state; in addition to the above, it may also it may improve cooling by reducing the ambient case temp.

It is at this is the point where many stop thinking. They know the case is "supposed" to be closed in order for air to be channeled through the case. However, with the side panel off and a high volume, high velocity fan blowing air directly on the case components, no channeling is needed; the fan is going to push massive amounts of air in a 360 degree radius cooling your case, all of its components, and your cat sleeping in the next room.

Modest-cost cases (let's call them non-power-user or non-gaming cases), ordinarily have a HDD bay fan and an exhaust fan. Air enters via the HDD bay fan, is warmed by the HDDs, is further warmed by the gfx card if present, is warmed by the mobo, is warmed by the CPU, is warmed by the PSU and exists the rear of the case - at no greater velocity than it entered. As a result, ambient air temps in the case increase - making the already warm "cooling" air even warmer.

Remove the side panel, which automatically decreases the case ambient temp, increase the volume/velocity of air 5-10X using an external fan: now that's cool.

 

[apollodominion]

Mine run hot also but there doing fine
Samsung 1TB x4 34'c
37'c
33'c
38'c
WD Raptor X 250gb 45'c
Seagate 500gb x4
39'c
40'c
36'c
41'c

some of them are high but being in darwin australia (tropics) its understandable

 

[HMonk]

@Apollodominion

The 1200 is an upgraded but very similar version of the 900 which is the case I have. As you know, the front bezel is entirely perforated. On those really hot days, and without removing the side panels, place a small fan of the type I have been discussing in the front of the case, oh, . . . 5-6 inches in front of the bezel (further away if you want to cover a greater area). Although I do not regard your temps as high, I bet you will notice, at least, a 3-5 degree drop in temps.

Monk