[Ham-Computers] RE: hard drive cooling

Tue Nov 1 11:27:34 EST 2005

Hi Aaron,

Thank you again for the big help you provide out here.  A lot of the 
considerations and suggestions that you gave me went into selecting the 
components for this new machine.  It's a "SystemMax" build to order with 
an Intel P4 (551 Processor), 1GB DD2 ram separate Soundblaster 24 (for 
all my audio work), Dual 80GB SATA drives, 500W power supply, Dual CD 
ROM drives, Full tower, XP Pro, 17" flat screen, etc.  I opted for the 
regular CD ROM RW drives rather than DVD drives as I'd already exceeded 
the allotted budget by pushing the processor etc up. I may have been 
able to save a few dollars if I'd ordered the components and built it 
myself, but it is a gift from my wife and she insisted it arrive "ready 
made".     

73 de Phil  KO6BB

Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal) wrote:

>Actually, additional cooling may not be necessary.  Today's 7200 RPM drives
>run much quieter and cooler than drives from a couple years ago.  The
>Western Digital 7200 RPM IDE drives I have run "warm" compared to the
>Western Digital SCSI drives I used before (they were "hot").  The WD SCSI
>drives were also "screamers".
>
>The best bet is to make sure they're not "stacked" on top of each other.  If
>there's enough room, seperate the drives by one drive "slot" to provide
>additional ventilation.  In a properly designed case (and with proper cable
>routing), air should flow naturally "through" the front grilles and out the
>exhaust fans.  If done properly, the drives should be fine though additional
>cooling can be helpful.
>
>My main PC is in my bedroom and low noise is a more motivating factor -
>small, high-RPM cooling fans are LOUD.  Better solution is to use a larger,
>lower-RPM fan - in other words, high-volume in CFM vs high-volume in dBA!
>Some PC cases have room for an 80mm fan either below or in "front" of the HD
>mounting area - this is a good place to put a low RPM drive in.  If you
>can't find a low RPM drive, use a standard 80mm fan and splice in a 2-watt
>50-ohm resistor in the +12v lead (I used a 50-ohm metal-film resistor as I
>had a ton of them at the time).  Another option without cutting is to move
>the negative lead on the fan power harness to the +5 lead - this will reduce
>the operating voltage of the fan to +7v - enough to start the fan and run it
>at a lower RPM.  I like the resistor method as it keeps noise off the +5v
>lead.
>
>So, before spending $$$ on a drive cooling "solution", make sure that you
>need it.  Seperate the drives and leave the system on for a few hours (turn
>"off" any power management).  Then, while the system is still running, open
>the case and "feel" the drives and drive cage.  If they're only "warm", then
>no additional cooling is necessary.  If they're "hot", then it might be
>worth it.  BTW, "HOT" is when you can't keep the backside of your
>fingers/hand on the drive for more than a few seconds.
>
>Oh, another solution is to use an ACPI temperature monitor.  Most all hard
>drives now include internal temperature monitoring.  Using temperature
>monitoring software will easily tell you exactly what temperature the drive
>is running at.  It should be at, or, a couple degrees Celcius above, the
>"ambient" temperature inside your case.  Try "SpeedFan" - it's a popular
>freeware app that monitors temperatures (on supported management chips) and
>adjusts fan speeds, if the motherboards supports it.  You can find SpeedFan
>here:
>  http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
>
>Note, SpeedFan might take a bit of tweaking to get working properly...it
>doesn't know exactly what all the sensors in your system are...you need to
>find out.  Once you get it working, it will report all the temperatures your
>system reports (including HD temps) and allows you to tweak fan speeds, if
>your motherboard is capable of such.  The HD temp sensors usually work
>"out-of-the-box" as they are on a different bus than the motherboard
>sensors.
>
>73,
>
>  - Aaron, NN6O
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>[mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Philip Atchley
>Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 11:46 AM
>To: Computers
>Subject: [Ham-Computers] hard drive cooling
>
>
>Hi all,
>
>Later this week my new "built to order" PC should arrive.  My first 
>TOTALLY new PC in years, I usually build from recycled scrap and update 
>as needed ;-)
>
>Anyway, the machine was ordered with two 80GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drives 
>(one will be a 'backup' drive).  I suspect that they will run much 
>warmer than the older, slower drives I've been using and would like to 
>'cool' them a little.
>
>In checking around on what's available I see that there are a LOT of HD 
>coolers that have a couple fans and mount to the large surface of the 
>drive, often with a heat sink.  Does going "that far" pay off in the 
>long term, or would the simpler ones that mount in the front of the 
>drive bay and blow cool air from outside the machine over the drives 
>suffice?  I'm sure the larger units would be more efficient?
>
>
>******************************************************
>73 de Phil,  KO6BB
>If it's over 1dB above the Noise Floor, "IT AIN'T DX"!
>
>THE BEACONEER'S LAIR:  http://www.geocities.com/ko6bb/
>QSL GALLERY: http://photobucket.com/albums/y123/KO6BB/
>Merced, Central California,    37.3N  120.48W  CM97sh
>
>******************************************************
> 
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