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Cooling Temperature of External Hard Drive?

Discussion in 'Tech Support' started by Thermal5, 22 May 2009.

  1. Thermal5

    Thermal5 R.I.P

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    Hi all,

    I have recently purchased a Seagate 1TB external hard disk drive and Everest Ultimate Edition reports the temperature at 48 degrees celsius.

    What is the normal temperature of external hard drives if their is a normal temperature.

    My internal temps for the 2 hard drives inside the case are 33 degrees celsius and 30 degrees celsius

    The one outside is 48 degrees!

    Is this normal?

    Thankyou
     
  2. gaz_360

    gaz_360 Make that change

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    That does seem a little hot for an external, where about have you got it (has it got sufficient air intake etc).

    I used to have mine in the corner of my cupboard, but it was getting really hot so ive now just got it placed under my desk, so ive got the air that comes out of the back of my PC blowing on it slightly too.
     
  3. Thermal5

    Thermal5 R.I.P

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    Thanks for the reply gaz, I've got it on my computer table just behind the tower case to the left of it, nothing surrounding it.

    What temp is yours running at?, If you can grab that Everest Ultimate edition or a similar program that shows the temp of your external hard drive I'd appreciate it.

    So do I take it mine is too high then?, not sure I understand these whole hard drive temps, I mean my graphics card (inside the case) is currently at 43 degrees celsius idle, Hard disk 1 (in the case) is at 33 degrees celsius and hard disk 2 is 30 degrees celsius, and in the case I have two 120mm fans one front one back.

    It's just the external hard drive that's at 48 degrees celsius, but I reckon it's hotter outside the case than it is in it what with room temperature etc?

    Anyone else any info?

    Thanks again.

    EDIT: Everest is now reporting the temp as 39 degrees celsius?
     
    Last edited: 22 May 2009
  4. mm vr

    mm vr The cheesecake is a lie

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    HDDs tolerate easily up to 50°C but anything above that isn't the best thing for it. :)
     
  5. gaz_360

    gaz_360 Make that change

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    yo, mine is running at 33 degrees C which is roughly the right temp for any HDD either it be internal or external.

    From what I understand you have the hard drive in the closure that it came when you brought it, if you can remove yours (you can with mine) see if you see any difference in temp, as it just could be a faulty temp sensor

    :)
     
  6. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Seems likely it's just the enclosure that's blocking airflow. If you're really worried, run it with the case open for immediate improvement. If that sounds a bit drastic, just put it somewhere in the shade that's not too warm, and it should be fine.
     
  7. gaz_360

    gaz_360 Make that change

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    let us know how you get on :)
     
  8. Thermal5

    Thermal5 R.I.P

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    I never keep any of my P.C equipment in direct sunlight, everything is alway's in a cool part of the room, as mentioned below to gaz, I don't think mine is in an enclosure?

    Gaz, just out of curiosity though what do you mean the enclosure it came in?

    The one I have is here http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160904

    Seagate 1TB External Hard Drive Hi Speed USB - Retail Expansion Piano Black
     
    Last edited: 23 May 2009
  9. gaz_360

    gaz_360 Make that change

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    looking at the link you gave to the external HDD the enclosure is basically the whole of the out side casing, in this case its all of the black plastic, inside of it is a normal looking 3.5 inch HDD (maybe 2.5). If there is a way to remove the plastic casing and let the HDD just sit on your desk for a while, then this would probably tell you whats at fault.

    From the picture of the HDD I can't quite see if it has any holes for ventilation, can you see any?

    :)
     
  10. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

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    I wouldn't worry about it tbh. There was a study not too long ago that the typical enthusiast PC hard drive, kept at ~30-35'C actually doesn't last as long as one which is warmer at ~40-45'C.

    Besides which the temperature sensor could be completely screwy - they are not to be trusted. I've got 5 hard drives in my rig, all under the same (or nearly) conditions and the reported temperature range is 9'C...
     
  11. Thermal5

    Thermal5 R.I.P

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    There isn't a way to remove the casing at all (without snapping it off) and it does have holes for ventilation but stupidly they're underneath.

    Also there is no power on/off button like there is on my dads Lacie External Hard Drive also when I go to that Safely Remove Hardware and select Seagate Desktop USB Device or Generic Volume G: (they are both the same thing by the way lol) it sometimes says Cannot Remove Device as it is in use by Windows even if I don't have the drive open to view the contents in Windows Explorer and even if the drive isn't in use at all. Very strange.

    Aside from all that it's a very quiet drive and so far has caused no problems.
     
  12. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Krikkit speaks the truth, it probably doesn't matter. The enclosure is the plastic bit surrounding the actual hard drive, which is a metal box, basically. The reason yours may be a bit warm is external HDDs are not designed to run permanently.

    The thinking is that HDDs' performance is so strangled by having to be confined to the USB bus (as opposed to SATA) that if you just want extra space, you buy another internal hard drive and run it properly. Therefore, these external HDDs are designed not to be an extension of your normal computer but to be used to move data around; to be slightly tougher and to tolerate the hazards of being portable, like being dropped and sat on. That means they're often well sealed inside their cases to prevent ingress of dust or water, and that means they keep the heat in and get quite warm of their own accord.

    Then don't. It's not worth wrecking it for such a small potential gain.

    It's probably in use in some way you haven't spotted; a maintenance process or something running quietly in the background.

    The smart thing to do if you're really worried is not to use it like another hard drive in your computer; if it's going to be on all the time, buy another internal drive. If you don't need it to be on all the time, only turn it on when you need it. That should solve it.
     
  13. Thermal5

    Thermal5 R.I.P

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    Thanks for the info PureSilver but I know a hard drive is a metal box, I've built many a P.C lol, and just for the record I only mentioned the only way to get the plastic casing off would be to snap it which obviously I wouldn't and won't be doing :rolleyes:.

    I'm a little intrigued when you say external hard drives aren't meant to be run permanently, what about if a user has his or her P.C on 24/7 say for example a computer used at a business where they have the computers on 24/7, I mean I bought the drive so I had it for extra storage space for my home P.C which isn't on 24/7 but that's not the point.

    I'm also intrigued by you mentioning that HDD's (External ones) are so strangled by having to be confined to the USB bus (as opposed to SATA) that if I just wanted extra space (which I did) then just buy another internal drive but strangely, according to Everest Ultimate Edition 5.01 the external one IS running at SATA II speeds just like the internal hard drive (see screenshots below)

    1st screenshot is the external drive, 2nd screenshot is the internal drive but the funny thing is it shows the internal hard drive to have a max internal data rate of 1138 Mbit/s and the external drive to have a max internal data rate of 1695 Mbit/s which is considerably more than the hard drive inside my tower case and you can clearly see even though it is powered by a USB 2 port that it is somehow running at SATA II speed of 300 MB/s, any thoughts on that anyone?

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
  14. Jumeira_Johnny

    Jumeira_Johnny 16032 - High plains drifter

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    Everest is just showing the specs as they are listed in the HDD's ROM. It's not actually moving a large file and measuring the transfer times. Nor is it actually weighing the HDDs, yet the weights are listed, as are the physical dimensions.

    If you want to see real world numbers, use a transfer application like HDTach.
     
  15. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Sorry - had been awake for some 26 hours at that point (damned exams!), sorry for being patronising... :blush:
     
  16. Thermal5

    Thermal5 R.I.P

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    Thanks Jumeira, will look for that app.

    And PureSilver, no probs, I know what you're going through, been there done it lol :)
     
  17. thehippoz

    thehippoz What's a Dremel?

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    you guys ever pull the magnet out of a hd? those things are wicked strong- cut and attach to the end of a screwdriver and you have the perfect spark plug puller..

    never heard about the study on temperature..
     

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