Hard Drive cooling question

[ddrueding]

I seem to recall from the old SR days mention that drives were designed to release their heat through conduction of the two long sides to the chassis. Is this correct?

If so, if a drive was thoroughly insulated on all sides except the two long sides, where significant cooling was available, would it be healthy?

I'm trying to figure out how to quiet down this brick of HDDs.

 

[udaman]

I seem to recall from the old SR days mention that drives were designed to release their heat through conduction of the two long sides to the chassis. Is this correct?

If so, if a drive was thoroughly insulated on all sides except the two long sides, where significant cooling was available, would it be healthy?

I'm trying to figure out how to quiet down this brick of HDDs.

Go to the expertise in this field:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

 

[ddrueding]

Been there. Posted that. Their solution? Put the drives in a NAS somewhere else. Not really an option for me because a) there is nowhere else I want the noise and b) I like having my array local to my machine, it is faster.

 

[Will Rickards]

Take an old hard drive apart and see if the top and bottom are coated with anything but the side are bare metal. But I think the metal on the sides of the hard drive is much thicker than the top. And the air hole is on the top of the hard drive. So I would guess the heat is supposed to go out the top not the sides.

 

[ddrueding]

Thanks Will, I had forgotten about the breathing hole. I need to be sure not to block that. Anyone here have a suggestion for thermally conductive foam?

 

[LunarMist]

HD cooling occurs by conduction, not convection. The breather hole is there to equalize pressure while preventing contaminants from entering the drive.

 

[ddrueding]

...designed to release their heat through conduction...

 

[Will Rickards]

Yes I think we know the hole is not for heat release. Though heat would cause pressure to rise so it sort of is but...
I would think the motor that spins the platters is the hottest part. And that is typically on the side with the electronics. Also the chips themselves generate heat. So maybe it is the bottom of a hard drive we need to cool most.

 

[Bozo]

The bottom and sides are annodized aluminum. They conduct heat much better than the stamped steel cover. Any contact between the aluminum and the computer case is a big help in conducting heat away from the hard drive.


Bozo :joker: