Is it necessary to cool HDDs?

[RA3KW0N]

I took out the fan that "cools" my HDDs for cable management... would this be detrimental to the health of the HDDs?

[sswilson]

Do you do a lot of large file transfers that have the HDD chugging along 24/7? What's the internal temp of your case like?

If your internal temps are fine, and you aren't beating up your HDDs 24/7 I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

[Xilikon]

Usually, HDD doesn't need to be cooled beside just some airflow from a fan. I heard they work best within a certain temp range (around 30-40C). If removing them increase the temp above the safe range, it's not a good idea.

[Eldonko]

I havent cooled a HD in 3 years and havent had any problems.

[lowfat]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

I havent cooled a HD in 3 years and havent had any problems.

Same here. I don't even have fans over them. I have had 1 HDD die in the past 5 years and it was kept in an external case. HDD cooling is definitely overrated.

[Tazer-[X]]

Ive worked in server environments where they are always grinding away such as email servers, web severs, databases,, and games at home:P Ive never cooled one, and never plan to. Cept, my 900 comes with it prebuilt. Otherwise, ive never seen machines come wtih the cooling for them. Unless it fills another function as teh only airflow, such as in 1u cases

[Squeetard]

Some studies have shown the cooler it is the longer it lasts. To me though it is all hit and miss. Some go 10 years and some go in 1 year.

[lowfat]

Originally Posted by Squeetard

Some studies have shown the cooler it is the longer it lasts. To me though it is all hit and miss. Some go 10 years and some go in 1 year.

Actually googles study shows otherwise.
Massive Google hard drive survey turns up very interesting things - Engadget

[DarKStar]

Your consumer based HDD is not meant to be in full operation 24/7 (not to confuse with idle time) - Overheating is a major killer to HDD - for the most part, you will not need a cooler for your HDD providing your case airflow is proper - proper space around your HDD to allow airflow. Most new HDDs now are rated at 60C maximum operational, although you don't want to run that for long periods of time - 50 is the magic number, just keep below 50C and you are fine - if your HDD is running >50 even during idle, then you got an airflow issue.

You can use a SMART tool to monitor for temps, HDTune, SpeedFan, EVEREST, ActiveSmart, HDDLifePro, etc.

[biff]

FWIW I find the bearings get on the noisy side after 3-5 years and replace them anyway... eventhough they are technically working fine. By that time the HDDs are pretty tiny capacity wise any way. So I got a handful of noisy 40GB drives in a drawer now. I like to save some for trouble shooting purposes. I've never cooled my drives and never have any crap out on me either.