Harddrive cooler

[h00ch]

I'm looking to install a fan or heatsink on my harddrive to keep it cooler. Does anyone that has any experience with these recommend anything for me? Of course I'd want it to be as quiet as possible... TIA

[JimF]

I use an AeroCool HB-101 http://www.aerocool.us/p-cooler/hb-101/hb101.htm
They used to have it at Newegg, but it seems harder to find now. I just place it on the floor of the case, right behind the lower front fan for good air flow. Maybe in theory you can put it in a 5 1/4 inch bay, but I haven't tried it. That drive stays around 28 to 33 degrees C, but that is in a cool basement and it doesn't get that hot anyway in a normal bay. I think it will lower the temperature a couple of degrees C, but don't expect miracles.

For my other drives mounted in the bays, I use a 40mm fan that fits between the plastic front of the case and the metal cage, and blows air directly over the drives. If you search, I think you can find thin fans for such a use. It really is a little bit of overkill, but I was concerned about temperatures at one time due to a couple of failures. I think anything less than 40C is good enough, and even 45C probably won't do any harm.

But another cause of drive failure that is overlooked is power supply voltage stability. I use a ZeroSurge to protect against lightning surges, and also an APC UPS plugged into that to guard against brief outages. I think those take a toll on drives too.