Overheating HDDs inside the case, urgent situation.
Overheating HDDs inside the case, urgent situation.
I have a new computer and several storage devices. I decided to house most of them in an enclosure for better organization. The one I selected is from Amazon.com: ORICO 5Bay Hard Drive Enclosure Type-C to SATA 3.5inch Enclosure Magnetic Tool-Free External HDD SSD Enclosure Storage Case Built-in Fan for Data Backup, NAS Expansion Up to 80TB(5x16) - DS500C3. Recently, while copying files with MKVTOOLNIX, the process became unusually slow. It matched the performance issues I experienced with other drives, even when using Plex. The specific drive I’m concerned about is the Amazon.com: Seagate ST8000DM008 BarraCuda 8TB Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch Sata 6 Gb/s 5400 RPM 256MB Cache for Computer Desktop PC. I’ve been monitoring its temperature, which has been around 49°C. Over the past day it’s averaged between 46 and 49°C. This suggests heat might be affecting its speed. I’m unsure what to do next—should I replace the enclosure? Should I swap it out for a WD RED drive? Or apply thermal pads like with an SDD? I’ll experiment until I find a solution.
It seems the frame includes a fan at the base, which suggests moving it away from the deck or possibly flipping it sideways. Consider adding a rear-mounted fan to assist with airflow, though confirm the existing base fan works before proceeding.
It seems the setup is functioning. Placing the enclosure sideways shouldn’t impact the drive function. Consider hanging it slightly off the desk edge. The top surface has room for a fan—perhaps connect it via a battery or run a USB cable from another source.
The enclosure must safely hold the drives, so orientation becomes irrelevant.
No thermal throttling on HDDs was observed. It appears air enters from the front (note: direction uncertain). I wouldn't risk stability. Shock is the biggest threat to HDDs (heat follows). Edited July 25, 2023 by leclod
That is an SMR drive, I won't own one. They write so slowly. https://helpdeskgeek.com/help-desk/cmr-v...is-better/
Interesting, I wasn't familiar with SMR or CMR. You mentioned not using SMR, but what made it effective so fast?
It's actually the back panel of the enclosure. I understand you're concerned about stability. The motors aren't very secure—they just slide into a connector like a cartridge. If temperature doesn't impact throttling, it suggests something else is at play. The WD RED drives seem to handle heat reasonably well, but thermal pads might still be useful for HDDs.
I concur that it's probably not heat. A simple test would be to remove the top cover and direct a fan toward it. Observe if it accelerates. I bet it won't.
HDDs are tested up to 50°, with some models handling more, check the datasheet. However, increased heat shortens their life. I rely on HD Sentinel to track temperatures and the software avoids high heat. SMR technology boosts density by overlapping tracks (shingled recording), which speeds things up but slows performance when data changes. This results in slower speeds. Not ideal for cheap drives—my one works fine for cold storage but struggles with heat. I suspect thermal pads aren’t necessary. Updated July 26, 2023 by leclod