hot Maxtor

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nobody

i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i write this. the
temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C! according to Maxtor, the "operating
range" is 5C-55C, does that mean ambient or drive temp?

why the heck is this thing so hot? is it just because it's being formatted
and really getting a workout? (the drive is stiing outside of the case with
no appreciable airflow, room temp is about 27C.) do all 7200rpm Maxtors run
this hot?
 
nobody said:
i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i write this. the
temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C! according to Maxtor, the "operating
range" is 5C-55C, does that mean ambient or drive temp?

why the heck is this thing so hot? is it just because it's being formatted
and really getting a workout? (the drive is stiing outside of the case with
no appreciable airflow, room temp is about 27C.) do all 7200rpm Maxtors run
this hot?
Click to expand...

That is very hot, even under heavy load.
It's not very scientific, but can you open up the PC and stick your
finger on the drive? You should be able to leave your finger on the
drive for any amount of time without feeling any discomfort.

There needs to be adequate airflow around the drive. The drive should
be right next to your intake fan for your case, and if you have more
than one drive they should not be stacked on top of eachother unless
there is a fan blowing directly on them.

I have a Seagate Barracuda V and 7200.7, and their temperatures are 37C
and 39C respectively. I don't have any fancy cooling. Just a pair of
low RPM 80mm case fans. (One intake, one exhaust)

If that 65C temperature is indeed correct, you are pretty much
guaranteeing a premature failure of the drive. I think you want to get
those temps to at least under 50C, with 45C or under being even better.


-WD
 
nobody said:
i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i write this. the
temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C! according to Maxtor, the "operating
range" is 5C-55C, does that mean ambient or drive temp?
Click to expand...

Keep the case temp of the drive below 40C or it will NOT last long.
why the heck is this thing so hot?
Click to expand...

Because you aren't providing forced air cooling.
is it just because it's being formatted
and really getting a workout? (the drive is stiing outside of the case with
no appreciable airflow, room temp is about 27C.) do all 7200rpm Maxtors run
this hot?
Click to expand...

All HDs generate heat. Some a bit more than others. Privide cooling.
 
While the drive will work I'll suggest you get one of those hd cooling
devices. One of my 5 hds developed problems and it was probably due to heat
(it was located in the middle of the other 4 drives). So now whenever I buy
a new hd, I get an hd cooler to go along with it. Noisy but your hds will
last longer.

You should probably think about getting a new case, those default cheap
cases have horrible air circulation.. some of them don't even have more than
one fan grill.
 
I suggest a new Lian Li computer case.
I had the same experience as you and the Lian li has a 3 speed fan right
next to where one you can put 5 hard drives at the bottom.
Overall it lowered my case temp by 20c (I do live in a tropical climate)
 
i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i write this. the
temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C! according to Maxtor, the "operating
range" is 5C-55C, does that mean ambient or drive temp?

why the heck is this thing so hot? is it just because it's being formatted
and really getting a workout? (the drive is stiing outside of the case with
no appreciable airflow, room temp is about 27C.) do all 7200rpm Maxtors run
this hot?
Click to expand...

During format, the drive is running at 100% duty cycle for an hour or
more. The number I remember when formatting large drives is about 130F
(54C). This is with a fan blowing air over the drive.
 
Monster said:
While the drive will work I'll suggest you get one of those hd cooling
devices. One of my 5 hds developed problems and it was probably due to heat
(it was located in the middle of the other 4 drives).
Click to expand...

A death lock.
 
Andy said:
During format, the drive is running at 100% duty cycle for an hour or
more. The number I remember when formatting large drives is about 130F
(54C). This is with a fan blowing air over the drive.
Click to expand...

Too hot. Get better fan.
 
Previously nobody said:
i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i write this. the
temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C! according to Maxtor, the "operating
range" is 5C-55C, does that mean ambient or drive temp?
Click to expand...

Temperature as reported by drive. What ambient that translates to
depends. If you have a massive airflow, it may only be 2-5C
lower in ambient. If the drive is in some platic rails,
in still air and under heavy load, it may translate to
<20C ambient.

Maxtor also says that up to 60C the failure rate should not increase
massively.
why the heck is this thing so hot? is it just because it's being formatted
and really getting a workout?
Click to expand...

That does drive the temperature up, yes.
(the drive is stiing outside of the case with
no appreciable airflow, room temp is about 27C.)
Click to expand...

There is your problem. These drives are designed to be screwed
tightly to metal on each side or have significant airflow.
do all 7200rpm Maxtors run this hot?
Click to expand...

Same problem with other disks. Seagate (don't have
others at the moment) gets as hot from my observations.
Samsung is maybe 5C cooler. Depends also on model.

15W without good cooling can get very hot. I usually put about an A4
sheet of aluminium undeer the HDD or attach a HDD cooler when I run
one outside if the case with heavy load.

Arno
 
nobody said:
i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i
write this. the temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C!
according to Maxtor, the "operating range" is 5C-55C,
does that mean ambient or drive temp?

why the heck is this thing so hot?
Click to expand...
do all 7200rpm Maxtors run this hot?
Click to expand...

Wht I tested 7200 RPM drives by letting them idle on a table in 25C
ambient air, the Maxtor, IBM, and Western Digital reached 43C in their
aluminum castings while a Seagate reached 46C (probably due to metal
cover over circuit board).

During prolonged sequential reads in an earlier test, a Maxtor and IBM
went over 50C, despite being suspended several inches above the table.
But any air flow at all, even convection from vertical mounting,
cooled them measurably. For example, when a 7200 RPM Maxtor 27G 6800
series was propped up vertically, its casting dropped 2C while its
hottest chips went from 68C down to 53C. Because cooling fans fail
while vertical mounting doesn't, I mount all my HDs vertically, either
from the bottom drive bay or on the inner or outer side of the drive
rack. This also places the drives right next to the front case fan.

I don't know if SpeedFan can be trusted because it once said that my
+12V rail alternated between +6V and +8V every second, while my meter
said it held steady at +12.11V.
 
nobody said:
i'm formatting a new Maxtor 160GB ATA 7200rpm drive as i write this. the
temp (reported by SpeedFan) is 65C! ...
why the heck is this thing so hot?
Click to expand...

this is my first time in this group and you guys are awesome. i got some
great info and am using your suggestions to increase the crappy cooling.
thanks!
 
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