Summertime and Drive Temps

[Soopafresh]

Bought a couple of these $5 Scythe drive fans for my home PC, as the summer temps have been brutal. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185003 .Dtemp was reporting 47C at times. The fan reduced the temperature - get this - by 16 degrees C.

It does make mounting the drive back into the 3.5" bay a bit more difficult. For another $6, you can mount the drive in a 5.25" bay via this adapter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817991002

[ROF]

I bought a few of those earlier this year and returned the last few I had. These things are incredibly noisy. Any fan system can make it difficult to fit the unit back into its bay. I had been using these before I tried the one you linked to. Not only are they cheaper, with two fans it syphons less power, and keeps the drives cooler. Did I mention they are much quieter than the scythe brand?

[Soopafresh]

And a dollar cheaper ! Now I can buy that Condo in Napa. :P

[ROF]

. . or 1/3 more of a gallon in your tank.

In any case, it's much more quiet then the one you linked to and better construction too.

[Soopafresh]

Here might be the optimal configuration:

http://www.3dcool.com/product_info.php?products_id=760

[ROF]

Definitely a good option. But if you think you had a hard time getting your drive back into it's slot with the scythe, that one will have you breaking out a hammer. It is quiet too and very efficient. I did have one that I had to replace a fan on though. Fortunately they are standard fans and easily replaced.

[Skith]

that 3dcool one fits in a 5.25" bay, not a 3.5" bay.

Best solution is a nice PC case with one or two 120mm front intake fans that blow on the HDDs

another option (especially if your pc internals are cramped) is this 3.5" external enclosure that includes an 80mm (practically silent) fan:

AMS VENUS DS-2316CBK 3.5" USB + IEEE 1394 Black External Enclosure - Retail not cheap at $49.95, but it works like a charm. Keeps the HD from getting hot, it is slightly warm to the touch, after being on for hours, and having fairly constant access.

Also available, USB 2.0 only ($39.95), and USB 2.0 + External SATA ($46.99)

Prices are from Newegg.com