Reducing temperature of drives

[jdmlight]

I had absolutely no problems with my unRAID server in winter months, all drives (two Seagate and one WD Green) ran 29-33C even when parity-checking.  But now it's summer...

 

I have an Antec 900, so these three drives have a 120mm fan blowing right over them.  But the drives are now running at 38C when not doing a whole lot (just a tiny bit of reading access from uTorrent on a different computer).  This worries me, as I don't want the drives to be running too hot when under load.  Current ambient temperature is 30C.

 

So basically then my question is: is there any way to reduce the temperature differential (drive temperature - ambient temperature) from 8C?  (obviously the drives won't run cooler than ambient ) Or should I not be that worried about it?  I'm starting a parity check now to see what temperatures are like under load.

[Joe L.]

I had absolutely no problems with my unRAID server in winter months, all drives (two Seagate and one WD Green) ran 29-33C even when parity-checking.  But now it's summer...

 

I have an Antec 900, so these three drives have a 120mm fan blowing right over them.  But the drives are now running at 38C when not doing a whole lot (just a tiny bit of reading access from uTorrent on a different computer).  This worries me, as I don't want the drives to be running too hot when under load.  Current ambient temperature is 30C.

 

So basically then my question is: is there any way to reduce the temperature differential (drive temperature - ambient temperature) from 8C?  (obviously the drives won't run cooler than ambient ) Or should I not be that worried about it?  I'm starting a parity check now to see what temperatures are like under load.

38C is not too bad.  Over 45C is where I really worry, although it should be possible to keep the disks below 40C if the ambient temp is not too high.

 

All you can do is better direct the air flow past the drives.  Use tape or cardboard to close off ways air could travel around the case without flowing past the drives.

[jdmlight]

Oh, alright then.  I thought I remembered reading somewhere that over 40C was where I should be concerned.  I don't think it will reach 45C unless it's super-hot one day.

 

My hottest drive (a 650gb Seagate IDE drive) hit 41C during parity checking, so I think I'll be fine.

[bubbaQ]

Cooling work is usually measured not in terms of the temp of the device, but the number of degrees above ambient the device is.  7 to 8 degrees C above ambient is not bad for a working drive.

[jdmlight]

Cooling work is usually measured not in terms of the temp of the device, but the number of degrees above ambient the device is.  7 to 8 degrees C above ambient is not bad for a working drive.

Is there any way to reduce the temperature from 7-8 degrees C above ambient, or is that just about as good as I can get?

 

A product such as one of those hard drive heatsinks come to mind.  Something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835888105 but take off the fans as there's a 120mm fan right there.

[ReneV]

As JoeL mentioned, your best bet is to think about airflow, rather than just where this or that fan is blowing. I'm using an Antec 900 case that at various time has held 15 drives in (airflow-restricting) backplanes. Using just the top fan with all holes taped up, except those in front of HDDs, temps stay below 45C, even during 30C+ ambient.

 

Note that I'm not even using a CPU fan and that the top fan is at the lowest setting until 25C ambient and at the medium setting above that.

[jdmlight]

My current airflow setup is super-stock.  I'm using the stock drive cages (when I get to 6 hard drives or when I get some free time I'll work on another solution, taking those drive cages in/out when replacing drives is a pita) with the 120mm fans blowing in, then the 200mm top fan and 120mm back fan are blowing out.  I think this should work fairly well, but this is 100% stock, so there is probably room for improvement.  Comments on possible improvements?

[bubbaQ]

You are missing the crucial piece of info... how many CFM are the fans moving?  Many 80mm fans will blow more air than other 120mm fans.  Mass of air being moved is more important than size.

 

If you want to lower temps more, you likely need a much larger rate of air mass transfer.

 

Stick a makeshift pitot tube in the case and see if the case pressure is positive or negative.

[jdmlight]

If you want to lower temps more, you likely need a much larger rate of air mass transfer.

That's a nice, simple answer.  Since larger rate of air mass transfer == more noise, I think I'll leave it alone.

 

But somehow I can't resist the temptation to tinker with it.

 

SilentPCReview rates my 120mm Antec Tricool fans at 53CFM on high, 36CFM on medium, and 21CFM on low.  I'm searching for specs on the 200mm top fan and on the 120mm fan in my power supply.

 

I run the 120mm Tricool fans on low for noise reasons.  (So I guess I should revise my original question: is there any way to reduce the temperature from 7-8C above ambient without my unraid box becoming super-loud?)

[ReneV]

At the risk of repeating myself: the top fan is likely to be more than enough for you.

 

1) Remove all internal obstructions to airflow, such as the fans on the back of the drive cages.

2) Tape off all holes, except in front of HDDs and over the top fan. (I.e., back, side door, unused drive cages.)

3) Consider getting a passive CPU cooler.

4) Set the top fan to low or medium.

 

I bet you that your case will now be cool and quiet.

[jdmlight]

At the risk of repeating myself: the top fan is likely to be more than enough for you.

 

1) Remove all internal obstructions to airflow, such as the fans on the back of the drive cages.

2) Tape off all holes, except in front of HDDs and over the top fan. (I.e., back, side door, unused drive cages.)

3) Consider getting a passive CPU cooler.

4) Set the top fan to low or medium.

 

I bet you that your case will now be cool and quiet.

I'll try that out!  My CPU heatsink is a Xigmatek S1283 (read: huge), so I could probably turn its fan off and still get adequate cooling. (considering how non-taxing unraid is )

 

Hey, if it doesn't work, I can always turn the other fans back on.

[ReneV]

Hey, if it doesn't work, I can always turn the other fans back on.

 

More fans do not automatically translate to better cooling, though. Fans can very easily work against each other, and I would imagine that it would be fairly easy to create vortexes, too, or at the very least end up with parts of your case having poor airflow.

[ReneV]

the top fan is likely to be more than enough for you.

2) Tape off all holes, except in front of HDDs and over the top fan.

 

On the off-chance that this may also slip other people's mind, the first HDDs should obviously be in the bottom of the case, to get airflow over the MB.

[bubbaQ]

That's a nice, simple answer.  Since larger rate of air mass transfer == more noise, I think I'll leave it alone.

 

You don't get something for nothing.

 

Air noise comes from both fan blades moving through the air, and air moving through the case.  Increasing the number of exhaust fans can increase airflow, without increasing noise ... if you adjust them down to barely audible.  But you should install a pitot tube to check the case pressure first, otherwise you may be just wasting your time.

 

You can always go with watercooling.. there are waterblocks for hard drives.

[captain_video]

I recently installed several Samsung drives in my server that run at 5400rpm, IIRC.  I noticed that they typically run well below 30 degrees C (more like < 25 degrees C) and are the coolest drives in my array.  I'm also using an Antec 900 as my server case.

[mcs]

I recently installed several Samsung drives in my server that run at 5400rpm, IIRC.  I noticed that they typically run well below 30 degrees C (more like < 25 degrees C) and are the coolest drives in my array.  I'm also using an Antec 900 as my server case.

 

My two Samsung EcoGreen F2 also show about 10C less than my other six drives (mix 1.5TB and 2TB of Seagate and WD).  And also a good 10C below ambient when I first start the array.

 

In short, in my experience (and many others if you do a quick search) the Samsung temps are rather suspect...

 

 

[ilovejedd]

In short, in my experience (and many others if you do a quick search) the Samsung temps are rather suspect...

+1. In my case, I was getting temps even lower than ambient.

[Rajahal]

My cooling solution is threefold:

 

1) Use a good case (the Antec 900 is fine, I use the Antec p180)

2) Use Green/LP drives as much as possible

3) Have a summer fan(s).  2 of my 9 drives are passively cooled, but I installed an extra 80 mm fan that blows across them directly.  The rest of my drives have active cooling year round.  I only turn on the extra 80 mm fan in the dead heat of summer, the rest of the year I leave it off (and that's only because my house doesn't have AC).

[jdmlight]

Heh.  Or I won't bother modifying anything now that our A/C got fixed.

 

My new Samsung 2TB drive is running at 25C (parity), my Seagate 650gb IDE drive (usually the hottest drive) is running at 28C, and my WD EARS 1.5tb is running at 26C. (I upgraded my parity already to the Samsung 2tb, now unraid is rebuilding onto that EARS 1.5tb that was previously parity.  All is going smoothly )

 

Sometime this summer I'll get a Plus license so I can use that 160gb drive as well. (I'm not in a rush, I just gained 1.34TB )

 

I'll post my temps in the morning when I run a parity check just to make sure that everything is peachy.

[bubbaQ]

Please report drive/CPU temperatures as number of degrees above ambient. 

 

Otherwise, they are meaningless with respect to evaluation of your cooling performance, room for improvement, etc.

[jdmlight]

Ambient is 20C.  So the number of degrees these drives operate above ambient hasn't changed at all since the last test (parity check without A/C on a hot day).

 

But since my ambient temperature is now 10C lower and will be constant, I'm not going to worry about these drives overheating.  Even if I could decrease the difference between ambient and the drives' temperature, it wouldn't matter as these drives are operating in quite a safe temperature zone.

 

I'm running a parity check right now (it's not really necessary, I just want to make sure everything is okay), and here are my current temps:

Samsung F3EG 2TB: 26C (6C above ambient)

Seagate 650GB IDE: 31C (11C above ambient)

Western Digital EARS 1.5TB: 26C (6C above ambient)

 

6C above ambient for the two green drives and 11C above ambient for my hottest (7200rpm and about 3 years old) drive is still pretty good IMHO.  I'm not sure how much room for improvement there is.

 

Oh also, I know this isn't a very scientific method of testing, but I have negative case pressure: when I went to clean the dust off whilst putting in that new Samsung 2TB drive, the dust was on the outside of the few open grilles, indicating that air was flowing in wherever it had an opening.

[bubbaQ]

Oh also, I know this isn't a very scientific method of testing, but I have negative case pressure:

 

There is nothing unscientific about it... I often check net case pressure with a punk or incense stick and just follow the smoke when placed near a case opening.

 

Negative can be bad for the PSU temp, so be aware of it.

[jdmlight]

Oh also, I know this isn't a very scientific method of testing, but I have negative case pressure:

 

There is nothing unscientific about it... I often check net case pressure with a punk or incense stick and just follow the smoke when placed near a case opening.

 

Negative can be bad for the PSU temp, so be aware of it.

Is there a way to monitor the PSU temp?  All of the other system temps have various sensors attached to the motherboard, but does the PSU have a similar way of knowing its temperature?  Also, if monitoring the PSU temp is in fact possible, do you know what is an acceptable temperature range?

 

I have a Seasonic 80+ power supply that has a 120mm fan, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything (although since it's 80+ it should run cooler than a less-efficient supply).  Its location in my Antec 900 basically is isolated from everything else in the case.  I have the stock PCI slot covers that are mostly open, and since the PSU is right below these open covers, in all likelihood the PSU is drawing air from outside the case, through the PSU heatsinks, then back out the case.  Is this an okay setup, or should I do something different to cool the PSU better?

[bubbaQ]

I always use a PSU that has a variable speed fan, that will increase fan speed if the temp is too high.  If the fan is on high, that's a good indication.

[jdmlight]

I always use a PSU that has a variable speed fan, that will increase fan speed if the temp is too high.  If the fan is on high, that's a good indication.

I know the fan speed in my PSU is variable, and it mustn't be on high as I cannot hear it at all (I can see the fan spinning, so I know the fan didn't die )  So I'm probably fine then with PSU temperature?

 

Sometime this summer I intend to do a couple of casemods to make things work better for unraid use.  To-do list:

• Replace the side plexiglass piece that currently has a 120mm fan hole.  I don't have a 120mm fan there, and I have nothing to cool in the PCI slot area, so it doesn't need air flowing in here.
  
• Build a 9-bay drive system for the front that will allow much easier access to the drives but be cooled with 120mm fans.  The current drive cages work, but they're really a pain when it comes time to add/upgrade a drive...
  
• Restructure airflow somewhat to behave well with the 9-bay (probably 3 120mm fans) custom drive cage.  I intend to try this with just the 200mm fan pulling air through the drives as was mentioned before, then if that isn't enough cooling I will work on another solution to balance intake/exhaust CFM.
  
• Try turning off the 120mm CPU fan.  This should reduce noise a little, but my CPU should still run cool enough since I have such a large heatsink
  
• Buy all locking SATA cables.
  

 

On a side note, I know most people have been reporting Samsung drives with abnormally low temperatures.  I haven't found this to be the case with my new Samsung F3EG 2TB drive - it is always within a degree or two of my WD Green EARS 1.5TB.  (and hooray I successfully upgraded my parity drive then upgraded one of the smaller drives in my array )