Hard drive cooling

Coke Robot

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What unusual weather!

I need some suggestions/advice for my new case rebuild. For those that don't know, I have plans to hold 15 hard drives in my new tower, through the use of hard drive cages, specifically these ones...

Newegg.com - ICY DOCK MB453SPF-B 3 in 2 SATA I, II & III Hot-Swap Internal Backplane Raid Cage Module

I'm also planning on using some Western Digital Red series hard drives as well, since they're designed for 24/7/RAID/NAS usage which fits my needs better as I use my compilator pretty much 24/7 with some exceptions being at night when I go to bed or sleep it throughout the day when I'm not in the room or not at home when no tasks are being executed.

And this is the dilemma: cooling. My current case design has the cages so that the front and back of it will be facing or touching the sides of the case. There will be some acrylic sheets used on the outside of the case, and I've channeled out half an inch on the sides of said case. So if one were to look at the case from the top, there will be an air intake (0.5" x 5-3/4" for the intake dimensions) from the left and exhaust port on the right, as the air will flow from left to right as the cages allow. I'm thinking I might use a 120mm and a 90mm fan for that.

The question I'm having is do hard drives, in this scenario of mine, need such cooling? I'll be watercooling the CPU, and stock air cooling of the graphics card, that is at least if I decided on an uber purchase of an ASUS ROG Radeon 7990 that has watercooling. Will probably cost a child for that...

Thank you and good evening! I need coffee.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
My experience with putting many hard drives in a case is that they are the primary source of heat, not the CPU or GPU or chipset, etc... I put fans in front, fans in the rear, fans at the bottom (case goes on a wire rack) and exhaust fans at the top. I also keep my server (5 x 2TB WD 7200rpm Caviar Black drives for a total of 10TB) in the basement, in the pantry, on a shelf where the temp stays cool all year. I also recommend a quality power supply (which is obvious) as they can really generate heat, especially the cheap ones. I tried the hard drive coolers that attach to the drives and they were all garbage and were not effective at all... I use 120mm ThermalTake fans and I put a Scotch pad in front of the front fan, behind the case's bezel to trap the dust and I clean them regularly.so far, no heat-related issues. Good luck with yours. I hope I helped...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
Not familiar with your Dell chassis but you might be able to MOD the case to accommodate extra fans. Templates for the different size fans are available on line so if you are handy with a dremel, drill, and small files you could most likely solve your project.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    My Build
    CPU
    i5 4670K
    Motherboard
    ASUS z87-Pro
    Memory
    G-Skill 1600 @10-10-10-27
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASIS GTX 660 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 24 inch
    Hard Drives
    250GB 850 EVO, 2250GB 840 EVO, 2TB WD spinner
    PSU
    Corsair AX-1200
    Case
    TT Urban S31 (quiet case)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech M500
    Internet Speed
    Cable
A Dell chassis? What the heck dell chassis is going to come close to holding 15 hard drives? You got an equilogic chassis or something????

edit: went back and looked at your post Coke and I don't see where you mention a Dell chassis. So maybe the other poster doesn't actually know what type of case you are going to try to use. For a massive build out like this, I cannot think of a single Dell chassis that would be a good fit or come close to being large enough.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
You are right pparks, OP did not mention a Dell chassis or any chassis. So, looking at his system specs is where that came from.

I was hoping he/she would come back with more information and we could go from there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    My Build
    CPU
    i5 4670K
    Motherboard
    ASUS z87-Pro
    Memory
    G-Skill 1600 @10-10-10-27
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASIS GTX 660 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 24 inch
    Hard Drives
    250GB 850 EVO, 2250GB 840 EVO, 2TB WD spinner
    PSU
    Corsair AX-1200
    Case
    TT Urban S31 (quiet case)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech M500
    Internet Speed
    Cable
Oh, I'll clarify. It will be a modded Dell XPS 600 case. Another piece of a Dell Dimension case will be used and welded onto the bottom to accommodate the PSU and most likely fans, maybe a watercooling tank/radiator. That's still in the works.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Oh, I'll clarify. It will be a modded Dell XPS 600 case. Another piece of a Dell Dimension case will be used and welded onto the bottom to accommodate the PSU and most likely fans, maybe a watercooling tank/radiator. That's still in the works.

I hate to ask, but why not purchase a new huge tower style case which could hold your equipment ? Unless you have awesome fabrication skills, it seems like your case would not be terribly attractive based on what you have described thus far.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Oh, I'll clarify. It will be a modded Dell XPS 600 case. Another piece of a Dell Dimension case will be used and welded onto the bottom to accommodate the PSU and most likely fans, maybe a watercooling tank/radiator. That's still in the works.

I hate to ask, but why not purchase a new huge tower style case which could hold your equipment ? Unless you have awesome fabrication skills, it seems like your case would not be terribly attractive based on what you have described thus far.

Hate the standard ATX towers and they look fugly and overdone and too black for me.

No, from what I've designed, the case will be modern looking, unique, and reflective of the Windows 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I should also mention about the case esthetics, it's not going to be bare metal on the exterior. I'll be using/modding the plastic shell on the Dell case and adding acrylic sheets to bulk it up a bit for how the design will be, along with epoxy resin like Bondo. Basically, I can cover up a shoddy fabrication job.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
My experience with putting many hard drives in a case is that they are the primary source of heat, not the CPU or GPU or chipset, etc... I put fans in front, fans in the rear, fans at the bottom (case goes on a wire rack) and exhaust fans at the top. I also keep my server (5 x 2TB WD 7200rpm Caviar Black drives for a total of 10TB) in the basement, in the pantry, on a shelf where the temp stays cool all year. I also recommend a quality power supply (which is obvious) as they can really generate heat, especially the cheap ones. I tried the hard drive coolers that attach to the drives and they were all garbage and were not effective at all... I use 120mm ThermalTake fans and I put a Scotch pad in front of the front fan, behind the case's bezel to trap the dust and I clean them regularly.so far, no heat-related issues. Good luck with yours. I hope I helped...

How much airflow do you guess the 120mm fans pull with the filter on them? I'm kind of concerned as I've found an image of the hard drive cage without the fan on the back that shows a pretty small opening for the air to pass through. Also, I'm kind of iffy about how I'm planning to setup the air intake for the cages as it seems like the fans will suffocate or something...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
A 3GB WDC Caviar Red drive draws 4.4W maximum (read/write.) A 4GB Caviar Black, a little over 10W. The highest number I recall is less than 12W.

Somehow the thought of providing 10W of cooling per drive isn't daunting, if you aren't trying for a fanless system.

Please post picture of the system after it's built. My initial impression was that it'd look like something that would inspire you to shout "It's alive!" when it is first powered up, ala Victor Frankenstein, but maybe it'll be a good sort of monster.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Window 8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    I7-3930k
    Motherboard
    Asus P9X79 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Gskill DDR3-2133
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster Zx
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA246Q
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force GT 120GB
    WD Cavair Black 1.5TB
    PSU
    PC Power & cooling Silencer 750
    Case
    Silverstone FT02B-W
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14 w/ PWM fans
    Keyboard
    cheap Logitech USB wired
    Mouse
    old 5 button Microsoft USB optical
    Internet Speed
    6Mb cable
The ThermalTake fans I posted the spec about run very efficiently and quietly. I run them in my main PC and my Windows Home Server. As I mentioned, I have 5x2TB WD Caviar Black drives for a total of 10TB and the drives stay cool (below 101 degrees F).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
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