WD Caviar Black 2TB heat issues at DVinfo.net

Jon Shohet · September 8th, 2011, 08:53 AM

Hi all,
Going to Wales for a year, leaving my desktop behind... I'm taking with me a desktop replacement, and I just bought a 2TB Caviar Black to use as an external work drive (I have no need for raid at the mo).

I bought a generic external enclosure (a Raidon e-sata\usb3) which is from aluminum, which I thought would be enough, but using a HD monitoring utility I see drive temperature quickly rise to around 53-54 Celsius, and it remains there even when the drive goes idle.

I imagine the caviar black is exceptionally power hungry compared to other drives... Should I go through the trouble of replacing the enclosure with one with a fan, or am I making too much of a fuss over this?

many thanks in advance

Harm Millaard · September 17th, 2011, 06:52 AM

Lucky for you Wales is much cooler than Israel. Nevertheless, your current temp is pretty high. Depending on the casing you have, one of these products may be interesting. Unfortunately I only have it in Dutch, but maybe it will help.

See Hardeschijfkoeling | Core | Tweakers.net Pricewatch Prijzen

Jon Shohet · November 5th, 2011, 02:56 AM

Harm, many thanks for your reply. Sorry for not saying so earlier, I've been insanely busy for a while, not writing anything on the forums through out. I hate it when I take the time to answer someone and he just disappears without any acknowledgment, so again, thanks.

My enclosure is tight and slim, so the only relevant cooling solution would be probably one of the "Hard drive carrier" fan shelves that the entire enclosure would rest on. (sort of like laptop cooling solutions just for a hard drive enclosure). I'll look to see if I can find something like this in my part of the world.

The good news is that while the temp reached around 54 while initially copying the large amount of data onto it, when actually being used to edit, it seems to peak at around 50. Still not great, but I think I can live with it if I don't find a good external cooling solution.

Cheers...

Mark Williams · November 5th, 2011, 07:29 AM

I would think you need an enclosure with a fan. Another alternative would be one of the docking stations where the drive is not contained Newegg.com - Thermaltake BlacX ST0005U External Hard Drive SATA Enclosure Docking Station 2.5” & 3.5” USB 2.0 & eSATA

Jon Shohet · November 5th, 2011, 04:18 PM

Thanks Mark. I actually have a one of those docking stations, but they are a plasticky affair, and I have heard some horror stories of drives getting so hot during heavy operation that they had melted the plastic on the dock. It's also not an ideal solution for editing on the go, which is something I have to do now frequently.

I chose my current enclosure because it was the only one I found that has both usb3 and esata, which I find very handy. I suppose I could just buy a new one with a fan and settle for just usb3... but while I know 50 Celsius is a bit too much I'm not sure it's that disastrous..?

September 8th, 2011, 08:53 AM	#1
Jon Shohet Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 277	WD Caviar Black 2TB heat issues Hi all, Going to Wales for a year, leaving my desktop behind... I'm taking with me a desktop replacement, and I just bought a 2TB Caviar Black to use as an external work drive (I have no need for raid at the mo). I bought a generic external enclosure (a Raidon e-sata\usb3) which is from aluminum, which I thought would be enough, but using a HD monitoring utility I see drive temperature quickly rise to around 53-54 Celsius, and it remains there even when the drive goes idle. I imagine the caviar black is exceptionally power hungry compared to other drives... Should I go through the trouble of replacing the enclosure with one with a fan, or am I making too much of a fuss over this? many thanks in advance

September 17th, 2011, 06:52 AM	#2
Harm Millaard Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Posts: 1,832	Re: WD Caviar Black 2TB heat issues Lucky for you Wales is much cooler than Israel. Nevertheless, your current temp is pretty high. Depending on the casing you have, one of these products may be interesting. Unfortunately I only have it in Dutch, but maybe it will help. See Hardeschijfkoeling \| Core \| Tweakers.net Pricewatch Prijzen

November 5th, 2011, 02:56 AM	#3
Jon Shohet Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 277	Re: WD Caviar Black 2TB heat issues Harm, many thanks for your reply. Sorry for not saying so earlier, I've been insanely busy for a while, not writing anything on the forums through out. I hate it when I take the time to answer someone and he just disappears without any acknowledgment, so again, thanks. My enclosure is tight and slim, so the only relevant cooling solution would be probably one of the "Hard drive carrier" fan shelves that the entire enclosure would rest on. (sort of like laptop cooling solutions just for a hard drive enclosure). I'll look to see if I can find something like this in my part of the world. The good news is that while the temp reached around 54 while initially copying the large amount of data onto it, when actually being used to edit, it seems to peak at around 50. Still not great, but I think I can live with it if I don't find a good external cooling solution. Cheers...

November 5th, 2011, 07:29 AM	#4
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	Re: WD Caviar Black 2TB heat issues I would think you need an enclosure with a fan. Another alternative would be one of the docking stations where the drive is not contained Newegg.com - Thermaltake BlacX ST0005U External Hard Drive SATA Enclosure Docking Station 2.5” & 3.5” USB 2.0 & eSATA __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29

November 5th, 2011, 04:18 PM	#5
Jon Shohet Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 277	Re: WD Caviar Black 2TB heat issues Thanks Mark. I actually have a one of those docking stations, but they are a plasticky affair, and I have heard some horror stories of drives getting so hot during heavy operation that they had melted the plastic on the dock. It's also not an ideal solution for editing on the go, which is something I have to do now frequently. I chose my current enclosure because it was the only one I found that has both usb3 and esata, which I find very handy. I suppose I could just buy a new one with a fan and settle for just usb3... but while I know 50 Celsius is a bit too much I'm not sure it's that disastrous..?