CompUSA brand usb/firewire hd case (aluminum; no fan)
 

Sorry about the cross-posting.

Bought this hd case (3.5") and am trying it out with my WD 160gb IDE
drive. I normally have the drive in an ADS 5.25" dual link drive kit,
which works great, but it was very bulky...looking for something a bit
more portable.

The ADS case has a fan to keep the drive cool, so I've never really
worried about the temp of the drive as it runs for hours and hours.
However, this new case (says Mobile Disk on the top) does not have a
fan, and after about 30 minutes of being turned on, with not much disk
access at all, the bottom of the case is a bit warm.

I use this drive for backups as well as digital video work, so I'd
prefer to have a case with firewire. USB2 is nice to have also, for its
ubiquity. This is what led me to this dual interface case as opposed to
the USB2-only ADS 3.5" case. However, I'm still torn over dual-link-
and-no-fan versus single-link-and-fan.

I understand that heat kills electronics, and cool air keeps things
running smoothly, but how does that idea relate to all these external
drives from major vendors (Maxtor, WD) which do not have fans? This
MobileDisk case is made of aluminum, which should help dissipate the
heat, but I've also read that if the drive is resting on plastic inside
the case, and not touching the aluminum (with this case the drive rests
on plastic with gaps so the aluminum is showing) then the dissipation
will not happen...true?

Last questions...Any suggestions about brands of external 3.5"
cases...fans or no fans...how does this CompUSA brand case stack
up...any good review sites for external cases (not including any
drives)?

Thanks!
Gary

GS wrote:

Sorry about the cross-posting.

Then you should immediately have set follow-ups to the main group
you are using. After the original post is too late.

--
"The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry
is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering
gains made by the computer hardware industry..." - Petroski

In article , says...
GS wrote:

Sorry about the cross-posting.

Then you should immediately have set follow-ups to the main group
you are using. After the original post is too late.



I've learned two things from this experience...

1. I need to learn how to post better, since I don't post on Usenet very
much.

B. You're an ass for taking the time to reply to my post with absolutely
zero constructive information regarding my questions.

GS wrote:
says...
GS wrote:

Sorry about the cross-posting.

Then you should immediately have set follow-ups to the main group
you are using. After the original post is too late.

I've learned two things from this experience...

1. I need to learn how to post better, since I don't post on
Usenet very much.

There you are correct.

B. You're an ass for taking the time to reply to my post with
absolutely zero constructive information regarding my questions.

Here you are an idiot. I had nothing to say about your query. I
did have something to say about your practices. I tried to
correct the child who was messing up, and the child has now thrown
a tantrum. It also failed to correct the cross-posting, since
only it knew in which group it originated. Cross-posting is
usually wrong.

--
Chuck F ) )
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
http://cbfalconer.home.att.net USE worldnet address!

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 09:26:47 -0400, GS
wrote:

snip

... constructive information regarding my questions.

The answer is, yes heat can contribute to early demise of a HDD.
On a portable the jarring from moving it around is another
potential problem... which would kill a drive first depends on
the user. Many people only hook up an external long enough to
transfer a few files and so drive never gets very hot before
being powered off again... for those people a fan isn't
necessary, but for others who leave drive on for long enough to
heat up, the fan does help. Firewire vs USB2... if you need it,
get it.