Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

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Re: Don't give up

Posted by J.Mac on September 19, 2006 at 19:54:16:

Can you explain further? I just bought a 250 GB Seagate, and was planning on using it in an external enclosure (Ultra USB/firewire - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=ULT31310 ). It does have a built in fan, so will this help save it from the excessive heat that you mentioned?
I wanted to use the external enclosure for portability's sake. The thought of being able to take my music collection with me anywhere I go is enticing.
Does anybody else have an opinion on using an external enclosure w/ a hard drive?
External enclosures aren't all equal - some are better at cooling the drive they contain than others. Sounds like the fan you have may be a good idea, particularly if it's a 3.5" hard drive.
3.5" drives tend to run a bit hotter than the smaller 2.5" and 1.8" drives due to the greater mass of the platters and (usually) higher rpm. Moreover, they're not designed to withstand the rigors of being carried around to quite the degree that the smaller drives, which are designed to be used in laptop computers and portable devices like iPods.
If I were looking for an external drive to be used mostly for transporting files I'd probably go with a 2.5" or 1.8" drive. If it was to be used with a laptop in particular, I'd go with a 1.8", since the 1.8" drives are pretty much guaranteed to be powered by the USB port on the laptop and not require additional power. The 2.5" drives are often borderline and some will need external power. The main downside to the small drives are smaller capacities, slower speeds, and higher prices.
With all that said, I think 3.5" drives can be safely used in external enclosures, just as long as they're well cooled and you're careful not to handle them too roughly.