Test Setup
Our thermal tests utilize sensor readings via the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) capability of the drives. We use the Active SMART 2.6 utility for the reported values. We test our drives in an enclosed case environment without the fans operational; this setup approximates the type of environment found in near silent SFF or HTPC case designs. We typically find the reported numbers drop anywhere from 18% to 25% when the case fans are operational. Our base temperature level in the room at the time of testing is 25C.
As the Ultra cooler will have no impact on the performance of the hard drive, the benchmark focus for this article is on heat dissipation. We could find no impact in terms of noise or vibration during our tests - we'll discuss that in more detail in our conclusion.
For this test, we measure the temperature of the hard drive after the system is idle for an hour (ensuring that the drive has ample time to reach its standard idle operating temperature). We then place a heavy load on the drive by running our PCMark05 HDD test. We monitor heat levels during the test to get a graphical representation of what effects, if any, the Ultra cooler produces.
| Standard Test Bed Test Application Results |
|
| Processor | Intel E6600 - 2.4GHz Dual Core |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 |
| RAM | 2 x 1GB OCZ Reaper PC2-6400 Settings: DDR800 4-4-3-9 |
| OS Hard Drive | 1 x Western Digital WD1500 Raptor - 150GB |
| System Platform Drivers | Intel 8.3.0.1013 Intel Matrix RAID 7.6.0.1011 |
| Video Card | 1 x MSI 8800GTX |
| Video Drivers | NVIDIA ForceWare 162.18 |
| Optical Drive | Plextor PX-760A, Plextor PX-B900A |
| Cooling | Tuniq 120 |
| Power Supply | OCZ GXS700 |
| Case | Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 |
| Operating System | Windows XP Professional SP2 |
| . | |
Our thermal tests utilize sensor readings via the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) capability of the drives. We use the Active SMART 2.6 utility for the reported values. We test our drives in an enclosed case environment without the fans operational; this setup approximates the type of environment found in near silent SFF or HTPC case designs. We typically find the reported numbers drop anywhere from 18% to 25% when the case fans are operational. Our base temperature level in the room at the time of testing is 25C.
As the Ultra cooler will have no impact on the performance of the hard drive, the benchmark focus for this article is on heat dissipation. We could find no impact in terms of noise or vibration during our tests - we'll discuss that in more detail in our conclusion.
For this test, we measure the temperature of the hard drive after the system is idle for an hour (ensuring that the drive has ample time to reach its standard idle operating temperature). We then place a heavy load on the drive by running our PCMark05 HDD test. We monitor heat levels during the test to get a graphical representation of what effects, if any, the Ultra cooler produces.
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mindless1 - Monday, November 5, 2007 - link
What is sweet about a totally passive system?Even a barely turning fan will reduce temps a LOT, it can easily be inaudible, fan can easily last for 20 years, and will reduce system cost by quite a lot while increasing lifespan by quite a lot. It's also a lot easier too, there are very few situations where avoiding fans is a good idea, it's mostly a marketing gimmick made into an urban myth by companies who use a higher RPM fan than really needed so they can save a buck using a smaller or less elaborate heatsinking. IOW, you can have the best of both worlds, need not go to either extreme.
Dave Robinet - Saturday, November 3, 2007 - link
Nope - no thermal paste. The device pushes against the hard drive using the spring-loaded screws.Michael91ah - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
I use a setup much like these and really did notice a marked decrease in noise levels. The case intake fan blows right across them which prolly isn't such a good idea now that I think about it.Dave Robinet - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
We've added a couple of hard drives in the graph for comparison purposes. If you go to the test results page and refresh, you'll see the updated data.Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!
Calin - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
The cooling is better with a hot drive - but overall, it doesn't make such a big differenceTiamat - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
Zalman ZM-2HC1/2 for example. I wonder how they compare...michal1980 - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
whats the NEED to cool your harddrive?is there any spec that says running at a normal temprature will hurt the drive?
take the 40 bucks and buy a better drive... or bigger.
Slaimus - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
The older Maxtor DiamonsMax 9/10/11 series ran really hot and failed early if not properly cooled. Before that, the IBM 75GXP deathstars also lasted much longer when actively cooled.magreen - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
That was my big question I hoped the article would address - does a hdd ever actutually need cooling?Calin - Friday, November 2, 2007 - link
If you manage to cool your hard drive 10 or more degrees Celsius (15+ Fahrenheit), then this device would be a good thing - but you need a situation where the hard drive gets much warmer than the 35 or so of testing.