Is my HDD getting too hot?

Awesomeish · 7 May 2013 at 21:25

I don't know too much about HDD thermal limits, but I recently noticed after a heavy gaming session that my hard drive was at 57 degrees C. I thought this seemed a bit high, and checked the specifications for the drive, which state the maximum operating temperature is 55C.

I'm using a Dell Inspiron 17R SE, so I thought that, being a laptop, it would be able to take higher temperatures, but I guess not!

Are my temperatures something to worry about? During regular use it's about 45-47C, but during gaming it can climb up to 55, 56, 57... haven't seen it higher than that though. Is my HDD's lifespan gonna be significantly shortened?

also, this is the drive in question: http://www.samsung.com/global/system/business/hdd/prdmodel/2011/6/9/440907m8.pdf

thanks!

edit: I just ran the HDD at 100% for a bit (copying big files), and the temps barely raised above idle (47C). Would the high temps from gaming be caused by the heat from the CPU/GPU? Maybe it's just skewing the sensor?

darael · 8 May 2013 at 09:44

It does sound as though the heat generated from the CPU and video card is making the harddrive sweat a little.

Make sure there's no dust blocking your heatsinks and vents. If the laptop can't get rid of the heat, it'll just get hotter and hotter.

Awesomeish · 8 May 2013 at 12:42

Well I do always try to keep the laptop well-ventilated, and the CPU and GPU usually get to around 70C in games, which I thought was fine.

There's a second harddrive bay in this laptop which might be a cooler location, but when I opened it up to have a look there was a 'warranty void if removed' sticker on my HDD so I don't really wanna mess with that :S

darael · 8 May 2013 at 12:56

What make and model laptop do you have? Have you taken the time to get to the heatsink to check there is no dust blocking the heatsink?

Many a time I've seen a slow laptop throttling due to overheating. Almost always the heatsink blocked up with dust or a faulty fan.

I know your laptop isn't slow - or you haven't said so - but a hot harddrive isn't healthy.

Awesomeish · 8 May 2013 at 13:39

Thanks for the replies

My laptop's a Dell Inspiron 17R SE

Well, I'm not that comfortable with dismantling my laptop to the point of getting to the heatsink, 'cause I'm not really that experienced in this sort of thing. But! I'm pretty sure the heatsink's fine, because the CPU/GPU temps are the same as they've always been, and the laptop is only about 2 months old anyway.

Here's a picture of the HDD's positioning, it looks like the HDD would be cooler in position 2, but like I say I don't wanna void any warranties

Maybe this is just bad design on Dell's part? I wonder if other 17R SE owners all experience this...

What's the worst-case scenario? If the HDD failed, would it take any other components with it? Do you know what kind of lifespan I can expect from it?

TheVoice · 8 May 2013 at 16:42

Do you use a laptop cooler of any kind? Could also try propping up the back of it while it's in use, when I had a laptop I used a few coasters stacked on top of each other at either corner, would help get some air in underneath.