HDD Cooling Options

[satyr]

Greetings!

I've had this build running for almost two years now:
Fractal Node 804
6 Toshiba 5TB 7200 RPM drives (ZFS2)
Supermicro X10SLL-F-O
32 GB Crucial (1.35V, unbuffered, ECC)
2 Sandisk cruzer fits for mirrored boot device
Intel i3 4160 (3.6 ghz, ecc supported)
Enermax Xt 430W PSU
APC BR1000G UPC

Everything has been rock solid, but the drives will reach into the low 40's during scrub and occasionally on a hot day. By and large, they never go above 35, but I am looking to run them cooler. I have moved around the HDD configuration in the case so that there is adequate spacing, and even managed to get a fan in between the two HDD cages. Currently running two 120mm front fans and a 120 in the rear, but CFM's are setup for negative pressure.

Any advice on better cooling options for the drives? This is a preemptive move more than anything, but want to prevent a problem before it occurs, if possible. Thanks!

Any advice on how to get them to stay a bit cooler?

 

[nojohnny101]

I'm on mobile but you can check my sig for my setup. The drives in my node 804 were running a bit hot, he stupid I have now keeps them low 30s and mid 30s during an intensive scrub.

 

[satyr]

Just running the Noctua fans? Part of my problem is that my drives are all 7200's. So I know that there's a limit to how cool I can get them, but I want to at least improve it somewhat.

 

[nojohnny101]

Oh ok. Well to my knowledge (this is based off of what I have read, I have never run 7200s in a NAS) 7200RPM drives generally only run 1-3 degrees hotter.

The Node 804 is a well designed case. I could be wrong, but I don't recall there being a provision for a fan between the hard drives cages. Did you jerryrig that?

I think if you put quality fans that are correctly designed for how airflow was designed for the case (i.e. pull air in the front and push it out the bag, static pressure, etc.) you should be good. Do some research on case fans and if you are really worried, fill all he slots on the hard drive side (2 in front, 2 in back).

 

[satyr]

Yes, the middle fan is jerryrigged and it hasn't helped or harmed the cause from what I have seen with my daily logs. I figured the increased turbulence might actually worsen cooling, but that doesn't seem to have happened. Also, I'm familiar with proper case flow (exhaust through the top rear, negative pressure better for cooling, etc), but was hoping for some fan or other passive/active suggestions. Lastly, the 804 only has room for one rear fan on each side; two are possible in the front, unless I am misunderstanding you.

 

[nojohnny101]

You're correct only one fan on the rear exhaust, my bad, I didn't double check the manual and I'm not in the same state as my main server right now.

My personal opinion is you should go with proven methods to cool the fans and that means good quality fans that are designed for the usage case and appropriate automated control of the fans that react to drive temperatures (see scripts on here created by some forum members). If that doesn't work then you can look at more extreme options.

I have never found the Node 804 to be insufficient in both its setup for fans or its airflow design. I think if you trust the design, you'll be just fine.

 

[SweetAndLow]

Your temps are probably just fine. If you can keep 7200 rpm drives around 40c during a scrub you are doing better than most people.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Vito Reiter]

This suggestion is a little 'balls to the walls', but you could get Helium sealed drives and submerge them in mineral oil. On a more serious note, I would aim for more positive air pressure inside the chassis, given that you want the hot air to stay away from the drives.