Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

Scotty · 2010-10-05 02:43:38

So, not too long ago I decided to add my hard disk temperatures using HDDtemp to my conky.

After a good two hours of having the computer on, the temperature of my HDD was already at 68C!

This is in a desktop system.

I used hddtemp to obtain the temperature figures:

~#hddtemp /dev/sda
/dev/sda: Maxtor 7Y250M0: 68°C

This computer is 7 years old now and nothing at all has been changed in the cooling setup from the stock setup.

Is running my hard disk at such high a temperature a good idea? Will it damage the hard disk (I do not back up my data at all) or cause a hard drive failure?

Scott

Allan · 2010-10-05 02:59:07

Its not too hot, but it is a bit high if you are doing nothing. Check for dust build-up in your fans.

Scotty · 2010-10-05 04:23:08

Allan wrote:

Its not too hot, but it is a bit high if you are doing nothing. Check for dust build-up in your fans.

Funny, I just cleaned out the dust in July. I am technically using the computer, but the HDD is not really doing much, as it is not the /root drive (that is my much cooler ssd's job).
I will clean out the dust when I get more time. The drive does not climb any higher than that, though (right now it is actually down to 66C). I still would like some more opinions on this, as there is not well documented recommended operating temperature for really any HDD out there. Many say 55C is an ideal temperature, many say 50C, some say 60C, I really don't know.

chpln · 2010-10-05 08:35:14

I would start to be concerned once a drive exceeded 60°C. While I doubt prolonged usage at 60°C+ will in itself cause failure, it will shorten the life expectancy.

I have 3 HDDs in two systems nearby for comparison. All have had 2hr+ uptime with casual usage and ~25°C ambient temperature.

ATX-case, minimal cooling (passively cooled CPU, one rear exhaust fan at low rpm):

% hddtemp /dev/sd[ab]
/dev/sda: WDC WD20EARS-00MVWB0: 35°C
/dev/sdb: WDC WD20EARS-00MVWB0: 35°C

Thinkpad T60

% hddtemp /dev/sd[ab]
/dev/sda: ST9160821AS: 39°C

As Allan said, check the ventilation. Also ensure there's nothing which might be affecting residual heat around the drive.

Ramses de Norre · 2010-10-05 09:24:27

I think 60°C is pretty high. The hard disks in my laptop and desktop all sit around 40°C most of the time. In my desktop they get up to about 55°C only when it is over 30°C outside. They are from different brands than yours though (2 seagates and a WD) so this might not be the best comparison.

thisoldman · 2010-10-05 10:26:38

Published specs are available at this store: http://www.superwarehouse.com/Maxtor_Ma … /ps/295212. It shows 141 °F or 55 °C as the top operating temperature.

My rule of thumb for temperatures for electronics is "if you can't hold it in your hands, it's too hot". 60 °C is normally the hottest temperature anyone can hold. You quickly drop things that are warmer.

Google studied hard drive failures and published their findings. Higher temperatures on older drives were related to increased failures. However, they stated:

Surprisingly, we found that temperature and activity levels were much less correlated with drive failures than previously reported.

The Google paper can be downloaded from here: http://labs.google.com/papers/disk_failures.html.

KimTjik · 2010-10-05 12:14:12

I would definitely try to adjust such high temperatures. As far as I can understand, guided by some researches by manufacturers, a temperature between 40 - 50 °C is preferable. Going below 40 °C seems to have a slightly negative impact as well, and I've seen this issue with some drives operating badly when temperature dropped to 20 °C. Mechanical hard drives obviously operates best warm but not hot or cold.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-10-05 02:43:38

Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

#2 2010-10-05 02:59:07

Re: Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

#3 2010-10-05 04:23:08

Re: Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

#4 2010-10-05 08:35:14

Re: Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

#5 2010-10-05 09:24:27

Re: Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

#6 2010-10-05 10:26:38

Re: Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

#7 2010-10-05 12:14:12

Re: Is an HDD temperature of 68C too high?

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