Ext. 3.5" HD enclosures - are ones with fans best?

[JEBB]

Ext. 3.5" HD enclosures - are ones with built-in fans the best choice?

[michaelb]

I would prefer not to have a fan, since the fan is a lot of extra annoying noise. The OWC cases are fanless and are of higher quality than the endless variations of the other cheap cases (some here might consider the OWC to be the "best"). I was disappointed with the quality of the cheap $30 case I bought, so to replace that I went with the mini stack version which includes a fan (I wanted the firewire hub). It is a gift and so I haven't opened it up yet to test the fan noise.

[TheTominator]

I think having one with a fan is a good choice. I have one of the older OWC enclosures that supports both 5 1/4" and 3.5" devices. It has a fan in it primarily so that it can keep CD/DVD burners cool.

When I feel confident that the 3.5" hard drive I put in there is sufficiently cooled by just ambient air, I unplug the fan for the quiet.

Having a fan in there gives you more options. I don't recommend unplugging the fan unless you are confident about the thermal requirements and heat performance.

Edit: If you are talking about an external HD enclosure that you purchase sealed with a hard drive installed and have no intention on opening it up, I'd say go for one that is fanless/quiet and high build quality.

[Robert M]

Jebb,

I definitely would go with a model that has a fan, if given the choice. In my opinion, I believe it'll help keep the hardware cool, which ought to improve the longevity of the hardware. If it's a choice of a little bit more noise and the potential for improved longevity of the hardware, I'll take improved longenvity without hesitiation.

For what it's worth, noise is a non-issue. I work in an environment where there is ambient noise, i.e. music, people talking, etc. A little more won't make a difference. Same goes for at home. TVs, stereos, members of the family, etc.

Noise only becomes an issue when it's an abnormal sound, which is a sign of a problem.

Robert

[jdc]

i have the aluminum OWC fanless enclosures (2 of them) and both perform 10-12+ hours a day with no issues

both have 300 gig 7200 rpm drives in them

they do get warm, but not hot, i feel fine about it