05-18-2006, 03:06 PM
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.
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.