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Mount a hard drive sideways?

S

stover21

Senior member
I currently have my hard drive suspended in my 5.25" bay by bungee cords (got the vibration silencing idea from SPCR). My hard drive's been getting too hot lately and I feel has been the cause for a bunch of crashes... thinking of moving it back down to the 3.25" bays except mount it sideways for more clearing room.

My question:

Are there any reasons why I shouldn't be mounting a hard drive sideways (ie. the hdd platters are now perpendicular to the ground, note that they are usually mounted so that the platters are horizontal and parallel to the ground)? Will it eventually cause problems?
 
In the old days when hdd spindle speeds were 4200 and 5400 RPM, positioning of hdd when mounted was never critical. With high speed hdd, heat generation became a concern and it is always recommended to mount hdd right side up. Meaning the metal covered side should be on top to maximize heat dissipation. If you'll notice, this is always the part of a hdd that gets the hottest.
 
It doesn't matter. I've heard recommendations that once you orientate the drive you shouldn't change it. I still don't think it matters. If you have case fans pulling air over the hdd in the 3.5" bays then I would place your hdd there.
 
just to be clear, I'm talking about mounting the hdd so that the platters are perpendicular to the ground (usually parallel to the ground)..

Just wanted to make myself clear.

Is this still ok?
 
HDD orientation is irrelevant with current drives, pretty much anything made this century won't give a fig about orientation.

There is nothing wrong with putting the drive on it's side, but before you go to all that trouble have you considered putting an 80mm fan around the HDDs where they are now? That way you'll get some airflow over them directly (the major flaw of having the drives in the 5.25" bays imo).
 
It does not matter whether it's laying flat or on it's side, the drive will function fine either way. As was said, alot of manufacturers put the drive on the side now to maximize space usage but it will not hurt the drive in the least bit
 
I had trouble with the last drive I mounted sideways. Not that the bits fell off the platter, but the platter wouldn't spin.

Could it have something to do with the 3" bolts that I used to attach it to the case? I was carefull when I drilled the holes through the drive. Should I have used the 2" instead? :Q




Like the rest have said, doesn't matter which direction the drive is mounted. 🙂
 
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