What position is best for a HD straight up or flat !? for both bearings and cooling !

[MowSow]

I can put my hard drive either in a bay and it will be laying flat .. or staight up just where the air enters the system ...
My guess putting the drive flat will be better for the bearings inside the drive ... but the second position seems better for coolin the drive since the air is sucked in by the rear fan and the air being sucked in will help cool it down !!
I don't have a fan in the front and I don't think I have the option to out one in my case !!
What do you guys think !??

 

[medic]

I would be more concerned that if you mounted it at the back near the fan that you would impede the airflow from your only fan to that Duron that needs the cool air!
The drive will be fine mounted in a bay unless your case temps are quite high and then you should be considering an intake fan in front anyway.

 

[MowSow]

Just a clarification .... the first option was to mount it stnading up in the front under the bays ... that's how it came in the system ... before I upgraded the whole system ... it's a Dell case .. but it is ATX

 

[medic]

If it doesn't interfere with airflow maybe just leave it. How are your temps?

 

[Bleep]

I think what you are asking is "Does it make a difference wether the drive is mounted flat or vertical"? No it makes no difference, On older machines with old HD's you should not change the orentation after installing the software but with the new drives it makes no difference. The lifespan of the drive is the same.
Bleep

 

[Jhhnn]

I'm with Bleep, it doesn't seem to make any difference so long as they are within a few degrees of vertical or horizontal. I've seen them tossed in the bottom of the case upside down, working just fine. Check the manual or the maker's website to be sure, though, some may have specific requirements.

 

[Howard]

Any orientation will work fine, but make sure you don't change the position after a format. I heard it increases friction around the bearings.

That said, vertical placement is ideal because the heat created flows off much more easily than a horizontally-place hard drive.