Dell Computers - 4700 HD temp (too high)...

Author

4700 HD temp (too high)...

User N

2005-02-24, 4:45 pm

I'm testing/configuring a new 4700 for a friend... 3GHz, 512MB,
X300SE, 80GB SATA. Given the questionable HD mounting, I
wanted to check its temp. I downloaded a couple of SMART
utils, including speedfan:

http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

and am I little disturbed by what I'm seeing. With the box in the
middle of a cool room (ie not under a desk or in a nook, and
drawing in 69F air), I'm seeing:

- Idle: 40-42C
- Mild use: 45C
- Full AV scan: 50C

I downloaded SiSoft Sandra Lite:

http://www.sisoftware.net/index.htm...buy&langx=en&a=

which has, among other usefull things, a file system benchmarker.
After the AV scan I let the temp settle back down to 42C for
5 or 10 minutes, then I manually ran that benchmark a number of
times and watched the temp reading...

After first run: 47C
After second run: 50C
After third run: 56C

Max operating temp for the drive is 55C, so I stopped there. I can
only assume I'd be getting even higher readings were I to continue,
perform the test in a warmer room, and/or install a second drive.

If any of you have checked your drive temp(s), or care to, I'd be
interested to know what you are seeing.

S.Lewis

2005-02-24, 11:45 pm

"User N" <usern@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:pMWdnQRcw_e_yIPfRVn-iA@comcast.com...
> I'm testing/configuring a new 4700 for a friend... 3GHz, 512MB,
> X300SE, 80GB SATA. Given the questionable HD mounting, I
> wanted to check its temp.

"Questionable"? What do you find questionable about the drive being mounted
directly behind the front bezel exhaust vents? Compared to an Antec case
(or some other well-vented retail case), perhaps. But compared to the much
larger Dimension 83XX/84XX cases, far better imo.

>I downloaded a couple of SMART
> utils, including speedfan:
>
> http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php
>
> and am I little disturbed by what I'm seeing. With the box in the
> middle of a cool room (ie not under a desk or in a nook, and
> drawing in 69F air), I'm seeing:
>
> - Idle: 40-42C
> - Mild use: 45C
> - Full AV scan: 50C
>
> I downloaded SiSoft Sandra Lite:
>
> http://www.sisoftware.net/index.htm...buy&langx=en&a=
>
> which has, among other usefull things, a file system benchmarker. After
> the AV scan I let the temp settle back down to 42C for
> 5 or 10 minutes, then I manually ran that benchmark a number of
> times and watched the temp reading...
>
> After first run: 47C
> After second run: 50C
> After third run: 56C
>
> Max operating temp for the drive is 55C, so I stopped there. I can
> only assume I'd be getting even higher readings were I to continue,
> perform the test in a warmer room, and/or install a second drive.
>
> If any of you have checked your drive temp(s), or care to, I'd be
> interested to know what you are seeing.
>

IMO, you'd best continue the testing (hammer the crap out of it) in an
attempt to 'blow the drive up' now before your friend gets it. It's under
warranty and the reinstall will be a lot less painful IF the drive fails.
Further, you can have some degree of confidence in the drive if it doesn't.
( 'bathtub curve' )

At this moment I'm running two (IDE) drives at minimum load in an Antec
SX830 case with (4) 80mm fans. The case is located in an upstairs room with
ambient air of about 70F. Drive temps are 91/98F or 33/37C respectively.

I'm using a free utility downloaded here:
http://www.hddtemp.com/home/download.html .

I personally wouldn't get too bent out of shape about utility temp reports.
I would get bent out of shape with some sort of SMART error reporting or
reports of bad clusters concerning the drive.

The 4700 case breathes about as well as any Dell has out there in my
experience.

Stew

User N

2005-02-24, 11:45 pm

"S.Lewis" <stew1960@cover.bellsouth.net> wrote in message news:96tTd.36525$a96.30617@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
>
> "User N" <usern@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> news:pMWdnQRcw_e_yIPfRVn-iA@comcast.com...
>
> "Questionable"? What do you find questionable about the drive being
> mounted directly behind the front bezel exhaust vents?

Intake vents, assuming your fans are blowing air in the right direction
(which isn't a safe assumption I've learned). But to answer your question,
it is the perpendicular mounting arrangement that I question. The HD
cage can be configured in one of three ways.

|[]| |<=

| |[] |<=

|[]|[] |<=

where [] is a hard drive, | | | is the grilled framework they mount in,
<= is the incoming air, and where up is up. In the first example, ie
http://home.comcast.net/~user_n/4700_HD.jpg , the face of the HD
that faces the airflow probably isn't going to get much air because there
is a far less restricted path up and over the top side of the drive. The
other face of that HD probably gets none. The second arrangement
would seem to be better for the hard drive, and I might try that for fun,
but that would seem more restrictive in terms of airflow into the case.
The third arrangement is the worst, and I imagine that inner hard drive
isn't going to be very happy.

> Compared to an Antec case (or some other well-vented retail case),
> perhaps. But compared to the much larger Dimension 83XX/84XX
> cases, far better imo.

Why do you like the 4700 over the 8400, cooling wise? BTW, aren't
the hard drives in the 8400 mounted horizontally, so air flows over
the tops and bottoms?

> IMO, you'd best continue the testing (hammer the crap out of it) in an
> attempt to 'blow the drive up' now before your friend gets it. It's under
> warranty and the reinstall will be a lot less painful IF the drive fails.
> Further, you can have some degree of confidence in the drive if it doesn't.
> ( 'bathtub curve' )

That has crossed my mind, but I'm not sure how far to take it. Hammer
it in a 85F room? 90F? 95F? Push its temp to 65C? 70C? Higher?
Might it simply lose some life rather than die? I'll have to think about it
some more and of course talk it over with the owner.

> At this moment I'm running two (IDE) drives at minimum load in an Antec
> SX830 case with (4) 80mm fans. The case is located in an upstairs room with
> ambient air of about 70F. Drive temps are 91/98F or 33/37C respectively.

Nice

> I'm using a free utility downloaded here:
> http://www.hddtemp.com/home/download.html .

Just took it for a spin. Getting the same numbers, which I would expect
since all the utils are just reading the SMART temp.

> I personally wouldn't get too bent out of shape about utility temp reports.
> I would get bent out of shape with some sort of SMART error reporting or
> reports of bad clusters concerning the drive.

Yeah, and it isn't my box anyway :P

Sponsored Links