Does an External HD need a fan?

My NexStar FW enclosure has no fan. It runs a couple of hours a day at most (this is my home machine). I have placed a thermometer in the shelf where this and my mini live so I can monitor tempratures. So, this issue also interests me. What would the max operating temprature of a drive be before a fan would be required? Any one any ideas?

The question is in the title. Is a fan necessary in
an external hard? Not just the mini look alikes but
any of them?

Depends on the inner workings.

My LaCie Mobile drive does not have a fan.

My LaCie 1TB drive (which has a bundle of drives in) does.

A fan is necessary if they get hot.

iFelix (9039)

Hey,

No. Not all external drives need a fan. I have a NetDisk drive that is fanless. It runs SUPER hot. I have it up off the desk so it can let the heat escape. The better drives will have a fan, and this will make them last longer. Heat is the enemy when it comes to hard drives. Sure, a little portable drive may not have a fan, but it is not intended to be used ALL the time. I have a mini the mini stack and it has a fan and a large heat sink that keeps it cool and it is the same drive mech as the NetDisk. I know that one will fail first and it is the one that runs hot. I only use the NetDisk when I need to back up but the Ministack is on when my Mini is on, 24/7. I say find a drive with a fan. It may add some noise but you can just turn up the music so you can't hear it 🙂

I hope this helped.

blake