Server in 90+ degree environment

[FiZiX]

I've built a server from a bunch of left-over parts I'm trying to use as a Windows Home Server box. Its basically an old 1GHz Athlon XP, 512mb of RAM, and 4 hard drives.

Here's the issue: the server is on the second story of my house and the air temperature gets to be 90+ degrees in the summer. I can't even get this thing to run one day without losing a hard drive due to heat. The processor remains cool enough but the hard drives can't take it. I have decent ventilation inside the case but I think the ambient air temps might be too high.

Has anybody else had a similiar issue? If so, what did you do to fix it?

[Spawn-Inc]

is that 90f or 90c?

try loosely putting old cpu heatsinks on top on your hard drives and put some fans over them. it works great for me.

[simon275]

Fans and cable tiles are your friend.

[x88x]

Well, I gotta say, this isn't a situation you see too often :P

ooc, is there a really pressing reason why you can't keep the server in a cooler portion of the house? I assume the first floor is air-conditioner? If the server must stay where it is, the only thing I can think of doing like Spawn suggested and sticking as many heatsinks and fans as you can, preferably pulling air from the coolest place possible. Also, I'd suggest running temp monitoring tools while the system is running, see how far the temps are spiking.

[nevermind1534]

What about those hard drive coolers that you can buy? I stuck one of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185073) on my hard drive, and it lowered temps by about 10°.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Water cool the hard drives?

If that is too much there is a nice one evening air based HDD cooler project here (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15324) by The_Crippler (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/member.php?u=7789)

CrazyB

[SXRguyinMA]

get a thermaltake or similar hard drive cage...3 bays with a 120mm fan that blows air over the drives to keep them cool

[Luke122]

Definitely get some fans around those drives. Heatsinks + fans = win. Watercooling the drives would be ideal, but can be cost prohibitive.

[x88x]

Hmm, I had a thought...I'm not sure how much circulation modern HDDs actually need, but if you took anti-static bags (like, say, the ones that HDDs come in), and incorporated them into some sort of reservoir, so that the HDDs were in the bags, and the 'outside' of the bags had water flowing over them, with one end of the bag open to the air for cabling connectors, that might pull more heat off them.

hmm...that makes me want to try something like that now... :twisted:

[Luke122]

Hmm, I had a thought...I'm not sure how much circulation modern HDDs actually need, but if you took anti-static bags (like, say, the ones that HDDs come in), and incorporated them into some sort of reservoir, so that the HDDs were in the bags, and the 'outside' of the bags had water flowing over them, with one end of the bag open to the air for cabling connectors, that might pull more heat off them.

hmm...that makes me want to try something like that now... :twisted:

Interesting but terrifying at the same time. :D

[NightrainSrt4]

Hmmm... My server/HTPC has been in constant 90F+ without any issues.

Lanbox Lite
E5200 Passive with CM Geminii
8400GS Passive

It is using WD Green drives for storage, and a laptop drive as an OS drive, so quite low power/cool drives. There is also a pci slot cooler on the very far left, and an 80mm fan added on the right, so there is a bit more airflow going than normal.

My other server has had 3 months uptime in 85-95F, but again is running with a laptop drive, so low power/heat drive wise. It has got to be hot in that small case with that 3Ghz P4 though. I really ought to change that, but people are still using it so it stays for now. I can't afford to go cooler/lp for that one right now. Probably could just toss it all into a VM on the 5200, but rather not atm.

Just make sure you have good airflow and you should be fine. Mine have been fine in similar temps.