[TheBirdman74]

On older traditional generic / basic ATX case's usually had a hdd cage that can take about 3 HDD's. I am working on such a small case for a htpc.

Is it safe for me to install 3 HDD's on that cage on top of another? Will it cause my HDD's to overheat and degrade, make a lot of noise or will it create any magnetic field or something to corrupt or interfere with my data because of putting them close to one another in the HDD cage?

 

[3dfxvoodoo]

well hdd's don't run that hot
if heat is a prob, try and put a fan close by

other than that it's fine to do
I have 3 hdd's stacked up on top of etch other in my newer rig

 

[hometoast]

I hope so; I've got 8 stacked right (nearly) on top of each other. Like 3dfx said, putting a fan, ANY fan really, near them will keep you from worrying about the heat.

 

[TickleMeElmo]

HDDs don't need to be as cool as some (many) people think. Google's server farms are a great example of this.

The HDDs are shielded, it is safe to put them in close proximity to one another.

Noise is dependent on the individual drives, while it is possible that all three will cause some strange resonance, it is unlikely that noise or vibrations from the drives will be an issue.

Basically as long as you don't cover the little hole that says "do not cover" and you do not have them running at 60 degrees or something obscene it is quite safe to fill up all of your HDD cages.

 

[killabytes]

I have 12 HDDs stacked with fans in front of them. They run around 25-30c depending on load.

 

[Stevo]

I believe it should be safe, I have 3 together but with mine they are not all running at the same time. There may be a instant where they run together but not for long duration so there shouldn't be a heat issue.

Just make sure they are tied in tight so that they don't move also.

 

[rui-no-onna]

HDD's are actually more sensitive to heat than your CPU. HDD thermal specifications are usually from 0~55C or 60C during operation. Generally, you'd want to keep them under 40C for long term use. Fortunately, HDD's are very easy to cool. Just a slight breeze usually does the job.

I have all 6 drive slots occupied on my Antec 300. With a couple of Scythe Slipstream 800RPM installed for intake (right in front of the drives), HDD temps are usually +5~10C from ambient during parity checks.

 

[beers]

Stacked with no fan, they will get really hot to the touch and likely out of recommended operating range.
Stacked with any fan, they will remain lukewarm.

Our fileserver has 6x 750 stacked with 2x 80mm generic fans to cool each cage. They are barely warm even after hammering away at data for a while.