How Hot Should a Hard Drive Get?
Other People Are Reading
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No More Than 50 Degrees Celsius
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Hard drives are individually rated by their manufacturers. But generally speaking, the maximum functioning temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees. This is a stark contrast to processor and video card temperatures, which are routinely rated to function at anywhere from 70 to 90 degrees, or even higher.
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No Hotter Than It Has To
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Hard drives produce heat, and heat wears them out. The cooler you're able to keep your drive, the longer it will last and the safer your data will be. Research has shown that hard drives last 10 percent longer for every 5 degrees you shave off of their operating temperature.
Bottom Line
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Even at higher temperatures, modern hard drives are built well enough to last for at least 3 years, and likely 5 or more. That said, cooler is always better, so if you have the option of improving the ventilation around your hard drives, there's absolutely no reason not to do so.
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- Photo Credit hard drive 2 image by Graham Lumsden from Fotolia.com
