HDD vertically / horizontally installed

[hmaster10]

Is there any difference between installing HDD in vertical position against horizontal position? If there is, what position is better?

[nmX.Memnoch]

This has been debated for a long time. Some people say there's a difference, others don't. I will tell you this...I have servers that have them installed both ways. Honestly I really don't think it makes a difference. I've never noticed a performance or failure difference between the different mounting methods.

[hmaster10]

nmx, thanks for the information, I'll keep that in mind

[ripken204]

as stated there really is no difference but what i have heard is to put them vertically because if they are horizontal, graivity over time will slighly bend the disks and cause read/write errors.. it sounds reasonable to me.. if you have the choice to go vertical then it cant hurt to do it.

[Jeremy]

as stated there really is no difference but what i have heard is to put them vertically because if they are horizontal, graivity over time will slighly bend the disks and cause read/write errors.. it sounds reasonable to me.. if you have the choice to go vertical then it cant hurt to do it.

Ok, so no difference except for the factor of gravity bending a disk... get real... and a clue.

IMO, having a disk mounted vertically would have this disk-bending gravity influence its ability to rotate moreso than it bending in a horizontal position.

Yeah, it would seem reasonable to you.

Where did you hear this? Source? Where's the backing of the claim? Or more accurately, a theoretical possibility but extremely unlikely realistic outcome.

The HDD is going to fail due to mechanical failure in its ability to spin before gravity bends it.

Ouch, my horizontally placed arm is starting to bend from the immense gravitational force here...

[ripken204]

and wtf is your problem tonight? i'm telling him something that i have read somewhere and that's it. i never said it was proven or anything. i said that there was no real difference and if he could then go vertical, so stop bitching.

[nmX.Memnoch]

His point is it doesn't even make any sense to tell someone that. Have you ever taken apart a hard drive? Gravity is not going to bend the platters anymore than it bends sheets of aluminum on a tin roof (yes, believe it or not those aluminum sheets are thinner than a drive platter).

While we're at it lets posit that putting the drive vertically would allow gravity to pull them on the down rotation and sling shot 'em around so they spin faster than 7200RPM. I'm changing the orientation on my drives now!!

[PC_LOAD_LETTER]

Agreed. If gravity did cause any problems horizontally with the platters then one could argue that the read arm would be stressed more in a vertical position from lifting the weight of the read head repeatedly. So either way, youd be stressing the drive. but this is all just speculation, lets look for an official reponse:

Seagate/Maxtor/Quantum

All Maxtor's internal hard drives can be fitted sideways or upside down. As long as they can not be moved during use and get enough cooling it is irrelevant in which direction they are mounted.

Western Digital

The drive can be mounted sideways, on end, or even upside down as long as the mounting screws are used properly.

Done. case closed. Somebody inform Snopes they are missing a myth.

Edit -oh god I just read that back and realized im never getting laid again after commenting on an arguement about hard drive mounting procedure.

Edited October 22, 2007 by geek

[Jeremy]

and wtf is your problem tonight? i'm telling him something that i have read somewhere and that's it. i never said it was proven or anything. i said that there was no real difference and if he could then go vertical, so stop bitching.

Take two... where did you read it? Can you provide a link to the source of an article? Or maybe it was just some 13 year old's blog. Who knows.

I am not bitching, just simply indicating that your posts rarely consist of any real valuable information worth reading. I know it is harsh, but it's the truth.

I'd love to hear jcarle's take.

[puntoMX]

Horizontal would give more surfaces to cool, as in "all heat goes up", only thing I can think about. Same with CPU coolers, Horizontal would be better.

While we're at it lets posit that putting the drive vertically would allow gravity to pull them on the down rotation and sling shot 'em around so they spin faster than 7200RPM. I'm changing the orientation on my drives now!!

Naa, to slingshot a rotating object you need a force-point on the rotating object that points outwards the center and gets larger, bigger or what ever. Problem is that you get a dead point in rotation that needs to be compensated, like a drive stain (crank) from a bicycle.

By the way, don’t pay attention what the factory says, that just to sell more dives after warranty periods .

Platters are thick and heavy indeed, so they maintain continues speed easier then a lightweight plate, like the flight-wheel on a car-engine, lighter will stall the engine faster but spins up, revs, faster. (And that’s NO joke! ).

[Ponch]

Horizontal would give more surfaces to cool, as in "all heat goes up", only thing I can think about. Same with CPU coolers, Horizontal would be better

How does an object's position modify it's surface ?

If anything, putting it vertically would increase the heat convecting airflow.

In the case of CPU cooler, it's the fan that does most of the job, and as blowing is more efficient than sucking the air, it goes against the natural movement of the air and orientation of the cooler has very few influence as long as the hot air can escape.

As manufacturers put their disks both ways since years and do cover warranty, I guess that's an evidence that it does not matter. As for gravity on the platters, no comment.

[noguru]

Horizontal would give more surfaces to cool, as in "all heat goes up", only thing I can think about. Same with CPU coolers, Horizontal would be better.

Nice try but at 7200 rpm you will have to much turbulation to have any difference in temperature at all.

Mount your drive the way you like. It will die sooner or later in both cases.

[puntoMX]

Horizontal would give more surfaces to cool, as in "all heat goes up", only thing I can think about. Same with CPU coolers, Horizontal would be better

How does an object's position modify it's surface ?

* Top surface that is .

Horizontal would give more surfaces to cool, as in "all heat goes up", only thing I can think about. Same with CPU coolers, Horizontal would be better.

Nice try but at 7200 rpm you will have to much turbulation to have any difference in temperature at all.

Check it for your self, temp underneath the cooler, temp on top of the cooler...

[jaclaz]

Check it for your self, temp underneath the cooler, temp on top of the cooler...

Have you got a cooler inside a case, spinning at 5,400/7,200 or 10,000 RPM?

If I may, the (old) point about mounting hard disks horizontally vs. vertically was related to the actual BEARINGS that were used in the HD manufacture.

A traditional bearing can be a radial bearing or a thrust bearing, or both:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_(mechanical)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust_bearing

Most if not all hard disks manufactured in latest years have FDB bearings, that are at the same time radial and thust ones, besides being less noisy:

http://www.hitachigst.com/tech/techlib.nsf...Paper_FINAL.pdf

http://www.wdc.com/en/library/eide/2579-001052.pdf

jaclaz

[Ponch]

Check it for your self, temp underneath the cooler, temp on top of the cooler...

What's your point here ? Underneath the cooler, there is a hot CPU, so nothing to do with air circulation or "all heat goes up". The air is hotter on the side of the CPU. If there's a fan, if the fan is under the CPU, air will be hotter above the fan. If the fan is above the CPU, it'll be hotter under the fan. Either way it blows. ... Check it for yourself ...unless you put things vertically.