Mounting HDDs Sideways After Running Flat For Years?

[Flogger23m]

Thinking of getting a new case, and I'm torn between a few of the Fractal Design cases. One which I like is the Define S, which mounts HDDs sideways on the rear of the motherboard tray:

I understand that drives should work fine while mounted upside down, sideways, ect. Though if the drives have been running in a traditional flat position for a number of years, will it be a problem when changing their orientation?

I use a number of drives, such as a Seagate 7200.11, WD FAEX Black, Toshiba P300 and WD FALS. Some of these drives are fairly old. Is there any reason that switching their orientation will degrade their life? I've read it may have been a problem for older drives in the past, but thought I'd ask anyways. I do keep my drives for a long time (5+ years).

Edit:

Drive in question:
http://i.imgur.com/P08xShg.jpg

Scroll down to post 9 for more info.

 

[alucasa]

Does not matter.

 

[dorsetknob]

only matters if you are stupid enough to reorintate it while its spinning

 

[Bill_Bright]

I understand that drives should work fine while mounted upside down, sideways, ect. Though if the drives have been running in a traditional flat position for a number of years, will it be a problem when changing their orientation?

Many years ago, it was recommended the drives be reformatted if the orientation was to be be changed, but not anymore. As long as the drives are securely fastened in some 90° orientation (that is, vertical or horizontal only - nothing in between), it is fine.

Think of external drive enclosures. Most stand up in the vertical position.

That said, ALL drives WILL fail - eventually. You say these drives have already been around for "a number of years". So you already have a robust backup plan and keep current backups, right?

 

[qubit]

As the drives are old, there will be wear on those bearings, so yes, it might be a problem. Only way to know is to try it. Just make sure that you have an up to date backup at all times. This should apply regardless of what setup you have or changes you want to make to it.

 

[bonehead123]

oh, my, my my.....not THIS nonsense again......

Where does all of this crud come from anyways ?

In the past 15+ years of using/building/upgrading/repairing pc's, I've mounted drives of all brands, varieties, sizes, speeds and types in virtually every possible position and orientation imaginable, and have nEvEr, eVeR, had a single problem with any of them......

nix
nein
nope
notta
not here
not there
not anywhere
not even in your wildest friggin dreams

 

[Bill_Bright]

The OPs question was valid. Note he said he is "changing" the orientation from horizontal, as the drives have been for years, to vertical. Motors in particular, can and do suffer from uneven wear when the weight of the hub bears "down" unevenly on a bearing track. So qubit is right.

But I would be more concerned if the drives were running in vertical orientation for years, then laid down into a horizontal position. At least in a horizontal position, the weight is distributed all the way around the circular bearing track. In a vertical, it would be uneven, with the weight being focused on the downward side of the track 24/7.

But drive motors are not cheap, imprecise devices. They are designed to run at high-speeds or hours and hours, if not 24/7/365 for years on end. They are not handling very heavy weights, and the load is precisely balanced. So even in a vertical orientation, I think it would have to be many many years for there to be a problem.

I say, make a good backup, move the drives and see what happens. If they fail, there's your excuse to go full SSD.

 

[erocker]

Unless its a really old drive there shouldnt be any issues. The bearings are sealed and have very little chance to wear out. Bill said it right if the drive was running vertically for years. Even then, the bearings used in HDDs are quite tough for the little platters they hold

 

[Flogger23m]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The only drive I have any concern over is the following WD:
http://i.imgur.com/P08xShg.jpg

My Toshiba P300 is fairly new with little on time (just a few hundred hours). My really old WD FALS drive is being phased out wit the P300; I'm only worried about keeping it working as the P300 is not old enough to know if it is reliable or not yet. But once I get about ~1000 hours on the P300 I think it will be safe to fully retire it. Final drive is a Seagate 7200.11, oldest drive but probably only 1000 hours of being on. I assume that should be fine making the transition? I am thinking (when I find the P300 to be reliable enough) to reformat it and make it a pure movie storage drive. P300 is a dedicated backup drive. Only the WD pictured above is a main drive which I use daily along with two SSDs.

 

[Kursah]

If you're worried about it, I hope you're making external backups.

Edit: I should add I've taken drives and moved them sideways, upside-down, right-side up, etc. If they are noisy, or have any SMART issues, then I wouldn't screw with em. Really though drives have pretty good bearing and motor structures and are usually fine in these environments. I have an old 1TB drive that is ancient...it has been sideways for a couple of years after spending many more in standard horizontal upright mounted positioning... no issues. Damn thing is enterprise-grade and runs hot as hell even with airflow...but 0 issues. YMMV.

 

[jboydgolfer]

off topic i know , but DAMN those fractal cases are Noice!

 

[Bill_Bright]

I love my Fractal Design R4. Super quiet. Extremely well made. Very easy to use. Super quiet. Easy to access and clean filters. Lots of cooling options and large fan support. And it comes with outstanding and extremely quiet fans too. Did I mention the case was super quiet too?

 

[jboydgolfer]

It was between fractal and phanteks when I built my current PC. I ended up choosing phanteks, and after my first time dealing with support I regretted it instantly. My front panel (i.e, USB, 3.5 mm Jack, etc. ) has broken twice already in less than two years. Clearly they are aware of the issue because they instantly send out a brand-new unit. I wish I had gone with fractal. Next time I believe I will

 

[qubit]

@Flogger23m Just thought of something: running one drive at a time and with the data cable unplugged, hold it horizontally in your hand and put your ear near it to listen to the kind of sound it makes. Now, gently rotate it sideways until its vertical and listen for anything that sounds off, such as an increase in volume/tone/roughness/odd clicking etc. Now gently turn it 180 degrees so it's vertical the other way and listen again, while turning and in the final position.

Look at the SMART readings for each drive before and after the test to see if anything has changed or red-lined.

Repeat for each drive in turn, only powering them up one at a time.

I doubt you'll notice anything strange, but if you do, it could be a sign of wear and tear and you can then make a judgement call on whether to replace that drive or not.

 

[natr0n]

Just pictured a cowboy lassoing/twirling a drive while powered.

 

[Caring1]

Hard drives I wouldn't worry about, fans on the other hand .....

 

[dorsetknob]

oh, my, my my.....not THIS nonsense again......

Where does all of this crud come from anyways ?

In 10 years time there will be the same Rumour Regarding SSD's just kidding they will have their own fallacy/rumour

 

[alucasa]

I am not afraid of fans.

But then I recall cutting my finger on high speed fans.

Stalking fans are far more dangerous though.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I am not afraid of fan bearings going bad.

But then I recall cutting my finger on high speed fans.

I am not afraid of fans failing. It is inevitable they will, eventually. But I have had a couple knuckles chopped off. One of those time I also knocked off a blade from a 200mm "Big boy" Antec fan. I had to break off every 3rd blade to restore balance until the replacement came in.

At least replacing bad fans is much easier than replacing hard drives. Even if you have a current image backup, it is a PITA compared to fans.

 

[Gasaraki]

Does not matter one bit.

 

[Jim Demers]

But once I get about ~1000 hours on the P300 I think it will be safe to fully retire it. Final drive is a Seagate 7200.11, oldest drive but probably only 1000 hours of being on. I assume that should be fine making the transition?

1000 hours is nothing - most HDDs are rated for a million hours or more. I have an SAS drive rated at 2.4 million hours MTBF. The only reason to upgrade those drives would be for greater speed, assuming that your system can take advantage of it.

 

[eidairaman1]

@Flogger23m

Vaccum sealed device, they will be ok running side ways aslong as ATX mounting standards are used along with drive manufacturer standards, just dont jar them