[help] Desktop HD in a USB enclosure

i`ve got a laptop and i had a 80gig HD left from my old dtop config so i bought the USB aluminum enclosure for it. Everything works fine, fast, etc but the one thing that worries me is the heat. After some heavy file transfer (or after some time turned on) it gets really hot. That`s why i keep it turned off and turn it on only when i need to get data of it (it has a power switch on the enclosure).

So i was wondering about the impact of all this on HD's life (i`m guessing it can`t be good). Also is there any (big) difference between my solution and a generic external HD.

Cheers

#220928

many USB/Firewire enclosures come with a small fan.. most generic third party hd's are the same thing as what you have, but possibly a slower RPM hd (to lower heat) and a fan.

If the entire enclosure is aluminum then the entire unit should be one big heatsink and may not need a fan.

in general heat is not the greatest thing for a HD.

#220941

yeah

entire enclosure is Alu and there`s not fan.

So should i use it the way i am now? Turning it on only when i need it?

#220948