Evercool SHDC-B Hard Drive Cooler

Introduction

To be quite frank, case designs today just aren’t sufficient enough to cool off our hard disks. Sure, back in the time where 5400 RPM hard disks were mostly stocking our computers, hard disk cooling wasn’t a note worthy factor in after market cooling, but with 7200 RPM + drives a standard or when one possess multiple hard disks, hard drive cooling becomes a grabbing issue.

Hard Drive Cooler Packaging

Just to plug Xoxide (http://www.xoxide.com), I’d like to make it known that I received the Evercool Hard Drive Cooler (SHDC-B) well packed, just as all orders from Xoxide are. Though it would take a tremendous amount of neglect to damage this slim product, it’s nice to order resting assure that your product will arrive without damage.

Hard Drive Cooler Features (Taken from factory packaging)

? Reduce Hard Disk Temperature

? Extends your Hard Disk Drive life and reliability

? Fits 3 ½” Hard Disk Drive (1” and 1.62” thickness)

? Easy Installation

Specification (Taken from factory packaging, other information referenced from http://www.evercool.com.tw/index_eng.htm )

To be aware, manufactures don’t always print what would be called as “accurate” information at times. Whether this is for advertising purposes or just a misprint, it still has its effect on the consumers’ understanding of their product. I would like to point out that the specifications, regarding the fans, listed do not seem to correspond with the specification of the fan model (EC5015M12S).

A Look into the Evercool Hard Drive Cooler

As mentioned in the introduction, hard disk cooling is becoming a rising factor in computer cooling. Hard disks carry all the permanent data a user’s computer has, thusly giving them importance. Everyone would like to have their hard disk last as long as possible, they cost a good amount. What’s a simple, yet effective way of cooling your hard disk, or heaven forbid hard disks? The practical answer is a well designed case that allows proper air flow over the hard disk, but does everyone posses such a case? The answer, in all realism, is no. Due to that fact, hard disk coolers are a nice option to compensate for poor case design, and are just a nice way to insure cooler hard disks when crowding up space, even in a well designed case.

The Evercool Hard Drive Cooler is a wise choice for the majority of users to use to cool their hard disks. It sports a predictable design of anodized aluminum and two 50 x 50 x 15 mm fans. One fan is positioned to blow air on the hard disk, while the other is to pull air away. This design ensures that cool air is push against your hard disks and hot air is pushed away, giving your hard disks the perfect environment of cooling. The two fans are powered via a single four-pin connector, which has an opposite end to plug in another item, making it less of a hassle power this nice little cooler. The product is easily bolted on to the bottom of your hard disk, attached by up to eight screws. Though eight screws are probably not needed, nor used, it allows for different hard disks to be used.

From the basic testing I did, with an ambient room temperature of 25C, I found that using the hard drive cooler did make a difference in temperature. My room temperature was pretty hot due to the fact that its summer. The results would most likely differ in cooler to no cooler temperature results. The temperature differences between using the cooler and not can be argued, but the point made from the testing is that it did make a difference. Now I’m skeptic that the hard disk, even with the cooler, was idling at room temperature. But, the most probable reason for this is an inaccurate temperature gauge in the room. Regardless of “choppy” results I will still go as far to say that this hard disk cooler, which by the way cost $9.99, performed extremely well. For a few green backs you can knock off up to 4 degrees in Celsius, if you were to assume that the results were totally accurate.

Conclusion

To recap, I mentioned the rising need/want to cool hard disks as an aftermarket attempt to extend hard disk life/reliability. We can’t really prove that it does that, but we can rest well assured that you have a cooler hard disk, which is a nice comfort cushion in worry about your hard disk temperatures. All in all the Evercool Hard Disk Drive Cooler (SHDC-B) did what it was expected to do, which was to cool off your hard disk. I was pretty please with this product and its results, again not believing them to be totally accurate. But as it stands, I’m sold on the product and for its price it’s a nice way to have a little extra protection on your hard disk.

Pros

? Cools hard disk

? Posses an intelligent design

? Extremely affordable price

? Great price to performance ratio

Cons

? A bit tight fit in my hard disk rack, but got around the problem.

Rating – 9/10