Hard disk orientation...

[GTP]

Sorry if this question has already been asked and answered. I did a search of the forum and couldn't really find anything about it.
I was wondering if hard disk orientation plays any role in reliability/longevity of the drive.
"Google" has some very basic and contradictory information, official websites like Seagate and WD simply state "drives can be used in any orientation."
Would like to get some qualified answers/opinions from the HDD guys.
I have a client with an ext HDD enclosure (LaCie) that has the removable drive installed vertically.
This is the third time I've had to replace the HDD in just over 12 months.
Drive installed when purchased was a WD "Black" 2 TB and the second was a WD "Red."
This time I've replaced it with a Seagate 2TB "Ironwolf"
The drives are under warranty so replacements are not a problem, but when they fail they take her data with them.
TIA

 

[Bryce W]

I have no data to back failure rates on being mounted vertically. But hard drives in Synology's are mounted vertically. My own computer case has no option other than mounting them vertically. I suspect it doesnt play a part.

However, in the case of the LaCie external hard drive, Id say things like heat and 'movement while running' play a greater role.

 

[GTP]

I have no data to back failure rates on being mounted vertically. But hard drives in Synology's are mounted vertically. My own computer case has no option other than mounting them vertically. I suspect it doesnt play a part.

However, in the case of the LaCie external hard drive, Id say things like heat and 'movement while running' play a greater role.

Yes, I tend to agree with you about the "movement while running!" These people (3 user SoHo office) use it to backup their laptops and just grab it, unplug it and place it on their desk before it even has time to stop spinning! (yeah, yeah, I know I've tried, believe me!)
As for the heat, It has some fairly good ventilation holes in the bottom and sides, but it does get rather warm.

 

[sapphirescales]

There's most likely a difference in longevity depending on drive orientation, but it's probably negligible.

 

[NJW]

These people (3 user SoHo office) use it to backup their laptops and just grab it, unplug it and place it on their desk before it even has time to stop spinning! (yeah, yeah, I know I've tried, believe me!)

I'd say that you need look no further. Sell them a NAS and bolt it down in a cupboard.

 

[GTP]

I'd say that you need look no further. Sell them a NAS and bolt it down in a cupboard.

They already have a small NAS that backs up daily as well as continual cloud backup. This drive backs up their (dare I say) more important files as a third option. It goes home with one of the employees nightly, so it cops a bit of a pummelling! It's supposed to be for work related only, but I find personal stuff on it all the time!

 

[Brunski Tech]

I would agree with what the others have said that hard disk orientation itself would not be an issue with the fail rate of the hard drive. While I can not back this with a study, I do believe that hard disk orientation and how the end user uses or abuses the system itself (kicking the system around, how much ventilation they give the system generating unnecessary heat, etc) would affect the hard drive and most of the components life cycle.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I was wondering if hard disk orientation plays any role in reliability/longevity of the drive.

They say it doesnt but i dunno, vertical has better heat dissipation right? i mean when compared to horizontal in a configuration where the hard drives are right next to each other.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

For over 20 years I've installed racks and racks of servers of both drive orientations. Since servers are designed to run as trouble free as possible, 24x7x365, I would have faith in their designers knowing that "It doesn't matter if the drives are vertical or horizontal". Compaq/HP Proliants, Dell PowerEdges, IBM/Lenovo ThinkServers, SuperMicros, Synology NAS's....all the top brands do both.

If I had to think deep about it from an engineering and physics standpoint and make a choice, I'd wager that vertical has less wear and tear. But...the industry has proven it doesn't matter.

 

[NETWizz]

Sorry if this question has already been asked and answered. I did a search of the forum and couldn't really find anything about it.
I was wondering if hard disk orientation plays any role in reliability/longevity of the drive.
"Google" has some very basic and contradictory information, official websites like Seagate and WD simply state "drives can be used in any orientation."
Would like to get some qualified answers/opinions from the HDD guys.
I have a client with an ext HDD enclosure (LaCie) that has the removable drive installed vertically.
This is the third time I've had to replace the HDD in just over 12 months.
Drive installed when purchased was a WD "Black" 2 TB and the second was a WD "Red."
This time I've replaced it with a Seagate 2TB "Ironwolf"
The drives are under warranty so replacements are not a problem, but when they fail they take her data with them.
TIA

I have seen hard drives mounted topside-up and or horizontally including in servers and SAS drivers too. Never seen it to make a difference. Have her backup.

 

[symbatech]

I suspect what they're not telling you is how many times the drive has been dropped, tossed onto a desk or into a drawer, etc. Three different hard drives just don't fail like that without some sort of physical abuse.

 

[lcoughey]

Orientation doesn't play a role, but any USB enclosure that can stand both vertically and horizontally should be placed horizontally. Basically, if it can be knocked over, it will be.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Luke beat me to it -- the risk of falling over is a concern with vertical external enclosures. Moving the drive about and especially when the drive is still spinning is just asking for a failure.

 

[Diggs]

If I had to think deep about it from an engineering and physics standpoint and make a choice, I'd wager that vertical has less wear and tear. But...the industry has proven it doesn't matter.

Agreed - That's what the engineer in me is saying. But, if they say it doesn't matter then why do some old drives fail or scream when you turn them 90°? (I used to love to pull the old big heavy 2TB drives out of the dock after they parked their heads but were still spinning. The gyroscopic forces were very pronounced.)

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Agreed - That's what the engineer in me is saying. But, if they say it doesn't matter then why do some old drives fail or scream when you turn them 90°?

I think the answer to that one is easy..."the bearings aren't used to a different axis"....they evenly wear in a certain axis over time. Change it..and they need a few years to settle into that axis.

 

[HCHTech]

I have always heard that it doesn't matter which way you mount them, just don't change the orientation once they've been in use that way for years - much like @YeOldeStonecat said.

 

[Diggs]

Understood and the same that I concluded after I posted. But, I've had three drives scream/struggle (ever) when they went from flat to vertical in the dock. I've never had a drive care about going vertical to flat but my sample selection is small.

Back to the original question. I wouldn't think it's the drive type or orientation but that the unit is mobile.

 

[Computer Bloke]

Moving the drive about and especially when the drive is still spinning is just asking for a failure.

Yes, but not always.

If the drive is mounted horizontally then it's reasonably safe to move it as long as it's only rotated in the same plane as the platters are spinning - picking it up and holding it level while moving in a straight line or turning left or right won't induce any torque on the platters and the risk of a head crash is relatively low. If the drive is mounted vertically then you can move it in a straight line but whenever you change direction you'll feel the platters pushing back as they try to conserve their angular momentum, and that's when the grinding noises start.

That doesn't make it a good idea but at least if you crash a drive while moving it you can blame Science.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I have difficulty believing anyone could move an external drive or laptop about without rotating it about anything but its current axis of rotation. It's not impossible, just highly improbable, IMO. Given that the heads are floating just nano-meters above the rotating platters, it doesn't take much of a bump or deflection of the head gimbals before much damage is done. If the heads are parked in the ramp, it's less of an issue, or course, but still not risk-free.

 

[Computer Bloke]

I have difficulty believing anyone could move an external drive or laptop about without rotating it about anything but its current axis of rotation.

Eppur si muove...

There are an awful lot of mobile devices (like cars and space shuttles) that use hard drives for data storage and the constant small movements and rotations don't seem to have caused them much harm. The common factor is that these vehicle tend mainly to move in straight lines or rotate about a vertical access; once they start tumbling the reliability of the hard drive is the least of your problems.

Here's a fun thing to do on a slow day - spin up the biggest, heaviest multi-platter drive you can spare then see how it reacts when you move it in different ways. If you're feeling brave, take the cover off and listen for scraping noises. I think you'll be surprised at how much movement it takes before anything bad happens. Don't expect to be able to use the drive afterwards.