Cheetah: The world’s fastest drive. You’d like to integrate it into your system, but doesn’t a 10,000-RPM disc drive require careful attention from a cooling perspective? Please note. With proper system integration, the Cheetah can maintain the ability to operate at temperatures similar to Seagate’s 7,200-RPM Barracuda class drives.

A 10,000- RPM drive will generate more heat than drives with slower spin rates.The increased heat is primarily due to increased motor power within the Hard Drive Assembly (HDA). Seagate has, however, defined a relatively straightforward integration process in terms of cooling this fast cat.

To optimize cooling of the 3.5-inch ultra-high performance drive, traditional forced-air (or convection) cooling, alone, may in some cases not be the foremost solution. If a cabinet is marginally designed for 7200-RPM disc drives, there simply may not be adequate air flow to properly cool a 10,000 RPM-model. Adding a fan or two may be an option, but in many cases the increase in noise may exceed environmental specifications.

Additional fans or air flow may not be required. By using thermally conductive mounting material, such as metal, a conductive path is created for the HDA to move generated heat from the drive to the drive canister or cabinet. By mounting a 10,000-RPM drive with this method on each side of the HDA housing, direct contact to the HDA allows for a conductive path to occur.

The results are often dramatic. HDA temperatures can fall by as many as 14 degrees C. By utilizing this method, it can be practical to then apply the more traditional convection methods.

While the actual air flow required will vary for each system, Seagate has been working with a large number of customers to successfully integrate the Cheetah. Indeed, System Integrators and Seagate are convinced that the Cheetah drive can out perform the competition at manageable temperatures.