At 06:35 09/02/04, David Gillett wrote:
>None of my local component stores seem to carry bay coolers
>any more....

The best bay coolers that I've found are

"SanMAX Baycooler Metal 3 Fan Hard Disk Cooler, Model "B300-M3B" -RETAIL"
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-888-702&depa=0
$14.95 each. They come with either black or beige grills.

These "SanMAX Baycooler Metal 3 Fan Hard Disk Cooler" have
filters between the front grill and the fans that are very
easy to remove for cleaning. (You could slide the front
grill off even while the drive and fans are spinning, and
remove the filter.) Or you can just brush off the dust with
an old hair brush or use a vacuum cleaner on the front
without removing the grill.

They work best with "slim profile" drives (1" high or less).
You might have trouble getting the side mounting screws to
line up with some full height (1.6" high) 3.5" drives.

I've bought 31 of these (over two years) for several home
computers. I really like them.

If you want to save a few dollars, you can buy the 2 fan version
for $8.99 and mount a third fan yourself. The cutout and screws
are there, all you need is the 40mm fan and two small nuts (for
the screws that hold the fans).
"Inclose (Sanmax) BC300-M2B Bay Cooler II Hard Drive Fan"
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/2522511

I'd stay away from the original Inclose "Bay Cooler I" which
was all plastic, cheaply made, and didn't fit well in some
drive bays.

***

I should also mention the deluxe "Bay-Cool III" drive cooler
from PC Power & Cooling. It has one 80mm ball bearing fan
and will hold up to three low profile drives in two adjacent
3.5" drive slots. (One 80mm fan creates over three times the
air flow of three 40mm fans. See [**] below.)

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/cooling/drive/index.htm

I'm not sure I like the idea of having three drives packed
so close together.

If I was very worried about cooling and had plenty of available
drive bays, I think I'd stack several Bay-Cool III on top of
each other. I'd alternate one drive (in one Bay-Cool III) then
two drives (in the next Bay-Cool III) then one then two (etc.).
For example, you could have six drives in eight 3.5" slots,
which would result in plenty of space between drives...allowing
great air flow over the drives.

PCP&C prices are high. Their two 40mm fan "Bay-Cool" is $39.
This is virtually identical to the two fan "BayCooler 2" which
is $8.95 from Outpost/Fry's. The two bay (with 80mm fan)
Bay-Cool III costs $45.

  [**] One 80mm fan does 30 cfm (cubic feet per meter) whereas
       one 40mm fan does only 3.2 cfm.

Regards,
Bill

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