So, in short... would a 74GB raptor as an OS drive help speed up overall performance vs my 5400rpm TB HDD as an os? I want to put everything I need into my build before I actually build it. Adding new parts can be a pain(PSU HSF and other components get in the way)
The noise is fine, I have 2 of the loudest fans in my current desktop. Logisys made them, they have nice leds but are loud. Sounds not an issue. And you said putting a fan on a hdd is actually bad, I have a haf-932 and theres a 230mm fan just for hdd's is that bad or are you talking about hdd specific fans?
You don't have to keep the drives above 27C...but there is nothing to be gained from pushing them below this point (no point in super-cooling a hard drive). Your main concern should be with too much heat, not with a lack of heat.
Not actually the case, from a study carried out by one of the manufacturers, I forget who it was. They drew a graph of reliability with temperature, it sloped down after about 53-55ºC and then dropped off a cliff shortly before 60ºC, but it also dropped substantially down at the other end of the graph near 26-27ºC. For most people this is no issue as drives very rarely run this cold, but if you live in a very cold room, actively cooling your HDDs could be detrimental.
I know this is a bit late but I am one of those people with the cold rooms. All of my hard drives are actively cooled and sit at room temp for the most part. Reading 28-29*C sitting idle on the desktop right now for my 2 500GBs. I've never had a single issue with drive reliability or speed. Using several different types of drives including 1 Samsung HD501LJ, 4 Seagate Barracudas, and a 1TB WD Green Power.
Mind you hard drives don't need much cooling. A single 120mm fan will easily cool about 4 drives problem-free. It's when they get no airflow at all when temps become an issue. Only excessive cold (~25*C) or heat (60*C+) seem to have an effect on HDDs. And even then only when they're running. It has less to do with the structural integrity of the platters and more to do with expansion and contraction of the mechanicals. AFAIK if you let a drive come to room temp before running you should have zero issue outside of a faulty drive.
