USB Compatibility

I have a Dell Studio XPS 435T/900 running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. I am using a Western Digital My Book Studio II external hard drive for back up (RAID-1 configuration). The drive is running at 43 degrees C. The maxium safe temp for this drive is 35 degress C. The ambient temp is not a problem nor are the ventilation openings blocked. The unit has no fan.

I want to replace the hard drive. The new drives of comparable size (2TB) use USB 3. My computer has USB 2 (I think--how can I check this?). Is USB 3 downward compatible with USB 2?

Thanks,

Charles

 

Yes. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

If you use the drive constantly (such as video recording/playback), you might want to skip the external drives in a box and by a separate high-quality drive and a fan-cooled enclosure. Inserting the drive in the enclosure is a 2 minute process that requires no technical skills at all.

Here are a few ideas:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145090

Hope this helps.

 

35C is not that warm. It is only 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Even 43 is not that warm. Who told you that 35c & 43c is too warm? Most stuff runs on average around 46-55c. Now if it starts getting into the high 70s, then you are running too warm.

 

All,

Thanks for the replies. After some further checking I found that my unit is in warranty and Western Digital agreed to replace it. Both their user guide and their staff agree that 43 C is running too hot for this unit. Actually it has, according to the temperature history, gotten hotter (over 50 C).

Charles

 

No way is 43c too hot. It is only 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit. May want to recheck that info. Now 63 is a little warm, but nothing that will hurt the drive.

 

Thanks for the interest. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but if the manufacturer of the unit agrees that the reported temperature is too hot, I tend to take their word for it. If they are willing to replace the unit, that tells me that they are sure that the drive is not performing properly.

This post will be my last on this subject, since I don't want to argue about a subject that I am not qualified to argue about. I concede that the drive may not be harmed by its current (or even higher) operating temperature, but I prefer to err on the side of caution.

Charles

 

The person you spoke with at the manufacturer is a idiot. They probably misunderstood, or did not see the misstype of the 4 which should be a 6. Devices are manufactured with a certain tolerance, and in no way is 110 too hot for a device.

If 110 degrees farenheit was too hot for electronic devices, we would never see them sold, nor would se see them on the market very long, along with high returns.