Benchmarks, Continued
This is very nice, but idle temperatures aren't nearly as important as load temperatures. How does the SHF1 perform when it counts, when the drive is under stress? In the next chart we will examine what happens when a load is put on the drive. Both large and small files were copied for a full 30 minutes and we recorded the temperatures:
Here, under load, we see the SHF1 come into its own.
Even passively cooled and with the door closed, the SHF1 offers similar thermal characteristics to the stock location. Perhaps the cramped nature of the standard ATX hard drive location isn't allowing the drive to dissipate heat efficiently, even though there is a bit of air flowing around its location.
Passively cooled, with the case door open, the SHF1 causes a significant five-degree Celsius drop in temperature on the bottom of the drive. The open allowance for airflow compared to the stock location is probably to blame.
Actively cooled, the SHF1 performs excellently. Even with the door closed there is a six-degree decrease in temperature over stock. But the real ability of the SHF1 can be seen when it is actively cooled with the case door open. With air movement unimpeded, the SHF1 lowers the hard drive's bottom temperature a full nine degrees Celsius below stock. That is a really significant spread, and speaks very positively about the SHF1's capability to cool your drive.
Conclusion
The SHF1 ¾ View
Nobody wants to unnecessarily stress their hard disk, so cooling it seems like a good way to extend the life of your drive. With this in mind, the SHF1 seems to be an excellent product, demonstrating a nine degree Celsius decrease under load.
In addition to the excellent functionality, the SHF1 is aesthetically appealing as well, providing some eye-catching detail to the hard disk enclosure, which is an otherwise ignored and visually unappealing component.
Although we can't yet find the SHF1 available for purchase online, we understand the cooler will soon be available in online stores. With a combination of effective cooling hardware, near-silent operation and visual appeal, we can't help but look forward to the SHF1's availability. We can heartily recommend the SHF1 to those who seek to cool their hard disks with a little style.
Editor's Opinion
I find Sytrin's offerings to be interesting; they do things just a little differently but I find their unique products a refreshing break from the norm. I look forward to their next idea and hope they can keep finding niches to exploit with new hardware that works as well as the SHF1 does.
