To ON or OFF HDD ???

[AlexDC22]

OK generally it is said that is best to have any external hdd stay on all the time when using it the normal way on a pc.

But what about the ps3? is it better just to leave it on all the time?
Since powering them of and on it is said that going from cold to real hot in seconds can cause damage and shorten the lifespan of said drive.

Right now i have 2 big HDD's in my pc that have been on for like 3 years and counting, yes i do not shut off my pc, only when something goes wrong.
But the HDD's never goes off.

So thats it, I would like to hear your opinions on this matter.

Thanks.

[chesh]

I bought a external case that has no internal spin down/power saving options, so I turn mine off. If the case had those features, I'd probably leave it on all the time.

[AlexDC22]

This is the one i have for my ps2, had it for my pc before i started using it for the ps3, so i had it for only 2 months.
But i dont see if it says spin down and or power saving on it....gonna call the manufacturer and see whats up.

Thanks for the info, never thought of that since i never was conserned about losing my drive content till now, it be a pain to back all those games up again lol

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=6338211

[Wutangrza]

Google did a big analysis of whether it's better to let your drives spin 24/7 versus letting them spin up and spin down and concluded that neither had any appreciable advantage over the other.

That said, spinning a drive takes power, and so if you stop it spinning you will save a little on electricity.

That being said, a drive that is about to die will continue to run just fine almost indefinitely if it is not spun down. The reason most HDD failures come on servers that had been running for months without shutting down and then on reboot the drive is dead is because as the bearings go bad all will be fine since it's easy to keep a disk spinning, but once that thing grinds to a halt it's all over for the drive.

TL;DR: I keep my drives spinning cause I don't care about the 3 dollars in electricity it might cost me over a few months and I don't like ever having to wait for a spun down drive to spin back up in order to do a read.

[AlexDC22]

Interesting info Wutang, i will look at the research you spoke off, and so far i always leave them on, dont really see any difference in my bills lol.

Thanks guys for the useful responses