New External Drive

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

I dropped my External drive I had for 5 years and now gives me errors so I had to buy a new one, A WD elements 10tb. This has APM. I have in windows power settings to never turn off hard disks but this HD ignores that with APM on apparently. I will use this drive often so I do not want hundreds of power ups and downs every month, I assume that is not good for the drive. I have always left my hard drives on and never had a problem. I turned off APM and the drive stays on but the problem is it is running idle at 52c. So what do I do? is there a setting in APM where I can keep it running but not run so hot or is it better to have it power down, which will be multiple times per day. I use WD kitfox and crystaldiskinfo to manage my drives

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

You could leave APM on and tweak the Spindown Timer with CrystalDiskInfo
CrystalDiskInfo > Function > Advanced Feature > APM Control

128: Prevents most aggressive spin-downs but still allows some low-power states (e.g., reduced motor speed or head parking), which can lower heat slightly without full stop/start cycles.

192: Even more conservative — very unlikely to spin down the drive at all under normal use. It keeps the disk ready at all times.

Or disable APM and try setup the drive that enables good cooling. Maybe something available on Amazon?

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

Here’s a table I found. However as you already use CrystalDiskInfo you probably already know this.

Value	Behavior
1–127	Aggressive power saving: frequent spin-downs.
128	Minimal power saving: usually keeps the drive spinning unless very idle. Good balance
192	Even less aggressive — almost always stays spun up. Better balance (‘warmer’ temp)
254	APM effectively disabled (depends on drive firmware). Needs external cooling.
255	APM disabled (not all drives accept this value). Needs external cooling.

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

antspants said:
Here’s a table I found. However as you already use CrystalDiskInfo you probably already know this.

Value Behavior
1–127 Aggressive power saving: frequent spin-downs.
128 Minimal power saving: usually keeps the drive spinning unless very idle. Good balance
192 Even less aggressive — almost always stays spun up. Better balance (‘warmer’ temp)
254 APM effectively disabled (depends on drive firmware). Needs external cooling.
255 APM disabled (not all drives accept this value). Needs external cooling.

Never used it for APM before. Whats does very idle mean ? isn't it either idle or not

hsehestedt · Jul 13, 2025

Another option might be to create a small batch file run by task scheduler that does a very small operation to that drive once every few minutes. I had to resort to that because I have 5 drives in an external enclosure and that enclosure insists on spinning down the drives after some period of inactivity. By creating a small batch file and running it through Task Scheduler I've eliminated that problem.

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

Joe Shades said:
Never used it for APM before. Whats does very idle mean ? isn't it either idle or not

Bad English is my guess. I’d say Very means for a certain period.

Generally when the drive has had no read or write activity for an extended period, often 10 to 30 minutes.
The drive will stay spinning during normal, intermittent use (like opening files, accessing folders, or backups). But if it sits completely unused for a long time, it might still spin down — though much less aggressively than at lower APM settings like 64 or 96.

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

If you’re going to have a go (you could always reverse it?) I’d try 192, I cannot confirm if “Warmer” is actually just warmer or above warm.

It’s hard to know how an external will behave, I’ve had two the same running and doing the same thing, one was a lot warmer than the other and I never knew why.

APM 192 is "warmer", the drive will stay fully spun up more consistently, so it naturally draws more power and generates more heat, especially while idling.

Another table for what it’s worth

APM Setting	Spindown Behavior	Idle Temp (Approx.)	Notes
128	May spin down after 15–30+ min of total inactivity	~42–47°C	Still tries to conserve power if very idle
192	Almost never spins down	~45–52°C	Keeps drive (generally) spinning full-time; warmer
254/255	Never spins down, full performance mode	~47–55°C or more	Slightly hotter than 192; needs active cooling

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

Is 52 an ok temp to let it idle at? I want this drive to last for at least 5 years like the previous which idled at around 45 and always on

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

Joe Shades said:
Is 52 an ok temp to let it idle at? I want this drive to last for at least 5 years like the previous which idled at around 45 and always on

When it says idle, that means the period of time you haven’t used the drive for. So at 52, it’s going to spin down pretty quick.

The higher the value, the longer before it spins down.

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

Sorry, I get you, you mean 52°C. My heads somewhere else.
I can only suggest using your hands to check until you’re comfortable with the setting you chose.
Because a manufacturer and a table can say one thing, we all know a gadget or device can do another.

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

Whats is worse for a drive temps around 50 or many power ups and downs a day?

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

I can't find a consistent answer. It's almost like Apple/Android with opinions. Which doesn't really make sense as you would expect a definitive answer re hardware.

So here's what ChatGPT says:

For most modern hard drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs), frequent power cycles (powering on/off multiple times a day) are generally worse than operating at temperatures around 50°C — assuming that 50°C is the maximum temperature under load, not idle.

Drive Temps Around 50°C

Acceptable range: Most drives are rated to operate safely up to ~60°C. 50°C is warm but within spec.
Risk: Sustained operation at 50°C can reduce lifespan slightly, especially for SSDs where NAND wear increases with heat.
Good practice: Keep drives below 45°C when possible, but 50°C isn’t critical unless sustained constantly or in poor airflow environments.

Many Power Ups and Downs per Day

HDDs: Each spin-up is a mechanical event that stresses the motor, bearings, and head parking/unparking mechanism.
- Frequent cycles can lead to increased wear and higher failure risk.
- Most HDDs are rated for ~50,000–100,000 power cycles, but that adds up fast if you're cycling several times a day.
SSDs: Less affected mechanically, but frequent power cycles can stress power delivery circuits and firmware operations.
Other risks:
- Startup surges and power instability.
- Higher risk of file system corruption if not cleanly shut down.

TL;DR:

Frequent power cycles are generally worse than running a drive at ~50°C.
If your drive hits 50°C under load but stays cooler at idle, that’s acceptable.
If you're frequently powering on/off, consider keeping the drive powered on or using power-saving sleep modes instead.

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

You could always leave it as is, not mess with the APM settings and ask hsehestedt if they'd share their scheduler settings. It's not a bad idea.

hsehestedt said:
Another option might be to create a small batch file run by task scheduler that does a very small operation to that drive once every few minutes. I had to resort to that because I have 5 drives in an external enclosure and that enclosure insists on spinning down the drives after some period of inactivity. By creating a small batch file and running it through Task Scheduler I've eliminated that problem.

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

antspants said:
I can't find a consistent answer. It's almost like Apple/Android with opinions. Which doesn't really make sense as you would expect a definitive answer re hardware.

So here's what ChatGPT says:

For most modern hard drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs), frequent power cycles (powering on/off multiple times a day) are generally worse than operating at temperatures around 50°C — assuming that 50°C is the maximum temperature under load, not idle.

Drive Temps Around 50°C

Acceptable range: Most drives are rated to operate safely up to ~60°C. 50°C is warm but within spec.

Risk: Sustained operation at 50°C can reduce lifespan slightly, especially for SSDs where NAND wear increases with heat.

Good practice: Keep drives below 45°C when possible, but 50°C isn’t critical unless sustained constantly or in poor airflow environments.

Many Power Ups and Downs per Day

HDDs: Each spin-up is a mechanical event that stresses the motor, bearings, and head parking/unparking mechanism.

Frequent cycles can lead to increased wear and higher failure risk.

Most HDDs are rated for ~50,000–100,000 power cycles, but that adds up fast if you're cycling several times a day.

SSDs: Less affected mechanically, but frequent power cycles can stress power delivery circuits and firmware operations.

Other risks:

Startup surges and power instability.

Higher risk of file system corruption if not cleanly shut down.

TL;DR:

Frequent power cycles are generally worse than running a drive at ~50°C.

If your drive hits 50°C under load but stays cooler at idle, that’s acceptable.

If you're frequently powering on/off, consider keeping the drive powered on or using power-saving sleep modes instead.

antspants said:
You could always leave it as is, not mess with the APM settings and ask hsehestedt if they'd share their scheduler settings. It's not a bad idea.

Thanks for the info

Scannerman · Jul 13, 2025

Another option would be to get some fans blowing directly onto that mechanical hard drive. There are all sorts of ways to heat sink hard drives and cooling solutions for them. Myself, I don't really get that concerned unless the drive is running well over 50 degrees C for extended periods of time. Spinners do get hot but they can generally handle the heat in most cases. I modified my case (the one you see in the thumbnail) with an extra intake fan on the side to draw in air to run directly over my spinners. I also put in a smaller, faster fan at the front bottom inside my case for the same reason. This seemed to improve temps on the hard drives significantly and also helped to decrease ambient temperature inside the case.

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

So i wake up today and check my drive and APM is on and at 128, this is baffling because i had it turned off. how does it just turn itself back on

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

Joe Shades said:
So i wake up today and check my drive and APM is on and at 128, this is baffling because i had it turned off. how does it just turn itself back on

At a guess I’d say it’s possibly in the firmware at that setting and read by Windows as such.

how does it just turn itself back on? Not sure

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

Wow

WD external drives (like the WD Elements 10TB) often do not retain APM settings across:

System reboots

Sleep/wake cycles

USB re-plugging

Power loss to the drive

This is because the APM setting is not persistent in the drive’s firmware — it's a volatile setting, meaning APM must be reapplied every time the drive is powered up.

WD’s USB-to-SATA bridge (used inside Elements enclosures) doesn’t store or enforce user APM changes permanently.
The drive firmware resets to its default APM level (usually 128 or even 96) on every power cycle.
Disabling APM (setting it to 255 or 254) is only active during that session unless something re-applies it automatically.

antspants · Jul 13, 2025

3.30am here. I’m half asleep sorry.

Joe Shades · Jul 13, 2025

antspants said:
3.30am here. I’m half asleep sorry.

No problem, appreciate the help. I connected the MY book drive I had damaged and it retained the APM settings but the elements does not. I am beginning to regret my purchase but the mybook did not have a 10TB option anymore. I should have bought an internal drive and replaced the 1TB secondary HDD that is in there now but have never replaced an internal drive before

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