Would my hard drive die in this scenario?

[daedal]

I'm setting up a NAS box using an old junker PC I've had lying around. I managed to get FreeNAS up and operational but am a little hesitant when it comes to throwing in expensive terabyte drives.

At best, I'd give this PC a few months running 24/7 before it gives up and dies completely. Would the hard drives be affected by the PC's demise?

Basically, I'm trying to figure out what happens when a PSU blows. Assuming it's not caused by an electrical spike, which would be suppressed by the surge suppressor, would a dying PSU 'blow' a hard drive?

 

[dydx]

Dont think the drives would be damaged, just get a better power supply. You can get an efficient Antec Earthwatts 380 for $50, so why take the risk with your data.

 

[King Icewind]

Not sure if you have a Microcenter close by, or what kind of quality/how much you want to spend.

http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...=4294966654&sht=Any&prt=NewProduct&web_group=

I wouldn't get one of the refurbished ones, but some of the $20 would probably work if you didn't want to spend a lot. I wouldn't mess with a power supply that's going to die. When the one died in my dad's 11 year old Compaq, it was sparking like crazy. We were able to make 3 inch sparks come out of it. It probably would've started a fire.

 

[daedal]

I probably will replace the PSU once I invest into it. I was just curious to see what the consequences were should it die. That sparking/fire story is disconcerting, though. Especially since the NAS would be sitting in the basement storage area with the patch panel and electrical box.