u/Jzamo615

Hey everyone,
I’m currently overthinking my NAS setup and need some "real world" advice.
I’m using a NAS with Seagate IronWolf drives, primarily for backing up my photography work. Here’s the thing: I don’t use it daily. On average, I access it maybe 3 times a week max. There are even phases where I don’t touch it for two or three weeks at a time.
Currently, I’m using Wake-on-LAN (WOL). I turn it on when I need it, do my backups, and shut it down in the evening.
I’ve heard so much conflicting "expert advice" online:
Some say: "Keep it running 24/7, the thermal stress of cold starts will kill your drives!"

Others say: "Let it idle/spin down." (But honestly, my Mac keeps waking the drives up for no reason anyway).

My logic: I have an old PC with a standard HDD that I've turned on and off daily for 10 years and it’s still running fine.

Am I really hurting my NAS by doing a cold start 3 times a week? To me, leaving it running 24/7 for zero usage seems like a waste of power and unnecessary wear on the bearings.
What do you guys think? Is the "cold starts kill drives" thing just an old myth from the 90s, or should I actually leave it on?
Would love to hear from anyone who has been running their backup NAS on a "start-stop" basis for a long time!
Cheers!

Hey everyone,
I’m currently overthinking my NAS setup and need some "real world" advice.
I’m using a NAS with Seagate IronWolf drives, primarily for backing up my photography work. Here’s the thing: I don’t use it daily. On average, I access it maybe 3 times a week max. There are even phases where I don’t touch it for two or three weeks at a time.
Currently, I’m using Wake-on-LAN (WOL). I turn it on when I need it, do my backups, and shut it down in the evening.
I’ve heard so much conflicting "expert advice" online:
Some say: "Keep it running 24/7, the thermal stress of cold starts will kill your drives!"

Others say: "Let it idle/spin down." (But honestly, my Mac keeps waking the drives up for no reason anyway).

My logic: I have an old PC with a standard HDD that I've turned on and off daily for 10 years and it’s still running fine.

Am I really hurting my NAS by doing a cold start 3 times a week? To me, leaving it running 24/7 for zero usage seems like a waste of power and unnecessary wear on the bearings.
What do you guys think? Is the "cold starts kill drives" thing just an old myth from the 90s, or should I actually leave it on?
Would love to hear from anyone who has been running their backup NAS on a "start-stop" basis for a long time!
Cheers!

Hey everyone,
I’m currently overthinking my NAS setup and need some "real world" advice.
I’m using a NAS with Seagate IronWolf drives, primarily for backing up my photography work. Here’s the thing: I don’t use it daily. On average, I access it maybe 3 times a week max. There are even phases where I don’t touch it for two or three weeks at a time.
Currently, I’m using Wake-on-LAN (WOL). I turn it on when I need it, do my backups, and shut it down in the evening.
I’ve heard so much conflicting "expert advice" online:
Some say: "Keep it running 24/7, the thermal stress of cold starts will kill your drives!"

Others say: "Let it idle/spin down." (But honestly, my Mac keeps waking the drives up for no reason anyway).

My logic: I have an old PC with a standard HDD that I've turned on and off daily for 10 years and it’s still running fine.

Am I really hurting my NAS by doing a cold start 3 times a week? To me, leaving it running 24/7 for zero usage seems like a waste of power and unnecessary wear on the bearings.
What do you guys think? Is the "cold starts kill drives" thing just an old myth from the 90s, or should I actually leave it on?
Would love to hear from anyone who has been running their backup NAS on a "start-stop" basis for a long time

Cheers

I'm looking for advice on the best power strategy for my NAS (HDD-based). I only use it for manual backups from my MacBook a few times a day.

I have already decided to shut it down completely at night via a schedule to save power. My question is about the daytime settings:

Option A: Scheduled nightly shutdown + HDD Spindown after 30 mins of inactivity during the day.

Option B: Scheduled nightly shutdown + Drives spinning all day (No spindown until the final shutdown at night).

Since I only access the NAS a few times a day, is the mechanical stress of the disks spinning up/down (Option A) a real concern for longevity? Or is the power saving worth it given the low usage? Which approach is better for the health of the drives?

I'm looking for advice on the best power strategy for my NAS (HDD-based). I only use it for manual backups from my MacBook a few times a day.

I have already decided to shut it down completely at night via a schedule to save power. My question is about the daytime settings:

Option A: Scheduled nightly shutdown + HDD Spindown after 30 mins of inactivity during the day.

Option B: Scheduled nightly shutdown + Drives spinning all day (No spindown until the final shutdown at night).

Since I only access the NAS a few times a day, is the mechanical stress of the disks spinning up/down (Option A) a real concern for longevity? Or is the power saving worth it given the low usage? Which approach is better for the health of the drives?