HD paddock vs. USB-IDE cable and power supply?

My dated desktop has purely been sitting within my room for the past few months since I get my new laptop, so it seem like a apt idea to use my desktop's HD as an external drive. I lately ordered a USB-IDE cable/plug-in power supply set because it was the cheapest passageway of doing this, but now I'm wondering if my purchase be a bit hasty. I'm wondering if I should have spend somewhat extra money and gotten an enclosure instead. How significant are the cooling/safety benefits of an enclosure? If there's a risk of overheating when you don't use an enclosure, should I not give up your job the HD plugged in for too long?

Answer:
the cause an enclosure have a fan isn't because the not easy drive gets too hot, it's because it get too hot in a small roofed space. if you don't have an pen you don't need a cooling solution (granted you aren't keeping the knotty drive in a hot (above 70ish degree F) or humid space)

the enclosure is righteous because it keeps dust and other materials out of and away from the drive. what you ordered is designed more for a temporary/troubleshooting use, though there's no function you can't use it how you want. just save it clean and don't spill anything! (also hold in mind that you or someone else could electrify yourself if you verbs a wire out while the drive is on and you could well damage the drive if it's turned on and you connect or disconnect a cable. manufacture sure you "eject" or "safely remove" the drive from your computer until that time disconnecting it and always disconnect from the USB finale first)
Just turn the power off is ample, leave the cable in; the adapter's circuitry surrounded by an enclosure is indeed better (auto master/slave settlement, IEEE1394/Firewire, integrated transformer, etc) but they offer not much extra if adjectives you require is a working USB-IDE drive.

Really good storage area is made of aluminum but 5.25 size is big enough itself that a plastic contained by its size matters not. HD is not getting so hot to soften anything anyway.

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