As with most satellite receivers, make sure Hopper is well ventilated. That is, no enclosed shelf units or the like. Air flow is from the left side where the fan is to the right side. It should not be placed on top of other heat generating devices like your A/V receiver.
The top of the Hopper box will generally be warm to the touch. mostly on the right side where the power supply is.
Power consumption is about 40 watts. Hopper is never really off.
I believe the fan speed varies with internal temperature so if it's not making noise, you should be fine.
Menu/Settings/Network Setup/Tests provides hard drive temperature. Scroll down close to the end and you'll see three values (max, min and average). My average is 112 for an ambient temperature around 70 degrees. My hopper is on a shelf with open front and back with about ~5" above it and ~4" on each side.
