What are your thoughts on laptop cooling?

[b0mbrman]

Hi there,

I've got a laptop--an Inspiron 9300--that I use for everything. It's plugged into the wall here and probably will move no more than two times in the next 9 months, so it's more of a desktop replacement than a portable computer.

Anyhow, I hear it gets a bit hot here (who would have guessed, right?) to the tune of 120° average highs in the summer and we'll see a couple special days when the mercury hits 140 :Q.

Anyhow, will one of those laptop cooling pads help at all? Is there any benefit to those that simply elevate your PCs and any benefit above those to the ones that contain fans?

Are there any special pads you guys have used or other methods that work?

Or am I just going to have to deal with not running this computer until the sun goes down? How rugged are laptops anyway?

 

[w00t]

They make laptop coolers

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...R1=&ATTR2=&ATTR3=2030260319+1276817102
http://www.frozencpu.com/scan/se=System...e=Laptop%20Coolers/mp=menu_search.html
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/...zenid=ead7ac6957576f22747dd63f81a288a3

 

[Kaido]

I've heard a lot of good things about the fan-based coolers like the Targus Chill Pad. About $30 anywhere:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=303620&pfp=BROWSE

Personally I use an iCurve from Griffin Technology. All it does is elevate the laptop (and provides easier access to the ports and whatnot), which allows for more airflow. I haven't had a single overheating problem in the year or so I've been using it. Looks pretty sweet on my desk, too. A tad more expensive at $40, but you never have to worry about fans breaking down:

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/icurve/

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: w00t
They make laptop coolers

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...R1=&ATTR2=&ATTR3=2030260319+1276817102
http://www.frozencpu.com/scan/se=System...e=Laptop%20Coolers/mp=menu_search.html
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/...zenid=ead7ac6957576f22747dd63f81a288a3

Hmm...are any of these better than the others?

There's a big selection and a pretty wide price range

 

[b0mbrman]

Anyone? Recommendations?

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Anyone? Recommendations?

1) Don't go cheap on these things, believe me.
2) Try to get fans with ball bearings in them. Cheap coolers tend to use cheap sleeve bearing fans - that thing will be making horrible noises in a few months as the bearings die.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Anyone? Recommendations?

1) Don't go cheap on these things, believe me.
2) Try to get fans with ball bearings in them. Cheap coolers tend to use cheap sleeve bearing fans - that thing will be making horrible noises in a few months as the bearings die.

Oh, I'm definitely willing to spend some money for performance. However, the only all-aluminum, 4+ star-rated cooler on Newegg is also one of the cheapest - Text

Thoughts on this? - BYTECC Notebook Cooling Pad

 

[mb]

I got a Spire PacificBreeze for my E1705 (same size as the 9300) and it is a bad match. The PBreeze is just too small and the laptop will wobble on it.

I had something similar to the BYTECC Notebook Cooling Pad and it was nice, but you had to use an extra adapter to get it to plug into a USB port. I lost the adapter so I can't use it anymore... the Bytecc branded one looks like it plugs directly into USB so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[NaOH]

They really work. I was amazed when I first used one myself. Me and my bro were playingg BF2. It would crash like mad after awhile and continue crashing everytime I'd boot it up. Well, my dad came in the room and was like, i just picked up these from the flea market. Turned out he bought a bunch of antec coolpads. We played BF2 for a couple hours and no problems. I continue to get no crashing while using those pads.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: supafly
I had something similar to the BYTECC Notebook Cooling Pad and it was nice, but you had to use an extra adapter to get it to plug into a USB port. I lost the adapter so I can't use it anymore... the Bytecc branded one looks like it plugs directly into USB so it shouldn't be a problem.

Does the tilt get annoying? How well did it handle your bigger laptop?

 

[thescreensavers]

What My laptop Never overheats! What kind of laptops do you have? Also Watch out if the fans on the pad are facing the right way some pads blow air up tward and some away from the laptop

 

[NaOH]

It has become a pet peeve for me how ignorant (careless) people are with their laptops. Even more when people complain that their laptop stopped working. Going to college, everyone has laptops and A LOT of people use their laptops on blankets, left running on carpet, left running on bed, UNDER covers, using them on bed in a pile of bedding. Seriously, wthell are they thinking?

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: AMDUALY
It has become a pet peeve for me how ignorant (careless) people are with their laptops. Even more when people complain that their laptop stopped working. Going to college, everyone has laptops and A LOT of people use their laptops on blankets, left running on carpet, left running on bed, UNDER covers, using them on bed in a pile of bedding. Seriously, wthell are they thinking?

I only use mine on a table. Unfortunately, I can't control the weather...

...yet :evil:

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
What My laptop Never overheats! What kind of laptops do you have? Also Watch out if the fans on the pad are facing the right way some pads blow air up tward and some away from the laptop

Does it matter as long as air is circulating?

<== Not very cooling savvy

 

[DBSX]

No, it doesn't really matter. Usually. Some laptops have fans or fan vents on the bottom. If these fans blow air out, you wouldn't want a mat that pulled air toward the laptop. And vice-versa. If you don't have fans that blow out the bottom, it won't make a difference.

I used a Targus Chill Pad when I had a laptop that overheated. It worked, was quiet and under $30.

\Dan

 

[tjpark1111]

vantec lapcool 4 worked well for me, although cleaning out dust out of the laptop helped the most, and also reseating the cpu with AS5 worked well also.

 

[Jiggz]

IMO the Bytecc cooler is fine especially for the price. Most laptops requires no additional cooling except in environment like you mentioned. Remember, you can only cool as cool as the ambient temp. Most cpu's will operate satisfactorily up to 160F and will start crashing above this temp. With the cooler, you're only trying to make sure you do not add any more additional heat generated by the mobo and other peripherals to the CPU to keep it working. The CPU itself is cooled by the hsf. For $18.00, it's worth the try.

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
What My laptop Never overheats! What kind of laptops do you have? Also Watch out if the fans on the pad are facing the right way some pads blow air up tward and some away from the laptop

I'm guessing they are all P4's or Celerons of the same type, total heat monsters. Even old P3's ran really hot. Never had any issues with Pentium-M systems.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Jiggz
IMO the Bytecc cooler is fine especially for the price. Most laptops requires no additional cooling except in environment like you mentioned. Remember, you can only cool as cool as the ambient temp. Most cpu's will operate satisfactorily up to 160F and will start crashing above this temp. With the cooler, you're only trying to make sure you do not add any more additional heat generated by the mobo and other peripherals to the CPU to keep it working. The CPU itself is cooled by the hsf. For $18.00, it's worth the try.

Yes, I can imagine it getting up to 160, say, in the back of a vehicle or something...Though at that point, I suppose my primary concern would be my skin melting off, rather than whether or not I can play video games

 

[b0mbrman]

Welp, ended up getting the Bytecc through Ebay - Text (Combination of price, availability, and willingness to ship to APO).

Will report results when it comes...if anyone cares

 

[BrokenVisage]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Welp, ended up getting the Bytecc through Ebay - Text (Combination of price, availability, and willingness to ship to APO).

Will report results when it comes...if anyone cares

Any updates b0mber? I may jump on this BYTECC model as soon as tonight, lots of good reviews and it will actually fit under my widescreen Inspiron laptop unlike the high rated Vantec models. How's the noise? temp? and do the edges scratch up your desk like the reviews say?

 

[pkme2]

My laptop CPU runs between 91-95 degrees and hdd at 104-110 degrees with the cooling pad. Highly recommend the Yate Loon.

 

[b0mbrman]

Hi guys (esp. BrokenVisage and the guy who PM'd me),

I got the Bytecc aluminum notebook cooler a couple days ago through the mail. I would like to give a quantitative review but don't have a thermometer. If someone knows of a way to test CPU performance at heat extremes without one, let me know and I'll gladly do it.

I also cannot include pictures now because my internet connection has been acting up today and I've been slower than dial-up for the last several hours. Also, I don't have easy acces to a ruler so these measurements are all done by my uncalibrated eyeball...Anyhow, here's a crappy review:

Size

I can say with great confidence that it will not "fit" under your (BrokenVisage) widescreen Inspiron laptop because it does not "fit" under mine. There is approximately 1 1/2 inches of laptop hanging over on each side and about 2 inches hanging over the back.

The lip in front is about 1/4-inch deep--more than enough to ensure that your laptop will not slide off. If someone has a laptop with a front-load disc drive and needs a more accurate measurement, leave a comment here and I'll do my best to find a real ruler

Fit and Finish

In the flesh, it really is as simple as it looks in the pictures. In addition, it really is as exposed as it is in the pictures. It's so exposed that if I were to put my laptop on anything not completely flat (like a lap :Q), I'd be afraid of unseating a fan or a wire mount.

Uncovered and sitting right-side up on my desk, it looks pretty sexy in all its aluminum sexyness. The logo is even painted on.

Noise

Loud enough to know it's there, not loud enough to bother me. The box says 25 dba, which I can only assume is accurate...maybe that number means something more on its own to you than it does to me. I'd compare the hum of the fans to the noise a 2nd tier desktop would make.

Oh, and not that it matters, but when the fans are on and there is no laptop on top of the cooler, the noise is sufficiently loud to become annoying over time.

Scratching

...to your desk: There are rubber feet up front so probably not from there. For some reason, they didn't do the same in back.

Still, the metal feels fairly well-rounded off and after two days of use, I don't see any (new) scratches on the plastic picnic table I use for a desk.

...to your laptop: There are eight rubber nubs on the top face of the cooler so your laptop will not get scratched there. However, there are zero nubs on the front lip. As a result, there is a gray mark on the front-bottom of my laptop that I very much suspect came from this cooler.

More to follow...

 

[BrokenVisage]

Thanks d00d, can't believe there's more to come but keep it coming! I did end up buying it earlier before I even read this, but your review at least gives me confidence it will work out.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Here's what I recommend...

Open ur laptop and AS5 the cpu. That's what I did =)