Notebook Coolers : A Buyers Guide

[snu_d]

Hi guys,

i was wondering, with the coolers that suck up air from the bottom into your laptop, is it a good idea to attached some sort of air filter to the bottom of the cooler? i don't like the idea of the cooler sucking up dust and chucking it into my laptop...
a simple air filter...lets say a mueslin (spelling?) cloth over the bottom opening of the cooler? or something more robust like some sort of thin air filter foam?

what do u guys think? will it reduce the dust being blown into my laptop?

[bulik]

Hi guys,

i was wondering, with the coolers that suck up air from the bottom into your laptop, is it a good idea to attached some sort of air filter to the bottom of the cooler? i don't like the idea of the cooler sucking up dust and chucking it into my laptop...
a simple air filter...lets say a mueslin (spelling?) cloth over the bottom opening of the cooler? or something more robust like some sort of thin air filter foam?

what do u guys think? will it reduce the dust being blown into my laptop?

have an air filter installed in my notepal infinite using an ordinary airconditioner filter. Works very well.keeps my cooler fan clean

[DoanD]

Sorry for the repost. I don't meant o sound impatient, but I really need the answer quick. I am planning on buying either a cooler or a monitor, and since this is more important I am deciding on a cooler. However, there are some really good auctions on ebay right now, so I can't wait much longer. I quoted myself:

Hi! Great guide! I bought my Toshiba Satellite A215-S5837 (15.4") during June 2008. Recently, my laptop's fans have been working quite hard, and humming loudly. The other day it was on for over 2 minutes at a time! When I first bought it, it usually spins for 10 seconds and then a 30 second interval before it spins again. It's probably the dust, but I don't know how to open my laptop up to clean it. I don't want to try either, too risky. I was hoping a notebook cooler could help this. Would a notebook cooler allow my fans to work less?

1) Budget
-Hoping to spend under $70, but if needed, I have $115 in my Paypal.
2) Is noise an issue for you? Are you annoyed but noticeable noise?
-Kind of. Noise is pretty much the reason I want a cooler.
3) Post a picture of the under side of your notebook along with basic measurements like shown earlier in this guide. (just link to a previous post if your notebook has been posted before)

4) Do you have a color preference?
Any color would do, but if it was silver/black, that would be nice.
5) Any brands you would like to avoid?
Nope!

I was considering the NC1000 or NC2000, but I'm not sure if it will blow into the intake vent (the circular vent towards the back of the laptop). What cooler would you recommend (doesn't need to be NC1000 or NC2000, any that will fit my laptop's vents and fix my overworking fan problem)?

Thanks!
Doan

Please help as soon as possible!
Thanks!
Doan

[Gophn]

with that bottom design... mainly the only fan in on the top area....

you should look towards:
- Cooler Master Infinite
- NZXT Cryo LX
- Enermax Aeolus CP001
- Zalman NC2000 (since the stage is larger)

[jimbellows]

my notebook cooler was smaller than my notebook and sliding was inevitable...

[DoanD]

with that bottom design... mainly the only fan in on the top area....

you should look towards:
- Cooler Master Infinite
- NZXT Cryo LX
- Enermax Aeolus CP001
- Zalman NC2000 (since the stage is larger)

Okay, thanks! Which one out of those 4 do you think will be best? My laptop doesn't overheat a lot, but it does get a little warm in the RAM part (where my left hand would rest when typing, the bottom right corner of the pic). Would getting a cooler allow the laptop's fans to spin less?

[X2P]

Sorry for the slow responses as of late, I have and still am in Europe and do not have a stable or fast connection

Hi guys,

i was wondering, with the coolers that suck up air from the bottom into your laptop, is it a good idea to attached some sort of air filter to the bottom of the cooler? i don't like the idea of the cooler sucking up dust and chucking it into my laptop...
a simple air filter...lets say a mueslin (spelling?) cloth over the bottom opening of the cooler? or something more robust like some sort of thin air filter foam?

what do u guys think? will it reduce the dust being blown into my laptop?

Pretty much any cooler does, the graph on the first page shows this. An air filter can cut back on dust but will cut back airflow.

Okay, thanks! Which one out of those 4 do you think will be best? My laptop doesn't overheat a lot, but it does get a little warm in the RAM part (where my left hand would rest when typing, the bottom right corner of the pic). Would getting a cooler allow the laptop's fans to spin less?

I would recommend the Zalman NC2000, for what you want and what heats up it seems like it should do the job

[DoanD]

I would recommend the Zalman NC2000, for what you want and what heats up it seems like it should do the job

Okay, great! So it would allow my laptop's fans to spin less?

P.S. where is the cheapest place I can get the NC2000? On Newegg it's $60 and then $8 more for shipping..

[Lobby]

It's quite simple but a good design; it is also actually quite comfortable to type on when the laptop is mounted.

Let me just start by stating that it pulls air from the bottom of the laptop and drives it out the side vent (and the two squares on the product in dots are where the fans are located).

I've tried it briefly with the following:

• ThinkPad T23, T61. Result - no real change in temp but it's not on my lap. The T61 is wider than the cooler.
• Dell XPS M1330. Result - 2 degrees cooler disk; as the XPS sucks up air and the cooler sucks down air, I thought it might have different results. My temps on CPU and GPU might be down 1 degree in general. The XPS fits perfectly on the cooler.
• Dell Mini 9. This was actually very rewarding; on the train, I had Dell, beer and 3G dongle on the cooler and it was very effective!!

What I have not done is test anything under load; the XPS appears to have more stable temperatures more of the time - which is good as I've had the nVidia fail once and done the copper mod!

The fans are quiet and single-speed.

My summary would be that it's not bad but it's not brilliant. I may keep looking......if you have a system that vents downwards (I have an old VAIO SR which would love this cooler) then this will be a good budget cooler. If you have a netbook (oh, the sin to call it that!) then it saves you crushing your knees together.

I will let the wife test it with her MacBook; I don't know how much it will help there but the enclosed nature of the base of the Mac might lead to a reasonable gain using this cooler.

6/10.

Correction: SR vents upwards but gets hot on the lap; old technology, huh?

[DoanD]

I went to Staples today and bought canned air, Dust Destroyer. When I use it, the can gets REALLY cold, like FREEZING cold. Not sure if this is supposed to happen.

Anyways, I turned off my laptop and blew into the vents. A lot of dust came out, but there isn't much change in the fans. Still spins a lot, but a little bit less than before. Still waiting for a direct answer to my question, will a notebook cooler allow my built in fans to spin less? Sorry, I just want to know for sure!

Also, where can I get the Zalman NC2000 for the cheapest? It's $60 + $8 shipping on Newegg.

Thanks!
Doan