Best cooler for the Alienware M17x

I have been reading around the forums, and I noticed a lot you of mentioned both the Zalman NC2000 and the NZXT Cryo LX for working great with the M17x. But I wanted to poll everyone and see which best fits the M17X in terms of fan alignment and keeping it the coolest. I don't care about fan noise either.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/572852-m17x-r3-laptop-coolers.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/604805-notebook-coolers-m17x-r3-questions.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...top-coolers-any-good-any-recommendations.html

I hear the M17x has good cooling so it shouldn't really be necessary. I just prefer the Cryo, i'm sure either will be good. Maybe change fans in the cooler if you want better airflow than stock.

 

I myself had to decide between these two coolers when I was making my purchase early last year. I wanted the Cryo LX but at that time it was sold-out everywhere I looked. I went with the Zalman NC2000 and I don't regret it, because it is great in it's own right. The Cryo LX definitely would have pushed more air to the area I wanted it (the vent on my XPS 16) and given that choice again, I would have chosen the Cryo. But above all, the choice depends on the GPU vent placement on the M17X. If it's further to the back of the laptop (near the screen) go with the Cryo LX, as it pushes major air in that area. If it's further to the front, go with the NC2000 (which pushes less air, but has a sleeker design and more even air flow to the front of the laptop). But honestly both are great choices as PlagueDoctor said.

 

Zalman NC:
Advantages: -cheaper and easy to find, extendable feet to increase airflow to the fan.
Disadvantages: -looks, runs off USB making the extra port very slow for file transfers (USB key or external HDD) or mouse , tiny 60mm fans.

NZXT Cryo LX:
Advantages: -sturdy aluminium body with rubber lines on the surface to keep your laptop from moving, runs off USB OR external PSU (the size of a phone charger), 5 USB ports on the back(4 when it's USB powered), adjustable fan speed, easy swapable fans, foldable which makes it easy to pack and transport, fits better the Alienware looks (like it was made for it ), puts your laptop in a nice comfortable typing angle.

Disadvantages: no on/off button but turning the fans to minimum would make them impossible for the user to hear( you can install a switch yourself or simply unplug it when you don't need it), sharp corners( not really but a few users complained about this so I thought I should point it out, can be fixed with a sander or similar if you must), not easy to find one.

I personally owned both the NC3000 and the NZXT for my M17x but ended up selling the Zalman the first day I got it for the reasons above and ended up keeping the Cryo still runs like a champ with 3 Scythe gentle typhoon inside (not that the stock ones are not good it's because I got a good deal on those 3 )

So hoping the above will help you make your choice, I wish you good luck!

 

You should also consider Coolermaster SF-19 as it is very powerful. The only disadvantage is the noise level.

 

If sound is the problem I'd recommend checking out the heatshift cooling pad. It works, I've seen a 10C decrease in temp when i place my lap on it. the downside is that it decreases performance after about 5 hours of gameplay. Then you'll have to leave it out so that it can cool back down.

 

Have You considered Zalman ZM-NC3000U?