Can you use zalman NC2000 on non-hard surfaces?

I was wondering if i could use this on my lap (most likely won't though) or on my bed or rug (this i most likely will.)

 

putting notebook coolers on a soft furry surface, is going to either stall the fans or make it absolutely useless. Coolers are designed to be used on hard surfaces, so the holes on the bottom can feed air into the fans. On soft surfaces, like cloth and carpet, the material blocks the air intake holes, making the fans completely ineffective. Fans need air to move, so by blocking the intake, the exhaust from the fans will decrease to basically nothing.

K-TRON

 

As K-Tron said, it will make the cooler absolutely useless. Have a look at the Notepal infinite, it has vents on the back.

 

You can get the Cooler Master Infinite if you want to have a good cooler and want to use it on a soft surface... since it draws air from the back of the cooler rather than the bottom.

 

Is it efficient as the NC2000?

 

It depends on your fan layout read the buyers guide and you would know.

 

Read it plenty of times. Still don't know. Anyway, guess i'm getting a zalman since the infinite doesn't seem to be anywhere.

 

check out the cryo LX. it has great versatility and can work on soft surfaces.

 

not true actually.

if you use the Cryo LX and most notebook coolers on soft surfaces, the air flow will be blocked from the bottom (from a soft surface the cooler is placed on).

I only know of the Cooler Master Infinite to have a design to be able to have use on soft surfaces.

 

fold the front under and problem solved. even without the front folded under, the fans are set up at an angle. it will have to be a really soft surface like a fluffy comforter to even block the fans.

don't knock it til u've actually used it.

 

Winter = cold = big duvet

Big duvet + cooler with fans underneath = EPIC FAIL

Also its far more comfortable using something with a flat bottom on your legs.

Of course thats just my opinion.

 

exactly why i love usin my cryo LX on my lap/bed. when i fold the front under, it creates a VERY stable (and VERY comfortable) base. the "base" also eliminated hard contact points on my lap. i've gamed for 6-7+ hours *STRAIGHT* with it on my lap. i absolutely loved how it raised the whole laptop up even further (added comfort) with the front folded under. it also kept my legs nice and cool.

like i keep tellin u guys...do not knock it til u've had some *real life* experiences with the cryo LX. it may seem big and bulky just by lookin at the pictures, but it is a VERY well thought-out design. $70+ usd is hard to justify for a laptop cooler. i took my time out actually *TRY* to find somethin bad to say about the cooler, but i just can't.

 

I did mention its my opinion, and of course it always hard to find something bad to say about something you've just spent $70 on.

 

no no...i actually tested my cooler under alot of different environments to see if it was a waste of my $79. i usually don't even game for 6-7+ hours. i rarely use my notebook on my bed. i just did it to test out the cryo LX's versatility. it met all my expectations...and then some.

honestly, this cooler is better than the nc2000 is pretty much every way. the only thing the nc2000 has over this cooler is it's portability factor. the nc2000 is just a bit more ergonomic in design.

 

I am not saying its a bad cooler, I am just saying it is not suitable for this situation. Isn't it your opinion that its comfortable on your lap? Or is that a fact too?

 

(winner is the one written)

1) Noise: Zalman

2) Effect: NZXT

3) Portability: Zalman

4) Looks: up to the person

what else is there to measure?

 

with the front folded under, it IS flat, while sittin on yur lap. the front folds under the fan area and has rubber stoppers to insure there is ample room for the fans to get air. it also makes sure that nothin is blockin the fans, from the bottom.

the OP asked if the nc2000 can be used on soft surfaces. no. it cannot, so i suggested him a cooler that would.

versatility/usability: NZXT

personally, i wouldn't want a cooler that i can't use in any type of situation.

and could u show me where u'r gettin yur noise levels from? u don't even have a low fan noise level in yur review, for the cryo LX. the cryo LX is NOT a loud cooler. the thing is pretty darn quiet if u ask me. i have to make sure its on sometimes when there is music or tv on. u say the cryo LX uses alot of power. most reviewers are surprised at how LITTLE power the cooler uses.

money really has nothing to do with my decision. the zalman units simply didn't, and CAN'T meet my requirements. if it did, i would've went with that.

 

I actually found the NZXT cannot be used on a bed etc from my friends use. He noticed severly higher dust build using it on soft surfaces vs hard in his laptop as the NZXT just blew dust into the notebook.

Go to the official NZXT Cryo site they give an estimate. Zalman posts one too on the official site. But i fyou read the buyers guide or use common sense every company uses different equipment to check dBA in different situations so the comparing of them officially is useless.

But think about this 2X 60mm fans vs 3X120mm fans which would be louder. Common sense should lead you to the 3X120mm fans.

Actually if you search old posts in the forum and if you look at what people have written some people have issues trying to get their notebook to fully power all 3 fans. This is an issue for some but not all. Comparing it to other notebook coolers it does use more power.

We are basically comparing apples and oranges hence why this will not get anywhere.

 

no offense but i find this statement to be complete bs. try to explain yurself better or tell yur friend to clean up better. if u are in a dusty environment, then yur cooler will blow dusty air. whether it be a cryo LX or a nc2000 or a industrial fan.

i've been to the site plenty of times. nowhere does it state any db ratings or "estimates." check the reviews. i have never heard of a noise complaint from cryo LX users.

of course (3) 120mm fans would be louder theoretically, but for u to say that they are "loud"...c'mon now.

i've read some reviews stating that, but none of these guys actually measured voltage or power flow. none of these guys know what the "full power" is even supposed to be. i've tested my cooler while bein powered by a USB hub (connected to wall outlet), my notebook, and my desktop. all the 3 configurations ran the cooler at the same speeds. common sense would tell u that (3) 120mm fans would use more power than (2) 60mm fans.
another member did a review on the cryo LX and it only reduced battery life by about 20 -/+ minutes.

i don't see how they are different. they are both laptop coolers, designed to do the same thing. it's just that one does it better and is much more versatile.

 

He is actually what you call OCD and vacumes 10 time daily XD.

It was there when I wrote the buyers guide (update) I will try and find a older review with the dBA and post back in a day.

Exactly that is YOUR notebook not someone elses learn to think about others please.

Then you are closing your self off. Think abstract for a moment. Both are notebook coolers but the cooling system is different, the number of fans is different, the focus of each company for each cooler is different. It may be hard for you but try .

I recommend you stop as this is my final post. Last time after I had recommended stopping and stopped posting my self several users continued posting and rendered a thread closed due ot personal attacks followed by off topic conversation.

 

see...thats yur problem...u'r just typin alot of stuff and not really sayin nothin.

so u'r sayin that if yur friend used a nc2000, in the same environment, he would have less "dust build up?" c'mon now man...get real. yea...the nc2000 probably would've blown less dust cuz the bed would've blocked all its fans.

i cannot control what others say or do, so a thread closure has nothin to do with me. i have never called u out of yur name or disrespected u in any way. i never made any personal attacks on u or anyone here. all i'm doing is givin u facts and provin u wrong. maybe u should be more considerate and/or open minded and quit misguidin people. if i didn't have a general care for people on this forum, i wouldn't be here. i sure as hell wouldn't be here wastin my time and typin all this. i'm just tryin to shine some light on the thread starter's situation.

comparing a nc2000 to a cryo LX is not apples to oranges. they are both laptop coolers, designed to cool yur laptop. every company will have different coolin technology. thats what sets a company apart from another. apples to oranges would be comparin a cryo LX to a passive (no fans) laptop cooler like a lapinator.

 

1) You have been constantly reading through the lines of many users posts including mine and Johnny T's

2) You were one of 2 people warned on one of the threads

3) Think about it this way coolers = fruits. Fruits come in many shapes and sizes like coolers and therefore we are easily comparing apples and oranges.

Simple enough for you or would you like it cut down more? If so send me a PM as this is my final post here on this thread.

 

1) i really don't know what u'r tryin to say or mean. i read everyone's posts at least twice before i even begin to respond.

2) YOU (not a mod) were the one that warned me when i wasn't breakin any rules. u constantly try to pull the mod card on me when i prove u wrong.

3) i know this. if u check any of my posts. i have never recommend the cryo LX for any laptop under 15.4".

4) YOU are the one that is gettin off topic. PM me if/when u have somethin good to say. i'm done with this thread.

good luck to the thread starter and i hope u find yur solution.

 

@houstoned :
To be honest, you simply have assumed "NZXT Cryo LX is a godly cooler out there, which doesn't make noise, blow dust, takes LITTLE power, etc" as the absolute truth [talk about a new kind of belief], and instead of trying to argue people about the pro's and con's of having three large fans compared to two little one's, you are answering with completely subjective and "for me" answers and go for ad homs to dismiss other people's observations [about the noise,about the dust and about the power]. Anyone with common sense, will get who is right and who is wrong here. This thread will stay open for feedback from the original poster and his further queries, and houstoned unless you are able to make a sound argument, you better stay away from this thread, or I will have to take more serious measures.

 

when i recommend the cryo LX, i always state that, that is my PERSONAL recommendation. if u have followed any threads that xp2 has posted in, he always puts down the cryo LX as "loud" and uses "alot of power" with no real figures. those are his ASSUMPTIONS. the cryo LX isn't anymore loud as the nc2000 is. can u tell the difference between 1-2 dB, nope. will the extra couple of minutes u get from the nc2000 help u be more productive? nope. do the fans magically produce dust from nothing?

these guys came in here postin misguidance about the cryo LX and i simply corrected them. so i don't know what yur problem is. i have never put down the zalman units or any other product out there unless i have personal experience with them.

we get it...u guys have been here longer and u wrote the reviews. i know u want as many people as u can get to view it. we get it. but to put down the cryo LX with statements like, "its loud and uses alot of power," is pretty ignorant.

i have not used any vulgar language or made any personal attacks. i stayed on topic the whole time til someone else brought up other stuff. like i've said in previous posts, if i'm doin somethin wrong then let me know. if i'm breakin any rules than i would gladly accept my punishments.

 

why not just use sticky notes?

 

The Cooler Master Notepal Infinite, which can be used on their lap/soft services:

http://www.expansys-usa.com/p.aspx?i=154090

'nuff said

 

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...ask=view&id=145&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=3
Those figures show that the difference even on low is 3 watts and it's 8 watts on high, for the record, average USB powered coolers consume 2.5watts AT MOST.

For the record, Zalman NC2000 that has been praised to be silent, gets the noise level if 18.0 - 25.5 dBA ± 10 % according to the website, and while even the lowest quality notebook coolers usually supply a list of specs, NZXT has failed to do so [the official specs are amongst the most worthless technical specification that I have ever come across] though looking at this review : http://www.futurelooks.com/nzxt-cryo-lx-aluminum-notebook-cooler-review/4/
It was said to be "loud even on the low RPM mode" and that comes from someone who has reviewed a number of laptops and who calls two dual 70mm fan coolers "enough to get distracting" and "very quiet operation", not even near the "loud on low levels".

Hmm, unless you live in a dust-free environment (which will probably cause thousands of dollars to live in), every device that relies on air cooling, will accumulate dust, and the more effective are the fans at blowing air (higher CFM) the more dust will accumulate in the way of the air.

Another ad hom, and I think quite a few people would do the same personal attacks on you for not expecting 3x12mm fans to use lots of power and make lots of noise, but they don't. And that's the difference between having a civil argument and not having one.

 

Agreed. Am currently using said cooler with my Inspiron, specs below, and it does a tolerable job even when temperatures outside the house soar to 34 degrees Celcius; my only complaint is that due to the plastic piece in the centre (why in G-d's name did they have to have that there?) my GPU doesn't get sufficiently cooled due to lack of access to the vents there, though CPU and HDD do have temp drops. However I would definitely NOT recommend you put it directly on your lap with the notebook on top especially working long hours--for me it feels rather heavy, though those of you with larger thighs might feel it less. For short periods it feels alright, however it's still not too comfortable. I'm considering DIYing a lap table to go with the cooler, since I do use my laptop for long hours.

 

first of all, i have NEVER said the cryo LX doesn't use alot of power. i was defendin it when x2p keeps on sayin that its "loud" and it uses "too much power." if u read any of my posts, u'll know that i've said that 3 120mm SHOULD be louder and use more power, theoretically. thats a dur dur dur statement. common sense. why did NZXT not provide more thorough tech specs? i don't know. thats why i even asked x2p where he found those figures from cuz i was curious myself.

i really don't care too much for a bunch of numbers on some paper. i am all about real life situations here. the cryo LX is about as loud as my laptop(s) fans on high. i don't think the cryo LX is loud at all. i can't hear it when i have a tv or music on. if some think that it's too loud then thats their opinion. can u honestly sit there and tell me that u can hear the difference between a few db's? i really doubt it. if a guy is complainin about 2 70mm fans bein loud then (a) those were some crappy fans or (b) he's a nit picker.

most of the things u've stated, i already know. i know that the more CFM's a fan pushes, the more dust would accumulate. u can simply clean yur area and yur cooler to reduce that.

u need to quit puttin words in my mouth and read my replies more thoroughly.

 

A bigger fanblade are generally more quiet; since the generic usually aren't set to spin as fast as smaller ones.. :O

 

Can we all just...cool down?

No pun intended

 

lol u always come in these arguments and say that

i'm always cool

 

just gimme rep and ill be quiet

 

no rep, just a 'peace be upon you'. <--(by the way; I demand that friend cube becomes an official smiley!)

An option, using the T2000 (cooler with side air-intakes) on the T3000 (tray-like base acting like a big heatsink). Or just using the t2000 on any type of flat tray. ;;

 

hey mujtaba i really don't appreciate that BS infraction that u gave me. "my input does nothing for the forum???" that is BS. if u have ACTUALLY READ any of my replies, anywhere in this forum. i have always tried to help others. all my replies in this thread were on point and on topic until other members brought it off topic. i don't see u givin them infractions or tellin them anything.

when members like x2p give BS opinions about a cooler he HAS NO REAL USE with, i'm gonna stand up and CORRECT him (and others). i really don't see how u could give me an infraction. my input could save the thread starter money by givin him a useful alternative to his problem.

real nice moderating.

 

Is use my zalman on my bed just with the fans off all the time. So that my laptop has a hard surface for the fans on the bottom. As long as your not going to be gaming it shouldn't be a problem.

 

I thought members were supposed to take the complaints about infractions to PMs but then again, I am dealing with *special* member here.

First I should congratulate you for becoming the first official notebookreview cooler fanboy.

The further you post, the more you make my argument stronger, you keep attacking people for your own lack of reason, the review I linked you to plus common sense, plus X2P's friend's comment about a lot of dust being collected (considering that the noise made by much smaller cooling pads distract and annoy many as and often draw as much as a USB port can offer according the specifications and add it to the fact that there will be a narrow airway for your cooler to draw air from because of the power and the placement of the fans and that makes it collect a lot of dust as a miniture and weak vaccum cleaner) support the points made here about your cooler.

Yay, putting the ad hom aside. I proved that many laptops cannot power this cooler to fully work, also the review makes the "theoretical" extra noise into an actual fact.

Sadly, your opinion is a very subjective one (all the "I doesn't make noise for me, it doesn't blow much dust and it doesn't take much power for me") they are ALL subjective, numbers can justify a subjective opinion and try to make it objective for the people reading your post from all over the world, something you call "a bunch of numbers on paper" and which you don't care about apparently. And I am giving you real life reports from people that have seen more coolers than you do, and have called it loud. That would be a much more objective opinion (still numbers that are measured properly will be more objective). And people are not buying you a cooler to want to know what is your real life and subjective opinion is [plus, they say love is blind, which is evident here and further makes the argument subjective]. To sum it all, your argument is not adding anything of value to the forum.

I don't think I need to explain what ad hom means, and I suppose this marks the end of this very derailed thread.
To the original poster, for further queries and questions, please make a new thread.