Do cheap coolers work?

There are tons of 10€ coolers here in Clas Olson with just a single big-ish fan. Do these even cool your laptop considerably?

Usually to cool something you'd need some sort of a vacuum or a large area of space to distribute the heat... there are lots of coolers on Ebay as well with 4+ fans and some with just a single huge fan..

I'm buying a new computer soon, this one: https://stockmann.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product/ACER-Apire-5742G/149051

It might get a bit hot from gaming. Or it might not. So do they really work?

Thanks for any benchmarks or reviews

 

Object temperature / air temperature / cooling surface / the amount of air being moved ...

It all comes down to that.

It's works, but how much is dependent on those stats.

I got 1 on my desk for the a51j to cool it down a bit and make it more comfortable to type on it 15%-20% angle raised.

 

I suppose so but I'm looking for something to cool my laptop down with all the gaming I'll be doing. If it's anything like the laptop I have now, the HDD gets pretty hot so I don't want to damage the structure or something, like the metal or plastic to stretch or whatever. Even though that's really not a possibility.

A cooler computer is a better computer. I might do some more research, lots of the laptop cooling pads look like they wouldn't even be able to sway a few of the hairs on my head let alone cool down my laptop..

 

if nothing else, the amount of dust that ends up in the cooler and not in the laptop is reason enough for me to use one. the fans in my laptop kick on less when i run a cooler.

 

Yes it works. Even a round plastic under your laptop gives a result...much more for a cooler. We have a cheap cooler roundly at $4 and the result is not far from $35 worth.

 

Cheapy ones work as long as they are designed well. My biggest concern with a cheap one vs an expensive one would just be the build quality and how long it will last before it breaks, not so much the performance.

 

Having worked in a computer store I can tell you that while the cheap ones cool fine they tend to break fast. If you want to go cheap I advise you to grab decent 120mm fans and just build your own out of cardboard.

 

I have one from logitech (20-30€ with 1 big fan, and imo its pretty weak, but the airflow is definitly noticable.
I bought another laptopcooler from logilink with 3 fans (I thought this would be a major improvement compared to my logitech), also 2-30€, and I can barely feel the airflow.

So, if I were you, i'd get a decent one. If I had bought a zalman/cryo cooler I would have lost just as much as money and would have way cooler temperatures. Now i'm stuck with 1 average and 1 completely useless cooler while I spend a total of 5-60€.

 

There are lots of ebay for like 10€ or something, like I said some have like 4 fans some have like 1 huge one. I might just have a look around and when and if I get this laptop I'll buy a cooler depending on how stressed it gets after DX10 gaming

Is there anyone in here that has a cooler and notices a big difference and thinks their money is well spent? If so, where did you get yours from, for how much and what kind is it

 

The cheapest one I had for a long time didn't cost me anything.
Cut 2 triangle from hardwood, reused a 12cm case fan, wired it to a (broken plug) power converter ...
Was working better (moved more air and with less obstacle) then most expensive ones.

 

I found that, if I just use two or three DVD cases (the thick ones, not the slim ones) and place them under my laptop directly in the middle and away from the fan, the temperature actually drops 4-5 degrees. If I leave it on the surface without suspending it in mid-air, the core temperature jumps from the 40*C to 45*C and even higher in some cases. But it's not limited to DVD cases either, you can use a box like this Casio EX-S880 box I've been using it's small and it 6.5" (width) x 8.5" (length) x 2.75" (height) and its given me the best results. Of course keep in mind that the ambient temperature in the room was about 65*C to 70*C.

 

You use your computer in a sauna?

 

I never use the fans on mine. Increased passive ventilation alone does far more for cooling than fans. Bottlecaps are still the most cost-effective solution in my book, although not so stable.

 

they work fine. avoid targus or belkin, even though likely they are the only ones stores will carry. i picked up a microsoft knock off of the belkin curved cooling pad thing after 2 of my belkins broke. it is MUCH better quality and even a faster fan. much louder though

 

I just bought this off the recommendation in the XPS forums.
Cooler Master U2 off Amazon for $19
it works great.
The member who reviewed posted his benchmarks & some pics
It was worth it to me for under 20 bucks shipped to my door for free.
Also having that chunky 9 cell dell battery that gives it ventilation between the cooler & laptop.
Its pretty well made imo.

 

Simple answer they can work. The most important part about buying a cooler is not the fan count but if the fans align well with the vents of the notebook. I would actually recommend avoiding most eBay coolers as the fan is practically stuck to the ground with no lift meaning airflow is restricted, often location is not helpful for your cooling system, and lastly due to poor fan quality, this can mean more noise and less longevity/reliability.

If your already ready to spend 10 pounds why not spend a bit more and get something from a "real brand" which has some sort of warranty.

Buy coolermaster notepal | Compare prices for coolermaster notepal on Kelkoo

The link above has quite a few selection under 20 pounds from CoolerMaster alone, make sure the cooler matches up with your system or you may not see much of a decrease in temperatures.

 

Excuse me, it was late at night, I don't think I could survive in such temperatures for more than 5-10 minutes. Those temperatures should be in Fahrenheit not Celsius.

 

i am using some cheap crappy cooler with fans not even working...it still keeps the laptop cooler by upto 6 degree Celsius.

 

You could do that or this:

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb86/ryuzaki786/3fd734f4.jpg
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb86/ryuzaki786/e48d7c44.jpg
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb86/ryuzaki786/fa5733ce.jpg

The images are just simply too large to host in this thread, it would break the integrity of the forum tables. Just click on them and you'll see what I mean and I have been able to keep my laptop under 45*C with this method. Ambient temperature usually ranges between 60F and 70F.