Modified NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler for Dell M1730

the nzxt cryo lx is for 17-19" laptops and is huge and heavy. i've see it recommended for my dell xps m1730 because the vents line up with the fan and air cooling vents on the laptop. when i got the nzxt, it's pretty apparent it's a cheap POS made in china (i'm chinese btw). one of the pins that holds the thing together so you can fold it for travelling fell straight out, the edges are sharp as hell, and the fans are noisy and have electrical problems (more on that later). however, the design and the actual aluminum block housing of the cooler are excellent so i decided to mod it instead of returning or exchanging it.

i didn't think to mod notebook coolers but i read a blurb by a guy on nbr about how he replaced the fans in his nzxt cooler. i actually had 3 spare 120mm fans sitting around that were left over from my custom build desktop from 2 years ago so it worked out because i also didn't have to go and buy anything.

i fixed the pin using scotch tape as a spacer to hold it in the slot. i used another piece of scotch tape to keep the pin from falling out. the actual reason i started to replace all of the fans is because the middle one was making a clicking sound. while i had the thing apart i just replaced all of them. the stock fans have electrical problems because when the cooler was stock, plugged into the wall with it's own ac adapter, and i turned the fans all the way up the electricity would die out because the cheap fans were sucking up too much juice. after i replaced them with 1 antec led fan and 2 scythe s-flex ssf21f fans i could turn the fan speed to the max.

$70 shipped from amazon. $70...for a notebook cooler...


looking at the stock fan cage, fan speed switch (bottom), and the power strip/usb hubs.


3 120mm fans i had laying around in my room for the past 2 years. the scythe fans are really high quality. they are quiet and the bearings let the fan blades spin for a really long time compared to the antec (but the antec gots leds..doh)


2 liter for a size comparison. the m1730 is 11 pounds (not including ac adapter) and 2 inches thick.


size comparison to an xps m1330 13.3" laptop. the m1330 is going to have to go to help pay for the m1730 :cry:


hooking up the antec fan to check the mounting direction.


all hooked up.


done! i wish i had 3 led fans but like i said, these were spare parts sitting around.


this is the custom desktop i built 2 years ago. anctec 900 case, 8800gtx video card, 4gigs ram, XP, intel e6850 c2d oc'ed to from 3 to 3.6ghz on stock voltage settings. i was going to use the scythes but i dumped them in favor of led fans :laugh:


m1730 sitting in front of a 24" monitor.


the m1730's massive and heavy power brick, about the same size as a 7" netbook.


here's shot of the m1730 on my desk.

 

Cool mod. I like it.

How much did the upgrade lower your temps?

also... what in the world is that whiteish/pinkish think on top of your desktop

 

nice mod. something i will probably be doin when the fans in my cryo LX go out.

fyi - i'm not sure if it was just my cryo LX, but i noticed that when i used to USB to USB cord instead of the AC to USB. i got higher fan speeds with the USB to USB wire connected to my mini USB hub. now i just plug both of them to make sure i have optimal coolin.

another tip is that u don't have to set yur laptop all the way to the front, and in the center to have it held in place by the front rubber. u can slide the laptop back as far as u want, without the feet goin off, and offset yur laptop from the center so that yur CPU/GPU vent is more in the middle. the middle is where most of the coolin happens cuz of how the cryo LX's vent design is.

 

that laptop is huge but then again its a beast.....very nice mod very nice.....love the blue LEDs for the middle fan like the idea.....

 

Curious, why have a gaming desktop and gaming laptop?

 

errr i'm not sure how much the temps went down because the cooler was only on for 5 minutes before it was dismantled. i normally don't run my coolers at full speed though. i've only used the cooler briefly and i haven't thoroughly tested it yet because i'm trying to make sure the laptop doesn't overheat the sli graphics cards on it's own.

the white and pink thing is a hello kitty portable fan. the head comes off and there are those little flexible plastic fan blades underneath. behind the head is a lanyard so you don't lose the head lol.

i've seen in someone's review of the cooler that they plugged in both the usb and ac adapters. it makes sense because if you run 3 120mm fans at or near full speed they're going to need some amount of power.

dell had that massive sale a month ago

 

Nice mod, i really like the Scythe S-FLEX (SFF21F), and i think from the picture thats what u used. Im planing also replacing the fans on it, just wondering if its possible.

The Scythe S-FLEX (SFF21F), can be powered to 12v, but the included DC power connector is 5v, so... im not sure if i could just buy a cheap outlet 12v transfomer and plug it in or will i need to do a seperate connection to avoid the USB PCB, in case the 12v might be a problem for it.

And if so, what is the minimum requirements that i should look for the 12v transformer so i dont mess up the fans.

Thanks for the review and mod display,

 

Nice mod. Is that cooler good, i hear that it's the one of the best out there. But does it support the gateway p7805u.

 

yeah it does, i got my p7805u sitting on top of one right now. Vents dont align exactly but it does a pretty good job of keeping the whole base cool when fans are maxed out.

 

i'm pretty sure what most people do is just use both the ac adapter and also the usb to usb plug at the same time to give the fans the most power. sorry, i didn't look into what the optimal voltage requirements are so i never figured out if an ac adapter upgrade was necessary, although that seems like it would make sense.

i think if you own a 17" laptop your main options for cooling pads are either this nzxt or the zalman 2000 depending on how the vents are lined up on the laptop.

 

Dont try this because I just did and one of my fans started smoking and there was a smell of burning. Running fans @ 12v with AC adapter; burning smell occurred once USB to USB plug was attached from seperate powered Belkin 7-port hub (which in turn is connected to my 7805u).

Immediately unplugged everything and left it for a couple of hours. Cryo LX seems to work fine again but I reckon i've fried the USB ports on it....have yet to test it out.

Any chance someone can kindly post a disassembly guide of Cryo LX please or is it really just a simple matter of:-

-flipping it over,
-unscrewing a couple of screws on fan grill,
-unplug current fans,
-switch over to new fans,
-reconnect everthing.....are the wires fixed in place or can they be "stuffed back" in?
-replace cover,
-start it up.

???

thanks

 

I believe the volt limit is 5v not 12v

 

Got my NZXT Cryo LX today, verry satisfied already! ^^

nice mods btw

 

no, fans can handle 12v.....i have been running them @ 12v ever since i purchased the LX 4 months ago. NZXT simply ship the LX with a 5v adapter nowadays. I browsed through this thread and read that people also connected USB to USB as well so i thought i might as well try it out too....

BAD IDEA lol - the fans still work fine and I'm pretty sure something is scorched/burnt out inside but i dont know what. Currently contemplating changing out the fans for 3x 1900rpm Scythe fans (330 CFM total) and i'll probably then see the damage caused.

 

Well the S-Flex fans can run fine at 12v, but what im worried is the USB PCB maybe its not design to function at 12v, so i might have to do a seperate connection and avoid the built in plug thru the PCB. But still thinking about it.

 

hello moto - you don't need a disassembly guide. all you need is a philips head screwdriver (it helps to have 2 or 3 of slightly different sizes because the screws are not all the same) and 1 zip tie to hold the fan wires together when you put the fan cage back together.

i think putting the scythes or aftermarket fans in there is a huge improvement in cooling and noise because the stock fans are so cheap.

 

just took apart my Cryo LX - piece of cake. I can't believe i thought it was going to be so difficult lol. Just waiting for the arrival of my 3x Scythe Kaze Jyuni 1900RPM fans now.

yay!

 

Just be carefull, not sure about the Jyuni, but not a lot of fans like Horizontal placement or are design for it. I remember that slipstreams didnt like it and the sflex were ok for it.

 

Im thinking on going with a seperate 12v adaptar and avoid the pcb. Maybe something like

AC 110v to 12v 4pin molex Power Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/110v-4pin-mol...TF8&coliid=I1BCMO9GXYKOHP&colid=1482BANTLP3VL

I think the sflex come with 4pin adapaters so i could stack them and connect them direct to this PSU. What do u guys think.

 

ah crap....just googled this for more info and it seems that the general consensus is that lubricating oil leaks out and increases wear and tear, not to mention producing a rattling sound of some sort.

going to attempt to change for order for 3x Scythe S-flex 1600rpm fans.....the cost of which is almost equal to another cryo LX lol.

 

I'm thinking of getting two S-Flex 1200rpm fans (for the outside two) and one Noctua NF-P12 (for the middle). Anyone have experience with the Noctua in a horizontal placement? It is supposed to have good static pressure numbers which would work well when sitting so close to a grill like in this cooler...

 

I bought myself a CyroLX a few months ago and I really like the original poster's LED idea so I'm thinking about doing it myself. I vaguely remember reading something about the fans can have odd placement or what not, so I was wondering if I got three of these (link below) would they fit properly or not. They look similar to the OP's but I was looking at the S-Flexs on Newegg and they were a different model even though they looked the same. Thanks for any help.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209011

 

Awesome looking mod wasupdog.

However, I'm just curious. Are the Antec fans more sturdy and powerful than the ones NZXT provided on the Cryo LX? I'm thinking of getting a cooler for my XPS m1530 soon too and am toggling my decision between the Notepal Infinite, Zalman NC2000, and Antec Notebook Cooler 200. I'm really not liking the design of the Antec Notebook Cooler 200, and also the fact that it has more plastic than metal components. But may consider it again if the huge fan it has is more sturdy and powerful than its competition.

 

the stock fans that come on the cryo lx are basically the cheapest piece of crap fans you can get. antec, scythe or any aftermarket fan that you buy will be of higher quality. the quality, build and bearings of the scythe fans are really impressive and they are of higher quality than the antec fans which are sold everywhere. i don't use them because i prefer to use led fans lol.

next time i need to buy fans i'll probbly try out the led yate loons which are popular for builders. jab-tech dot com is where i get mine.

 

The following information is for anyone try out a 3x scythe s-flex fan replacement:-



If your Cryo LX guts look like the ones displayed above (pulled from my Cryo LX prior to NXZT replacement parts insertion), you will be able to run it at 12v. Just dont use the USB-to-USB power cable in tandem with it or else it overloads the hub controller and causes the Cryo LX to run at reduced speed permanently, irrespective of input voltage ie. The fan dial is essentially rendered useless. See my earlier posts in this thread for exact details; in brief, smoke and burning smell occurs.

The NXZT replacement parts that i received this morning differ slightly from the one pictured above. The Fan controller has a couple more capacitors and ICs. This controller cannot run @ 12v with 3x scythe s-flex fans installed. Doing so will cause some of the solder connections to get so hot that they will melt and start smoking. I found this out the hard way!

Reduce to 9v and it works fine (fans run at max. speed YAY). Havent tested out the new hub controller but seeing as i am currently pumping 9v through the LX, i certainly am not going to be connecting any external pendrives etc. to it.

Hope this proves useful.

 

sorry but how do i reduce it to 9v = =
(dont know much about electronics)
so if i reduce it to 9v, can i run 3 S-Flex fans on it??

 

I just did this and even with using ac power, bypassing the rheostat/resistor, and using 44cfm fans it still blows the exact same as it did stock. I have had this cooler for almost 2 years and when I finally get around to modding it like I wanted to its a giant bust. I think its time for me to move on to bigger and better coolers.

 

I'm trying to change the fans... but... I just change them for some cooler master ones. when I connect 2 fans the other one stops working. it appears it doesn't have enough power.... I really dunno what's the problem since they should work at the same voltage as the standard fans...
this is pcb pics. clearly the newer version



also, why the hub controller has 2 outputs if only one is used?

 

One makes it suck the other blows -- if they were to use them both it would suck and blow at the same time and nobody wants that.

 

tkx for the clarification, I tried to connect in both but I didn't realised the difference xD

my fans are not meant to be used in this thing... I was trying some cooler master ones that came with a thermal sensor and a fan controller. And they are rated 12v.

Anyway my AW M17 seams not to have enough power to make the standard fans work properly. if I just increase a bit of speed I get an error:



I didn't tried the AC adapter because it has a type B plug and I live in europe where type C is used.
I also had an AC with 8 different plugs to connect to the hub and with 1.5/3/6/9/12/16v but it doesn't have the correct plug to connect to the hub.
But I've tried an ac usb adapter, I tried a powered usb hub, I tried different setups. nothing worked, the problem persists.
I'll get an AC and see if the problem continues.

 

10x for this.
rep++

 

What fans do you guys recommend? Considering 1 of these: Newegg.com - Delta FFB1212EH-PWM 120mm Case Fan

And maybe 2 of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835705040

I'm worried there won't be enough power supplied to the fans. I may just ditch the usb hub and run a 12v ac adapter.

 

Nice modification. + rep

 

While building and testing my Custom Desk Cooler, I tested many fans and the best and less noisy are definitely the Enermax: Enermax Link

 

Hmm don't care too much about noise, mostly going for power, so far I'm about to purchase these following things. From what I understand the stock fan controller will not be able to handle these fans at full power? Any last suggestions before I purchase the following:


Newegg.com - Scythe KQ01-BK-3.5 "KAZE Q" Fan Controller
Newegg.com - Rexus TopMotor DF121225BH 120mm Case Fan
Newegg.com - 1ST PC CORP. ACDC-12V AC wall jack to 12V DC 4pin Molex Adapter

 

looks like it's gonna be a nice little project. let us know how the results come out.

one last thing u might wanna look into is what kind of connection the fans u order use. from what i've read (please someone correct me if i'm wrong), the cryo LX's fans use a different or more "uncommon" type of plug. just double check that to make sure u get some fans that u can just plug n play.

 

Just got done with replacing the stock fans with 96 cfm fans. Currently only running 2 as I don't think the stock power supply can handle running all 3 at high speeds. It won't affect my laptop too much since I'm only running a single 5870.

Haven't really tested it too much, but so far it doesn't seem to really offer as big of an advantage over stock fans as I expected.

Next on the list of things to get will be:
Amazon.com: Cables To Go - 27078 - 6in 3-pin Fan to 4-pin Pass-Through Power Cable: Electronics

and:

Amazon.com: CG 110v AC to 12v DC 4pin molex Power Adapter: Electronics

 

good to hear back from u.

one question. why'd u go with 96mm fans?

 

96 CFM fans not mm, i basically wanted the most powerful fans at the lowest cost.

 

ahhh, sorry i read that wrong. i thought it said that u replaced them with 96MM fans. not 96CFM.

 

Preliminary Results are pretty disappointing, getting similar results as the stock fans, which was only a 1-2 degree drop with the fan on max vs the fans off.

However the stock cryo unit only has enough power to power 2 of the fans at ~50% so hopefully after I get the 12v 2amp ac adapter I will be able to get all 3 fans to run at max speed.

 

i wouldn't be too disappointed knowing that yur new fans aren't even near being pushed yet. plus there are only 2, where the original OEM set up has 3. if previous cryo LX modifiers are any indication to what u will end up with then u should have no fear, buddy!

 

you are testing the fans under load, right guys ?

 

yes of course, I only have 1 gpu though so third fan doesn't really make too much of a difference. I've only had enough time to run some benchmarks (RE5 & GTAIV).

Comparing the max temps and idle temps the differences aren't that significant. My room was fluctuating between 86-89 degrees though, I'll prob do more testing when my I get an AC and my room temp is more consistent.

 

dang 86-89 inside yur house is friggin hot! forget the laptop! get a fan for yurself! lol

 

I have a fan for myself, but blowing hot air at yourself can only do so much. Funny thing is the AC itself cost a little more than all i've spent on the cryo lx.

 

I wonder how long everyone has been out of stock of the Cryo LX online, because I've been looking around for a good 6 weeks and can't find any well known places that sell them; oddly enough, newegg noted that they were having more in stock on monday, but yeah. I managed to pull enough for one by selling my old desktop case that I don't use anymore.

 

i can only hope that means there will be a new, redesigned, cryo LX coming out. *crosses fingers*

 

It seems like it would be better of just having a aluminum mesh over the top instead of a plate with slits covering it... DIY project get?

 

i've honestly thought about doing something like that when i upgrade my fans, but after about 2 years of use, i don't even really feel like i need to. still keeps my laptop the same temps it did when i first bought it.

i haven't thrown the idea out the window yet though. i will be buying a high end gaming laptop some time soon and i might be doing some mods to my cryo LX.