Seeking a heavy-duty notebook cooler

I've preordered a gaming laptop with a 680M GPU, but the 17" MSI barebones it will be seated in has an awful heat dissipation, so I'm looking to prolong its life (and perhaps lower its fan noise) with a dedicated heavy duty cooler.

I've read several reviews and user reviews and where's what I came up with:

Zalman NC3000U - had great reviews all around, all praising its cooling performance (back in 2010, anyway). Yet I've read several user reviews that reported that not only does this cooler not improve the cooling on a gaming laptop (of exactly the type I'm preordering, no less), it can actually worsen it. So this one drops.

Coolermaster U2/U3 - Both look nice and sturdy with no frills design, which is excellent. But there are numerous reports on the cheap, lousy fans that Coolermaster have been using with these models, that they stopped working very soon after purchase. I know I can buy better fans and install them instead, but I'm looking for a more complete package and don't want to mess around with a simple cooler just to get the job done.

Coolermaster Storm SF 19 Strike Force Super Special Ultra Power Superlative Superlative Superlative - Sigh. A gimmick. A much too pricey gimmick here in Europe (about 76 Euros, which is $96). And those useless lights, ugh. Plus it has user reviews about smoke coming out of it? Huh? Anyway, I'll pass.

So what else is there to cool off a poorly ventilated gaming laptop that is more about cooling performance and less about messing with fans or paying for useless marketing ploys and cheap lights? Can anyone offer an advice?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

i haven't seen those in action but nearly all laptop coolers do not put out enough air. I would look into maybe even replace the fans on those for more airflow or something.

 

I've read the Coolermaster Storm actually moves quite a lot of air, but it costs way too much and doesn't seem to be worth it.

I've read some good things about the NZXT Cryo LX. It doesn't seem to be locally available for purchase, but if it is indeed good enough I might consider importing it.

 

they just restocked with a batch of Cryo LX's. i would advise u to hop on it while u can because they will be gone very fast. we'll never know when they will come back.

hands down, no cooler on the market can come close to the Cryo LX.

 

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER NotePal Ergo Stand Model R9-NBS-4UAK Notebook Cooler

I used this one for my Toshiba Satellite "Gaming" computer. It turned out that my toshiba wasn't meant for gaming and so would overheat even while set on a flat surface whenever I tried playing a game. I didn't do any temperature tests or anything, but this kept my computer from shutting off from overheating.

*note - the stand isn't very comfortable on your lap. So i always had it on a desk.

Hope that helps

PS - If you're worried about overheating on your rig I would strongly recommend you upgrade your thermal compound. I've heard great things about what upgraded thermal compounds do for a computer's temperature.

 

Thanks!

I've read about the Ergo. It looks a bit weaker than what I had in mind, since according to reviews, this lousy laptop can cause the CPU to reach over 90 degrees and the GPU to about 85-87 or so. Literally, not cool.

Yeah, I've read about the thermal compound. I didn't have an option for it via the reseller, but I'll only consider it if all else fails.

Thanks again!

 

I would vote the U3 because I have it, you can direct the fan directly at the vents. I also recommend removing the safety grills to get more airflow.

The SF-19 is good, but as you said, too pricey. Try to get the USB 2.0 ver instead of the 3.0, it's cheaper. The 2x 140MM does move a lot of air, but isn't adjustable like the U3. The advantage though, it runs off an independent power supply instead of your USB port

 

I have th CM Notepal U2. My fans died, just as you explained, so I've modded mine since. It works really well for me. In general, the cooling pad is decent at best (because of the fans), but it's very, VERY easy to mod.

I bought 2x "silent" desktop case fans, 70mm, $10 on sale for both. Cut off the USB plug from the CM's fans, spliced it with the two case fans I bought. Using adjustable zap straps (very small ones), I can move them around the stand to point the fans at the intake vents on the underside of my XPS15. On top of that, I've removed the panel on the bottom of my laptop and used masking tape to tape window screen mesh (same stuff used in screen doors) to help act as a dust filter. Since I have the USB adapter plugged into a self-powered USB that outputs 1.5A instead of a measily 500-750mAh, the fans seem to be able to push a decent ~30 CFM while still being relatively quiet.

The case fans are able to push air really well; the open bottom panel means, in general, more air flow without more dust due to the screen mesh; and the re-adjustable zap straps mean i can move the fans around any time i need to.

 

Just chiming in: I have the CF-19 and it's great No smoke and no issues so far.

Mr. Mysterious