U3 vs SF-19?

I would like to buy a new cooling pad. The one I have now is a cheap $3 cooler.

I have a N43SM, vents: Front, HDD+PCB (close), RAM slot. And the hotspots are near the vent/fan assembly (left side) (does not have vent).


I'm choosing between the SF-19 and the U3, I'm considering the U3 because of the free fan positioning. But the SF-19 has two 140mm (replaceable) fans and more airflow and LED, but it doesn't have moveable fan advantage.


Any advice?

 

I've got the U3 and I can tell you it's amazing. Keeps my Qosmio nice and well ventilated.

I can speak from experience saying that while temps for my Qosmio aren't necessarily cooler, according to certain programs, my fan speeds aren't going above 50% now even under max load. Before the cooler they'd hit up to 80% fan speed, but the Qosmio is different from other machines.

I like mine a LOT.

 

So the U3 is better than the SF-19?


EDIT: I also need the cooler to be able to mount to fit a 100mm fan (really thick)

 

I'd probably go with the U3 because it allows you to reposition the fans and its half the price of the SF-19. Only downside is that the fans don't push much air.

 

...and the fans don't last very long. i've already gotten a new pair of fans from CoolerMasters under warranty for my U2.

 

Hmmm :| this is a tough choice

 

I've had my U3 for 6 months and the fans aren't showing any signs of failure???

I would honestly recommend the U3. However, there's one big downside to the cooler: It's not lap friendly.

 

i'm happy with my U2 as well. except after a couple of months of use, one of the fans started to have a grinding noise whenever i plugged it in. the noise (faulty/failing bearings, probably) would go away after the running for about two minutes, then it would come back after about two hours of use. i contacted CoolerMaster, and they sent me a new pair of fans for free.

 

I actually got a U2, and even though the fans doesn't seem that powerful, it does a pretty decent job imo. Now I am planning on getting another U2 or a U3 since I heard you can adjust the fan speed, and I'm gonna combine all those fans together to keep my laptop cool.

 

U3 and hook up some 120mm noctuas to it

 

^ that's my plan

 

I'm intrigued. How do you hook it up?

 

U3 - USB powered
SF-19 - not USB powered, therefore more powerful (I'd hope)

This was the deciding factor for me. I ordered a SF-19 rather than the U3 (but I'll admit because of the all the U3 recs, and good price tag I see myself buying the U3 at some point)

 

as far as i know, the Noctua fans are all 12V DC-rated, so you can't power them with a USB port. you can, however, buy an AC-DC converter and power the fans with it. you can also screw the fans directly to the U3 which has a lot of holes already drilled in it. you might, however, need to somehow raise the bottom of the cooler (gluing a piece of foam to the bottom, maybe) so that the fan does not touch the surface of your desk, as the Noctua fans are all 1" thick (as opposed to the 1cm thickness of the U3 fans).