NZXT Cryo LX

Hi,

While trying to keep myself occupied waiting for my M17x-R2 to ship to me I have been looking for a notebook cooler.

Going on much of the sage wisdom of this site I decided to look at the NZXT Cryo LX, but perhaps I am daft I cannot find one being sold anywhere (I am in the UK, perhaps they don't operate here?).

I have found them available on ebay, but these come from the US and I'm not sure if there are regional differences with power etc that I need to be aware of?

In summary: 1. Does anyone know of a UK retailer where I can purchase one?
2. Will a US version be compatible power wise in the UK?

PS: How much overlap, if any, is there over the sides with the M17x or does it fit nicely on top?


Thanks!

 

I actually have my M17x on a Cryo right now. To answer a few of your questions, the Cryo operates on 110V-240V. I'm running it on 240. Not sure what type of wall socket is used in the UK, but at most you'd need an adaptor. It's power plug has the two verticle prongs that are used in the US.

As far as overlap goes, with the M17x on it, the cooler hangs out about 1/3" past the left and right side of the M17x, so it's slightly bigger. I keep the M17x about as far back as I can on the cooler. The cooler really is the perfect size, but defiantely not for lap use.

EDIT: Here are some pics I just took

 

Look on amazon.com
Its not being sold anymore by the company so youll have to get one secondhanded or on amazon.

 

All that information is ideal thanks chaps!

Question, if the Cryo is powered by USB can I escape the need to plug it into the wall at all? The UK power plug is tri-pronged so an adapter would be necessary but I think we operate on a 240v grid as well.

I've found it here on amazon.com, but I have never ordered from the US site before so hopefully they won't kill me on shipping!

EDIT: Amazon will not ship this item to the UK citing Warranty/Manufacturer restrictions.

 

Ask a US citizen to do that for you. There are plenty on this site that are willing to help.

 

So it is legal to ship it then? I thought that Amazon might have stopped it due to a conflict with the power etc?

Can you shed any light on whether it can power itself purely through USB (does the cable come with it)?

Where would I find such a kind hearted stranger to ship this to me?

 

mine went with USB only.

 

That is good to know,

Since shipping would likely push this cooler up to a very high price ($150 roughly) I think I will look for one that is still being manufactured.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Antec 200 and how well the m17x fits on it? And of course how effective the cooling is...

 

Not sure on the Antec, but you can always post a WTB ad in the Marketplace and may be able to get it cheaper. And might be cheaper through customs that way as well. I'm sure there's gotta be somone with one who sold thier M17x. Just another option.

 

^^ good idea actually. I sold mine because its harder to use on all surfaces.

 

I have had the NZXT for about 2 years.

My review: The corners are sharp I cut my Leather Couch, I have cut my hands, ripped shirts, pants and the fans are noisy, that could be why they stopped making it.

I tossed it in the garbage, I should have done that before causing so much damage$$$$$$

I am sure you can find something better.

 

Yea I agree that the edges are sharp, but it never leaves my desk, even when the notebook does. If your notebook is on the desk most of the time, it's definately a good cooler since the fans match up with the GPU/CPU fan intakes.

 

This just means that Amazon have an agreement with the seller that they won't sell outside the US. The usual reason for such an agreement is that the seller already has an overseas distribution channel, and doesn't want parallel imports to cut down on that channel revenue.

If you still want one shipped, you can either get another forum member to help, or use the services of a forwarding company. These companies are US-based, and you get them to receive your shipment. They then forward the shipment on to you, wherever you live, and charge you a fee for their services. There are a number of these companies out there.

I use ForwardIt.us to get bits to New Zealand. They charge a $US5 for each shipment, and will give you shipping prices for a number of services when they're ready to send the package on. You can also get them to accept a number of deliveries from multiple online stores, and they'll put it all into one box and send it all at the same time. This usually ends up being a more cost effective option.

 

I just bought one off of newegg. You don't need to plug it into an ac outlet. It can plug into a USB port on your laptop for power.

 

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I hope it helps..... *^_^*

 

Is that the Antec 200 inside a Cryo LX case?

Looks awesome! Don't expect these are available online though!

 

Yes.. Hehe... I replaced the old ones with Antec...

 

Hey, i hope someone with a cryo lx and m17x can help me here....

I got my cryo the other day (minus wall adaptor ) and I have followed the somewhat crappy instructions to connect it up to my lappy as follows.

USB-USB - right hand m17x usb nearest back
USB-DC- righht hhand m17x usb nearest front.

Now, yeah the fans work....i really dont notice any difference at all tho when using the adjuster wheel...they seem to stay constant and im pretty sure it must be on low.

The usb hub is a bit odd as i can connect my logitech mx performance mouse to charge whilst in use via the cryo hub and it works fine....now if i try to plug the nano receiver into the cryo hub to free up an m17x usb, it doesnt work! - mouse wont work?

This is via the same cryo usb that would charge the mouse but wont work with the nano receiver plugged into it.....odd.

If any of you guys wout there with a cryo/m17x can tell me if, by using the usb-usb/usb-dc leads only, you are able to notice any difference in fan speed/output???

Seems to me that it should work at full blast when powered via m17x usb but it doesnt. I can only think of two things....one being cryo is faulty on the fan adjuster board or two...the m17x usb doesnt output enough power to fully max out the fans...

Any help appreciated.

 

The Cryo LX usb hub sucks! It does not provide enough power for various of components. It cause static noise on my loud speakers when I connect them via a Digital to Analog Converter which is connected via usb port on the hub. Plugging the DAC directly to my R2 usb port solved the problem.

It also cause trouble for my external HDD which is powered by AC adapter. Sometimes unrecognized, sometimes very slow response etc...

Simply put, don't bother w/ the hub. It may cause severe problems to your stuff. I wish I can use it since my R2 looks like a mess now w/ everything plugging in straightly to it. Those are 1 usb port for external HDD, 1 for my Orochi, 1 for my DAC, 1 for powering the Cryo, that not to mention HDMI port and headphone out are also occupied all the time I was very happy when I saw 4 usb ports at the back of the Cryo, thought it would cure my messy connects but...

 

Yeah, i know the feeling....wanted to free up as many usb's as possible on the m17x and thought the hub would be great....not so great if it cant even power my nano receiver for my wireless mouse!!!

But , saying that, ive head lots of people dont bother with the hub and just use a wall charger to power it leaving all usb's on the lappy free for other stuff.....

Thing is, mine didnt come with any form of wall charger and im in the UK so dont even know if nzxt do a uk wall charger!

Must say tho, i have just ran 3dMark06with gpu-z ...one with the cryo not on and one with it on after gpu's had cooled a bit.

Temps (max) on the primary went from 46/55/53 to 45/49/49 c and thats on fans low (i think low anyway as i cant adjust them atm)

Can imagine getting better results with a wall charger/no usb hub and fans on full......just doing my head in becasue as i cant adjust the fans at the mo, im thinking that they are underpowered and on low all the time even tho i put it up to max, i dont see or feel or hear any difference in output from the cryo.

 

Like I said, piece of junk.

 

Stevie, all my exp are w/ the Cryo power via usb using the usb to "I don't know what it called" cable (it's not the usb to usb cable) so that may explain for those problem. I will try power the Cryo using AC adapter to see if problems persist.

 

Thanks Honey...

 

FWIW I always use the AC adapter to power my Cryo, and never bothered trying to use the USB cables at all. Mouse and Keyboard are the only USB devices I keep connected, so saving one port just wasn't worth it, and external USB hubs often cause problems of their own.

With the AC adapter the fan speed dial works fine.

 

I have a lot to connect to my M17x so the hub would help a lot. By the way using AC adapter solved all of my problems as mentioned above.

 

Thanks for the info, i am awaiting parts from NZXT for my somewhat faulty cooler....getting a new usb board, new controller board and a UK wall charger....hopefully all will be fine then!

 

i bought a crylo for my M15x and didn't like it much, wasn't as strong as i hope for, plus really sharp corners like someone else mention and i feel some of the stuff looks cheap, especially the usb ports and the ac adapter all feels cheap for something so pricey. now using a $20 cooler master and pretty satisfied with it, love how you can move the fans around on it. this is just my opinion, so please don't be mad. heheheh

 

I was using a NC2000 before and to be honest it blows the Cryo out of water in term of build quality and appearance. Tho the Cryo has fans at the front which is more ideal for M17x design.

 

Thanks guys. The most important thing to consider with a cooler though has got to be "how well does it cool?"

I looked at the zalman nc3000u shortly after getting the cryo and must admit i liked the looks of it but wether or not 1 large centrally located fan is not efficient as 3 smaller perfectly placed ones could be debatable.

I would love to have some kind of concrete temps from both the zalman/coolermaster to compare with the cryo....that would make my mind up which one is the best !!

Ps - if anyone has temps for these, please post them!

 

Hi guys, i just got my Cryo NZXT today, and i was wonder about the time of use, i mean,l do you keep this turned on all the day at max speed or low speed ? And using the DC power to wall or just the Hub ? . .. i just wanna know it becuse i dont want to push harder on this, i mean, dont put too much work over it . . .

 

I don't think you have any issues with it. My Cryo has averaged 12-14hrs a day everyday since April/May 2008, I normally power via usb but have used an AC adapter from time to time. It stays maxxed out on fan speed. The only thing I havn't used is the usb hub. Everything is still intact, orginal fans still working good. I break it down about every 6 months for a good cleaning.

 

Thanks for the answer, but i cant understand that thing about the USB Hub, i got three cables, one is the DC adapter (which im using right now), the other is a double USB wired, i plug this to the first usb port (right to left) of the Cryo for transfer data from Cryo to my machine, and the other is the one that have the plug to be on the DC slot and sub terminal, is this one the USB hub ? cause this also works for me without issues till now . . . . Thanks again

 

Basically, you can use the USB to USB cable if you want to use the Cryo's USB hub....you obviously need this connection to allow transfer between the things plugged into the cryo's hub to your lappy.

The other cable, the USB to DC jack, use for this is purely to power the cooler...you do NOT need to have the USB to USB lead connected to the hub to operate the cryo. You can use this option for powering the fans alone.

NZXT recommend using both conncetions (USB to USB & USB to DC)

I have tried this but my fans speed seems contstant and I am not able to adjust it up or down (or so it seems)

I think the best way to use this (sticking to manufacturer guides) is to used the DC power adapter that you have and the USB to USB cable (if you want to use the hub - if not, dont bother with it - you can run your cryo by just plugging it into the wall socket with the DC adapter and nothing else.)

Other uses have reported really good performance gains by using a 12v adapter but you will need to MAKE SURE you DONT connect it to you lappy IF you do this, so DONT use USB to USB or any cable that goes to your lappy should you want to try this out, it will more than likely fry your mobo.

Hope this helps!

 

The one thing that doesn't look like it's been mentioned is the lack of an off switch. To kill power to the fans the only way is to unplug the unit if you're using the D/C apapter. The D/C port on the back isn't very strong anyway, so it's easy to break if you forget to be very gentle with it. Fortunatly, the internals of the unit are extremely simple, and anyone familiar with a soldering gun can manage a kill switch like I did. It was already indirectly posted, but you can increase airflow noticeably by just removing the mesh on top of the fans too. It's not secured down, it comes right off.

 

I just snagged one of these for my new M17x that will be coming in on monday!! I tested it out with my Fiancee's dell and its really nice.

 

would be good lozz if you could post some instructions on the on/off switch....

 

Hey, thanks for the great explanation, you're such a good fella.

Thats great Lozz !! I was considering the same, its really annoying to unplug the AC/DC adaptor to get the Cryo off, can you make a guide for this, parts, etc? Will be great, again, thanks

 

there's not really much to it, but I'll see if I can whip something up tomorrow for you guys.

 

Nice one, I will bust out the soldering iron and dust it off lol

 

it's up
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/522531-how-nzxt-off-switch.html#post6761421

 

i really don't get why the hubs don't work. I plugged in the ac adapater, and also the usb to usb.

The m17x says a message unidentified device, and in device manager it says unknown device.

However, when I plug it into another laptop like my vaio, it works :/

 

I dont know why you guys are getting problems wit the USB HUB, i dont have nothing at all, without and with the AC adapter . . .

 

argg this is so weird, i really had some use for the usb ports

 

oh shoot what do you think might be wrong...

I tried it on my windows 7 on another dual boot, and it worked,

so it looks like my generic usb hub is not there anymore/./. What can I do?


im proabably going to guess that there's some software on my computer that is not letting me read the usb hub correctly :/