Do laptop coolers actually make much of a difference?

I'm curious to see if fellow M11X owners actually get a good difference in heat temperatures whilst using laptop coolers.

Normally my laptop CPU would reach up to 81C while gaming, which would trigger the loud fan noise to kick in, which can be annoying as I play Minecraft (which itself isn't a loud game, thus making the fans more noticeable).

So not wanting to waste money on a cooler, does anyone actually get a good enough decrease in heat temps? And if so, what temperature would it normally be with & without the cooler, and what cooler?

Thank you in advance.

 

My microsoft laptop cooler drops temps from 5-15degrees Celsius.

 

Well I didn't actually monitor the temperatures, I do notice a huge difference with the heat coming from my laptop. Also, my laptop seems a bit quieter now, so it probably does make a difference.

 

+1 Everything seems to stay in a normal range now.

 

I use CoolerMaster Notepal U2 for VAIO f12. Even if fans are turned of it still gives big help in cooling. It gives additional space underneath so air comes freely. It gave me over 10C for my overclocked GPU. And my fans on cooler are almost always turned off because they do not help much. It is enough space for air coming to wholes

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I guess I'll be picking up a laptop cooler now.

 

Yeah ... I haven't measured my difference, but with overclocking sometimes the laptop would overheat and crash before the cooler. After the cooler I haven't seen that happen once.

 

If anything they're great for getting the laptop off a flat surface, helping the built in fan as well. Picked up by Zalman made for netbooks but fits this laptop perfectly. Powered by usb so it's great for portability.

 

Was running 80C+ without a cooler and lifting the back end of my M11x with 2 erasers.

Bought a Coolermaster U2, now I record 70C max. So it does make quite a difference :d

 

After I got a cooler the laptop never reaches the annoying 5200 rpm fan and about 9C less when gaming.

 

The key with the M11x is to raise the back to allow better airflow. Options for this are such as:

Use the power cord under the back rubber feet
Use a pencil under the back rubber feet
Use bottle tops (somone has a post on this) etc..

Or I have bent a wire cake cooling thing into a shape to rest the M11x on at an angle.

 

Thanks for this reply. I'll try this before buying a laptop cooler, save me some money. Again, thank you everyone for the great replies.

 

In this case these will be better:
Laptop Notebook Cooling Cooler Stand Ball Leg Pad Black | eBay
Laptop Cooling Cooler Ball Leg Pad Blue Notebook New - eBay (item 160507697267 end time Apr-16-11 02:57:02 PDT))

EDIT\\\ Another BLUE to Ireland. New Notebook Laptop Cool Ball Protect Leg Pad Blue | eBay
You can ask a seller if he will make an exception but...

 

Doesn't ship to Ireland, yet they ship to the UK?

EDIT: Oh wait the blue one does.. I wanted the black though but meh.

 

Have a coolermaster, once it's on my laptop fan will never have to turn on, and the laptop cooler's fan is much quieter.

 

I just posted on another thread about this. i added some adhesive rubber feet i bought from radio shack. works wonders and i treat it as if it was an intended design for the laptop. the keyboard is now at a ergonomic angle too.

 

I did exactly this with my P90 notebook ... yes I am that old

Here is a version of the cake-cooler for my mini 311 (the M11x is similar but needs more bending for the profile of the leading edge)

 

Just got a few copy books and have my M11X slightly leaning on 'em, and my CPU temp hovered around 70C - 76C. Normally it would get to 81C playing Minecraft so a slight improvement.

 

Pls buy a coller ... I can`t imagine playing games on a lapatop without a cooler..
You can check ZALMANN products , the best cooler I ever had ... ofcourse not very cheap ..

 

A common myth (and depends on your sitting position relative to your station). A more "ergonomic" angle is usually achieved when raising the front of the keyboard, not the back.

 

I don't get it, why do people hate the fan noise? For me even if it gets more louder I wouldn't have a problem. Can't you guys just ignore it or wear a headset or earphones . Also the heat from this microwave burnt my left thigh.

 

with the Vbios mod me and a few other people worked on, i idle at 36C now.. thats basicly room temp. i dont mind the fan noise, i kinda like it actually.

 

Is it actually cooler to touch?

 

it actualy is, the fan runs at the lowest possible speed about 70% of the time, i dont mind it. and temps are olmost 10C cooler. i think the vmod triggered the fan the be on more due to the voltage. keeps it nice and cool tho.

 

That's not supposed to happen. Probably higher temps incompatible with low temperature threshold of the fan table. Hmm, can you control the fan using Mumak's tool?

 

where can i find mumak's tool? never used it before.

 

Here it is.

 

yes i can, it works perfectly.

used the 1207 beta build.

 

Is that a fan controller? If it works, then I will rep+ you. I've been looking for a fan controller all this time I've been on this forum.

EDIT: WOWOWOWOWWOOW, it works! Many thanks to you! Just to be safe, whats the fan max?

 

Yes, it controls the fan speed.

 

Wow it works!!!! :O
What are the max safe temps for the GPU on the R2? I get about 72C on 4200 rpm playing games using 99% of GPU usage. Usually the 5200rpm fan would kick in and lower the temps to 68C. Is the rule like everything below 80C?

 

No. By the time the M11x reaches dangerous temperatures, it will shut itself off. I know because I know a friend who couldn't work out why his pinmodded R1 always shutdown during a game, stress test or sitting idle: he forgot the fan cable.
Other then that, safe and unsafe temperatures are subjective and often arbitarily decided: 90C could be OK for some while for others 80c is too much.

 

is there one that you can auto set when the fan should come on at what temperatures?

 

My wife picked me up the Targus Lap Chill Mat on a whim last night. It's larger than the m11x, but actually works well for my ginormous lap.

It hardly does anything to cool temps on the low end. Before, I'd see 48-53c on the CPU at idle. Now, 46-53 whether the mat is plugged or unplugged. Any variance here is definitely just because the vent is elevated higher.

However, the upper end is a different story. With the chill mat elevated, but unplugged, I still max out at 85c. With the mat plugged in, my top end is 74c.

That's a big difference! (and the fans in the Chill Mat aren't even that strong...)