Laptop cooler? Bytecc Aluminum Cooler Review

Hello everyone! I've been looking for a notebook cooler for my M17 since I get it in January and I decided to take a chance and spend $20 + Shipping on the Bytecc Aluminum Notebook Cooler.

I was sold on this particular unit versus the others because of the prices, the material, and the spec's specifically say "Supports up to 17" Notebook". Although looking at it's actual dimensions now I notice it's 13.3" x 10.3" x 0.1". The M17 does hang off the edge a little bit but it remains sturdy and it definitely feels solid enough to keep your palms rested on it while playing games. The fact it's aluminum is nice but some of the other more expensive coolers I saw were plastic, which is not only cheap but also doesn't help any with dissipating heat. Now for some pictures!


Here's a shot of the box, note the poorly translated and/or just plain old uninspiring slogan of "Enjoy your computer life".





A couple shots of the laptop resting on the cooler. Note how it hangs off the edges, although it doesn't seem to affect stability. Also note that this cooler may scratch the surface of your desk!



A shot of underneath the cooler shows the two small fans. The placement doesn't do a whole lot for the M17 but I figure at least there's something drawing heat away.



Another shot of the underside.



And the back complete with power ON/OFF switch and one single "Y" USB cable. I have the fan plugged into my laptop and my USB Mouse plugged into that. It's nice they thought of that and I don't lose a USB port.

All in all the design is decent and I have to say it's really nice having the laptop elevated at an angle like that for typing. It takes a few minutes to get used to but it will feel natural very quickly.

Now how about real world performance? How much does this thing actually cool? The fans are rated at ~3000RPM and the cooler itself is aluminum to help grab some of the that heat. To test it's performance I used Far Cry 2 running on ALL VERY HIGH in DX10. My M17's specs are in my signature and I using self MobModded 9.4's. On a side note, the game runs AMAZINGLY!

Standard temperatures with NO GPU usage are ~48C
W/ the Bytecc Cooler and NO GPU usage are ~ 47C

Standard temperatures in Far Cry 2 are ~74C
W/ the Bytecc Cooler in Far Cry 2 are ~ 71C


So in just general usage there's practically no different in temperature. While gaming the difference is still minimal. One interesting thing I noticed the system fans seemed to kick on less when the cooler's fans were on, despite the lack of difference in temperature. So the verdict is the cooler is pretty much only good for propping the laptop up! Which I would say is worth it but due to the placement of the fans this cooler isn't going to do much for us M17 users in terms of temperature differences. For that purpose I give it a 5/10. It's really only doing half it's job!

I'm sure out there is a cooler worthy of the M17 and can cause a noticeable difference in temperature. Anyone else have one? Care to give a brief review?

 

haha, the puny fans made me laugh. NZXT Cryo LX would do the trick

 

the next cryo or the will jones version or the zalaman 2000

 

They have a cheap cooler at the px here. It says its rated #1 lol. I might just have to get it and see how it works when I finally get my M17.

Cheers

 

Looks like it'll do a better job then my ThermaPAK.

 

They are really tiny... And this is something I forgot to mention in the review but it's also pretty loud...