Best MBP Cooler

I know several have been mentioned here and there in response to heat and whatnot, such as the Zalman. I figured I'd consolidate some opinions into one thread though.

Is there a notebook cooler that is specifically designed for the MBP, in relation to where the cooling vents, the processors, the GPU are located, etc.?

Simply put, what is the best cooler for the MBP. Mobility and being able to fit on a lap is not an issue - the only times when I'd need it is for gaming or other intensive tasks, which I won't be doing on the run.

 

I have been using Antec Notebook cooler. Pretty Decent.

 

I have the Zalman NC1000. It's a great notebook cooler and it worked well on my Alienware. It's just not wide enough for my MBP. It hangs off the ends of the cooler on both sides. It doesn't really do much for my MBP temperatures either.

 

I heard that the MBP intakes air through the keyboard? is this correct?

if this is so, then wouldnt most of the traditional cooling pads be pointless becasuse they blow air on the bottom?

I was trying to think of a solution that would help dissapate as much heat as possible for the MBP and the best thing I could think of is like a aluminum stand thats about a half inch tall with tons of holes drilled into it. Set it on a desk and coupled with the mbp aluminum case it should act as a large heat sink. This is the best I could think of.

shaped like this:

____________________________
l............................................l......

dots are the desk


any thoughts of better ideas? it just seems like the normal cooling devices would be pointless.

 

I just prop my MBP on my 635 page AP Calculus guide book. XD

 

I have an all aluminum Bytec cooler. If you remove the little rubber feet so that the MBP rests directly on the metal, then it helps a great deal, especially with the fans going. Plus it's the same color and a very good size.

 

so the aluminum kinda acts like a big heat sink for the aluminum case of the MBP if u dont use teh rubbers?

sounds good to meh!

 

Well, I guess that's better than the entire MBP acting as a heatsink for its insides

 

I'm gunna be getting this one http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html
They have a model thats made pretty much for the 15" MBP, among others. It doesn't have any fans...but it basically uses an elevation and aluminum to dissipate the heat. I've read some good things about it on this forum too.

 

damn that thing looks nice!

but 60 bucks???

 

Hmmm, would that thing really dissipate heat? Would the stand work as a makeshift heatsink?

 

Gosh, I can't find the picture, but heiman5 there was a laptop cooler that was built exactly as your describe. It was just a cooling pad with lots of holes drilled in it with fans below that, so that the MBP could benefit from cooling on its entire underside. I wonder where that went...

 

I just added a poll to this thread.

Poll is specific to the unique cooling system of the MBP...NOT how good you think the cooling pad is in general. Being able to be used on a lap is not an issue.

Cooler Master NotePal Infinity (new, no reviews or price yet. Seems to be same as Zalman ZM-NC1000)

Zalman ZM-NC1000 (the standard out there currently, but is it really that great for MBP?)

Vantec LapCool 5 LPC-501 (smaller, doesn't offer cooling spread across entire bottom of laptop, but has built-in USB hub useful for the USB-port-deprived MBP, not just the one extra USB provided by the other coolers)

Antec NB Cooler

Jetart Finest Aluminium NP7200

Logitech Alto (USB hub, elevated cooling, but no active fans)

iLap Laptop Stand (just a stand)

Targus Notebook Stand with Removable Chill Hub (new as well, although the chill hub has been out for a while)

 

taelrak, any chance you could add this one to the mix:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834999336&Tpk=bytec

This is the one I was talking about that's almost the exact size for a MBP, and if you take the little rubber feet off it acts as a large heat sink. The fans are a little loud, but with them on the fans in the laptop never go about 3k rpm(even after an hour long HL2 deathmatch fest). You can also change the fans yourself, and if you wanted I'm sure you could easily attach a fanspeed controller to the cooler.
My only grip with it is the little lip at the bottom edge that holds the laptop on the cooler can be a bit rough, but it's not that major.

 

Sorry, I can't edit polls once they're out (that I know of anyway). Maybe cash or another mod will be so kind?

 

Throw it in the arctic ocean, that should work well.

 

How necessary are notebook coolers in general and for the MBP in particular?

 

Well, the chassis and palm rest gets quite hot, so a cooler would just be a convenient thing to have. Also, in general, the temp of my processors average 50...and I'd prefer it to be around 45ish. Gets quite hot while gaming too.

Someone mentioned that the Zalman does not benefit the MBP that much due to its design - is this true?

I'm curious to see the reviews of the Cooler Master Notepal Infinity and the new Targus stand when they come out.

 

Is there any reason to believe that the MBP could be damaged by its own heat without a notebook cooler if left on for a long time though? If there is reason for concern, is there any objective evidence to back this up?

 

flyboy84, the MBP should not ever overheat, regardless of how hard it is stressed. If it does you need to take it back and get it replaced or have the thermal paste reapplied.

In SOME cases, if you run the MBP in Windows and stress the hardware Windows wont set the fans to a high enough speed. Most people fix this by setting the max speed in OSX with the SMCFanControl. When they boot into Windows the fans continue to run on max.

OK! I've had a Vantec LapCool2 for a couple of years and have used it on my Alienware. As soon as my MBP gets here in 2 days, I'll try and do a test/review of its impact on cooling. I think it will perform very well, personally.

LapCool2, not 5, mine is not listed in the poll.

 

how is the lapcool 2 cooling that 17'' storm? I personally have one and haven't gotten the chance to use it yet as my Sager NP5790 hasn't come yet...I am thinking that the zalman nc-1000 is loads better then the lapcool 2 so i'm kinda worried lol haha.

 

Well, my old Alienware 7700 only has CPU temp reading (from SpeedFan).

Generally, I found the laptop fans to be more than adequate for CPU cooling. It was the GPU that needed the cooling, but there is no temp display for the GPU.

When I DID use the LapCool2, I found that temperatures decreased a healthy 4-7 degrees Celsius while the fans were running at max and the computer was at load. The case fans didn't need to run as high.

Honestly, its a pretty darn decent cooler. Really though, you can get ALMOST the same decrease in temp by using bottle caps to prop your computer up an inch. That added airflow will help dissipate heat very well, especially on laptops with fan intake on the bottom. The decrease is only about 3-4 Celsius though, and the lapcool2 gives you a full on USB hub as well as better cooling.

You'll probably get better performance out of a lapcool2, after looking at the layout of the fan intakes on the sager you've got. A zalman-1000 is a great performer for laptops that already prop themselves up a little bit. The same goes for the LapCool2. Otherwise they are blowing air against a wall. Your laptop raises itself up a little bit, and you might possibly be able to raise it a bit more with the LapCool2 rubber feet things. Its the airflow that really cools these monsters, not the fan speed.

 

The ZALMAN nc-1000 is exactly as you guys described. It's aluminum and has many holes drilled into it. It's USB powered so you don't have to plug the fan in, but why not? It's silent and does a great job with heat dissipation.

 

Wait a minute.... if the mbp takes in air through the keyboard, then wouldn't it be a very very bad idea to have a keyboard cover? My gf has one on her macbook, should that be a problem?

 

no it shouldn't be a problem, my friend has a MBP with a keyboard cover and it's perfectly fine.

 

I'll just throw in another recommendation for the iLap:

http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html

Very well made, and seems to do a good job - it does actually help draw heat away from the laptop:

http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap_features.html

And I do like the "dual function" it has, being able to use it in your lap with the cushion, or on a desk without it.

-Zadillo

 

May I know, from those using Zalman NC1000, whether this really cools down MBP? I have read mixed reviews and find it difficult to decide. Please give an approximation in temperature drops. I have seen iLap in Apple reseller and dont think it will help alot. The MBP on it (running idle) is burning hot. Plus, it is way too expensive for passive cooling.

I wonder will there be an exclusive cooling pad for MBP only. I certainly hope so.

 

There might be something wrong with the MBP at your Apple reseller they have running on the iLap. Trust me, it does actually work pretty well, and helps keep the MBP cool, and also provides a great surface to use it on your lap or on a desk.

I would also say given the quality of the construction and materials, it is very reasonably priced.

-Zadillo

 

The Zalman is probably the premium cooler on the market right now both in terms of efficiency and build quality for PCs.

Unfortunately, due to the rather unique design of the MBP, the Zalman does close to absolutely nothing for cooling on my MBP
There is a very (read very) slight temperature drop in the area of 1-2 degrees C on medium settings, although it gets a little better on higher settings but not much.

Unlike its advertisement, the Zalman cooler is actually audible - and more so than the MBP's fans up to 3-4k rpm. Well actually, I shouldn't say "louder", but it's higher-pitched, so it's more noticeable.

It's also not as side as a widescreen 15", which means the little rubber feet of the MBP don't rest on it, which would've allowed an extra 0.1" of airflow underneath or so.

It's better than nothing, but overall, I haven't really seen major drops in temperature in any of the hardware (CPU, enclosure, GPU, HDD). Using a combination of the Zalman on just above medium settings and the MBP's own fans at 3-4k, my MBP runs around ~45 (CPU), and ~40 (HDD).

Several new laptop coolers are on the way - such as the Coolermaster Notepal Infinity, which uses the same philosophy as the Zalman.

 

I find the latest Harry Potter works pretty well at close to 600 pages. Works even on soft surfaces like the bed etc...

Also one to consider, my 16" room fan )

During normal use, with the laptop on the desk and outside temp about 28 - 30 celsius both internal fans run at 2000 RPM which is so quiet you can't even hear it in a very quiet room, and the CPU temp is around 54 Celsius. The underside of the MBP is rather hot but the top case (keyboard area) is not very warm at all. Hard disk temp is 42 Celsius.

I am in a tropical country so it's mostly rather warm here.

Temperature and fan speed readings courtesy of the excellent iStat Pro widget.