Grab copper and a drill, now!

Nah im not lazy, im just looking for a reliable source/vendor that NBR people have used for the copper and tape. I guess I could just throw a dart at the various chinese ebayers and hope there isn't much of a difference between a good vendor and bad vendor.

 

I think a good option would be this one,you can cut then in smaller pieces as needed,I bought 2 packs yesterday.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.24500

The tape they come with is probably not very good,but I'm not going to use tape anyway,I think no tape is strong enough to stay in place for a long time in a laptop.I'm going to use arctic silver adhesive,but in the past I've already used the mix of epoxy+artic silver 5,which works great,I saw some people doing some rough tests and it proved much better than cheap thermal tape.

 

Sekisui double-sided thermal tape is extremely strong and has good heat conductance. That's how I attached my copper blocks to my GPU heatsink.

 

It might be good,but maybe after a long time attached and with vibrations for carrying it might move it,with epoxy that's impossible.
I see that some people are afraid of using thermal adhesive because they think it's not removable,that's not true,just remove the whole fan/heatpipe mechanism and put it a freezer overnight,epoxy bond becomes much weaker this way,and then remove it carefully,they will pop out without a lot of work.

 

Nothing will move with tape or epoxy.

 

My blocks aren't loose, and they've been heated up and cooled down quite a bit.

And Warhammer, I answered your PM.

By the way, I got the XPad today. XPad Owner's Lounge?

 

Lucky you. I'm still waiting on my new duster to come in. It should be here later this week.

 

The upper left pad tends to get warm, as does the lower left, though not as much. Good thing I didn't drill out the fake grill, since that's just about where the pad touched the computer bottom.

My max temperatures aren't really much different than with an active Zalman, due to the stupidly high fan throttle-up temperature. The active Zalman does give me significantly lower idle temperatures, though.

 

For the record, it's Xpad, not XPad. So no owner's lounge membership for you. It's just as how some people call Dox as DOX.

 

Forgive me, Xpad master.

And without active cooling my second HDD (which holds my gaming files) heated up to 49C. This is after about three, three and a half hours of Left 4 Dead with an overclocked GPU and undervolted CPU. Better figure out a way to smooth those copper plates for the HDD.

OS/program files hard drive didn't go above 39, though.

 

Those are still really good temps for the HDD.

Your G51 fan grill rests on the top right corner of the Xpad?

 

Sorry, meant upper left.

And what's safe and happy temperatures for a hard drive?

 

If your hard drive is rated for 60*C, then anything under 58*C is a safe temperature, and anything under 55*C is a happy temperature. Your HDD temps are nowhere near those numbers so you have nothing to worry about.

 

All right, then.

It's alarming since I've never seen them go above 45-ish. Then again, I've never played 3 hours of Left 4 Dead without active cooling.

 

I've never played three hours of Left 4 Dead straight, haha. My HDD used to touch as high as 50*C before I plated it. The HDD is fairly close to the GPU and the northbridge, which partly explains why it gets warmer than most other notebooks. Your G51 twin HDD's are far away from the hotter components, pretty much on the other side of the notebook off the mainboard, so it runs cool all day long.

How did your temps turn out after your L4D marathon on the Xpad?

 

Like I said, max GPU is not really changed. Still maxes out at 86/87, and then the fan kicks in and cools it to low 80s. That's essentially the same as with the Zalman, though maybe I might consistently max out at only 86 with the fans on. Unless the ambient is ridiculous, like 88F+ I never max over 87C.

CPU was maxing at 66/67, and THRM looks maxed at 77. And you know the HDD temps.

And ambient was 73.6F (at start) and when I finished it was 71.5, CPU at 11.5 @ 1.250, and GPU is 580/1450/870.

 

For comparison, on top of the Zalman with no mods, I maxed at 90C for CPU and 40C for HDD. (36C for secondary drive) About the same ambient temp as Forge, maybe a couple degrees lower. However, I am at stock Asus underclocks, will have to do another session with you sometime with my GPU OC'd similarly.

 

Ok no PM's this time....go go now if you need an undercarriage, again stock is very limited.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=4675&catid=606

It must be Xmas at the Asus parts department as the HDD brackets are in as well (at least for now)
http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=4410&catid=606

 

They still haven't shipped mine out yet.

Edit: called asus and they said they didn't know what was going on with my order and that they would call me back. I won't hold my breath.
Edit 2: It shipped out..finally.

 

Asus is now $7.99+tax over you. Muhahahahaha.

 

Thx again for the warning, this time i manage to order one . 32copper heatsinks on the way aswell as tape. I feel cool thing happening soon.

 

Not that this might be news to some but the Targus Chill Mat is a POS. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9427042&st=notebook+cooler&lp=10&type=product&cp=1&id=1218103734860

I just happened to be in BB yesterday picking the kids up a movie and decided that since I currently didn't have a cooler I might as well just see if any of the ones BB had might help my numbers.

My ambient numbers are what I consider tolerable/normal for a G51-X1A @ 1920x1080 mid/high 30s for CPU and high 40s for GPU. However under load playing WOW @ high with shadows low the GPU will tip the scale at 89-90 max and the normal temps bouncing around in the high 70s/low 80s.

I ran the lappy on the pad and the max GPU heat dropped about a degree but the normal temps went up on average about 1-2 degrees.

Needless to say I had no belief that this would produce great results and I was validated. Now to order copper and wait for my new panel to cut into, and figure out which quality cooler to pick up.

 

Nice site.
http://notebook-cooling.com/2009/08/how-it-works-cooling-systems/#more-1153

 

My G51 is mostly for WOW, but my temps are a little lower(all setting high except shadows), in dalaran at peak times (where almost where the fish pool is watching the corridor where most people stand), i get at the most 69C, while raiding 25man i seen it reach 75C, but not much pass that, but i haven't used a lot yet (only played twice on the laptop since i got it, not traveling to much this past weeks, so playing more on my desktop).

On COD4 with 4xAA i reach 85C then goes down to 79C (ambient temp 21C), and back up etc, thats the cycle i seen on most maps. I'm hoping with the copper sinks i manage to stay at 80C.

Btw i haven't seen much difference in temp with MX3 over AS5, given i didn't like AS5 at the begining, after a week, the temps slowly went back to where they were before, with MX3 seeing almost the same temps, suppose not to have curing time, but for sure much harder to apply than as5. ICD7 comes friday... will see how it does.

 

Yeah I would love to hit those temps in WOW. Are those also on a cooler? I bet if I dropped my resolution down from 1920x1080 it would help and I am still on stock ASUS craptastic thermal paste (I don't think I want to mess with that stuff tbh).

I hope some well thought out modding to my new bottom panel (arrives next week) paired with some copper and a decent cooler will produce the temps I would be happier with.

 

Simple question, but I figured I might as well ask. What size screwdriver is needed to unscrew the backplate?

And a question for Forge. Would you consider your drilling work to be a "good job?" So far you are the only one I've seen provide a picture of your work. Would to be a good idea to try and map it out the same way as you have it or would you have any other recommendations? I noticed you made larger holes holes in a couple areas. Would you recommend doing the same? Would the size of the holes matter?

 

Yea, NZXT Cryo LX, but i don't feel it does a big impact as it did on my G71. Hoping it will with the block vent open. Im willing to trade higher HD temps for lower GPU temp.

The paste on it its its hard to describe, more solid than AS5 and my guess is better matched to my not fully seated sink (my case). Overall i get lower temps, but in stress tests im still going higher than what i got with stock setup, i have applied multiple times (once it didn't make good contact), but the temps going down gradually with AS5, although already taken out for MX3 so ill probably never know if i could reached the same temps understress tests with AS5. I probably wouldn't mess with it but i changed CPU, and you also void your warranty.

mine will take a while as i cant order direct (dont take my cc n no paypal), so i ordered thru a friend that will ship them to me so at least 3 weeks away, probably the HK sinks will take around the same. But tbh not sure yet what im doing, i probably just gonna try to remove completely the plastic cover on top of the fan and add as many coppersinks as i can, drilling will depend on what temps i get, but with results on THIS thread + coppersinks + IDC7/MX3 hoping that will be enough, but i got a drill and lots of bits here in case im not happy.

 

My HDD hasn't gone higher than 49C on load.

If you have the tools and materials, do a copper shim. Even though MX-3 doesn't lose performance (as much) if you slather on a lot, it's still not as optimal as bridging that gap with a plate.

I personally don't recommend Kondor's mod, not that I don't find it effective, but because you lose a bit of structural integrity. I might change my mind if I get some answers, but it looks very vulnerable to something hitting it.

Maybe. The interesting quirk with the G51 is the fan threshhold. With my Zalman running full blast, I max out in the 86 or 87 neighborhood on Furmark. With the passive Xpad, I max out the same.

As good a job as my amateur self can accomplish. If I were to do it again, I would keep the holes uniform, and not have bigger ones over the CPU and GPU. If I hadn't done the bigger holes--the bigger holes were done before I started the full-on backplate drilling--I would have been able to fit more small holes.

The point of the mod was to emulate running the laptop with no backpanel, while safeguarding against impact and dust. I recommend the layout I did--or something similar--using graph paper. Make sure to drill from the inside out, since there are ridges and things on the inside.

 

COD4 isnt as demanding, on Furmark im still going to 95C then goes down to 89C back to 95C etc, probably a little more if i let it run, i just don't feel comfortable that high, my goal is to reach 85C with furmark as my G71 was on a cooler, but i do have my doubts that ill be able to do 10C with the mods.

I do have mats n i can access special tool from a friends. But the problem i see its that it not even, like the furthest part of the sink is the one that needs more paste while the starting does really good contact, i dont think i can make a shim like that.

Well im still unsure of what im doing, but his results 13C, even if don't hit that much, if i lose 5C from it, and 5C from the copperblocks ill be happy. If the bottom is too lose or not rigid, ill use the stock one again, but for $7.99 i think its worth a shot.

 

You should get a fair drop, still. I used to go around 91-ish on my same settings.

Mine wasn't even either. Trust me, a simple plate will work just fine.

If you're going to do that, then I would suggest getting a spare fan as well. The fan blades are completely open with that mod. An errant paper clip--or whatever--would wreck that turbine.

 

TL;DR.

Cut out the hole, period. There is absolutely no reason why anybody shouldn't cut out that hole and put a hard mesh over it that one can easily get at The Home Depot. Structural integrity will not be compromised whatsoever. The ring around the hole is more than enough reinforcement that even SACH7002 won't be able to break it.

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that sach part

 

I'm probably confused here, but the G51 in the back of the backplate has a extra plastic covering the vent (i think its only glued but im not sure), i think you can take out or just cut it from the inside, maybe im wrong im just trying to figure the best way to do it, i kinda dont wanna cut the hole thing just whats blocking the vent.

 

It's not a vent. It only looks like a vent. When you remove that plastic film you'll see that it's solid plastic.

 

well i guess gona have to dremell it down. I was reading Kondor999 thread and he used a grill/mesh for a Coolermaster Nopepad cooler (like 6 versions out not sure what he used or even if its not discontinued already), but i just ordered

80mm Steel Mesh Filter / Grill Black


So ill try to see if i can mod the hole and mesh to secure maybe with an epoxy/resin to set it on the plastic.

 

I received my spare panel today and i see that plastic film you guys are talking about. I go home in less than 2 weeks so as soon as I get back, I'll be cutting that hole and lining it with mesh. This is pretty ridiculous though, if they had made this a real vent it would reduce temps drastically. Did Kondor screw the mesh in or glue it?

Edit: yep it was glue.

 

Plastic Film?

I noticed in the picture when I was ordering the spare back panel that there was a ring of plastic around the "hole/vent/etc" but I thought that was just there to protect the metal ring from being scratched i.e. packaging. That you just remove it like any protective film/wrap.

Are you saying that it is actually meant to be a permanent feature?

I don't think the new G51 backpanel that is on the current machine had the plastic film ring.

 

Here some quotes from his thread

Btw were you able to take the full plastic off?

 

I'm not going to take it off since I think it can function as a barrier against hitting the components. I'll cut through it when I make the hole and leave the edges.

 

Took another test.

1366x768 resolution, 8x AA, Xtreme burning mode
CPU at 3.06 GHz, 11.5 multiplier, and 1.250 undervolt
GPU at 605/1512/900 (10% above nVidia reference clocks)
Mounted on the Soviet-Approved Xpad.
Ambient 77.9F
25 minute trial

Max 94, stabilization 87 and dropping.

So it started out, and like usual the fan kicked in at 86C. The temperature dropped down to 84C, and after a minute or two started climbing, all the way to 94C (My finger was hovering over the escape key, ready to abort the test if it hit 95). At 94C, the fan went even faster, and over the course of the 25 minutes it semi-stabilized at 87C. The picture doesn't really show it but the GPU dipped into 86C once or twice right at the end.

With modding, the cooling system isn't half bad. I honestly think the stupidly high temperature thresholds are the real culprit in the heating issues.


(For other max temperatures: CPU @ 58/55, HDDs @ 38/43, and THRM @ 68)

 

I picked up a G51VX-X2A a couple weeks ago and have been lurking here ever since. As a result of this post and several others, I've ordered the G50V-1A bottom cover, (24) 10x9x4mm copper heat sinks, Sekisui 5760 thermal tape and an NZXT Cryo LX cooler.

I plan on modding the back panel and adding the copper heat sinks as soon as they get here but I'm a little unclear if I need to add copper shims between the RAM heat sinks and the GPU heatsink / heat pipes or can they be applied directly using tht Sekisui tape. I seem to remember a post about adding thin copper shims but I can't seem to find it.

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site:notebookreview.com+soviet+copper+shim+asus

 

Thank you Soviet Sunrise! The first link was what I remembered reading ... In fact it was your post "If your GPU heatplate isn't making contact with the GPU die, then you should use a very thin copper shim of ~1mm or less, then sandwich it with thermal paste." that I was thinking about.

For some reason I thought they were being placed between the RAM heat sinks and the heat pipes, etc. I'll just use the tape.

 

my fan never kicked into a higher gear at 95C. at 990 some seconds it hit 95C and I exited the test. Same clocks, same resolution, same everything. *edit* Note, I did the test on top of an /inactive/ Zalman NC1500

 

Ctx where did you find that size coppers; the ones I have been able to find are a few more mm wide/long.

I am still trying to determine if a smaller base thickness with taller thinner fins would actually keep the G51 GPU/CPU cooler when paired with active cooling.

The copper RAM sinks that most have found seem so bulky and do not look very condusive to active cooling i.e. applying forced air over the surface to increase the cooling capabilities. The copper sinks don't seem to have good surface area.

I might just have to play guinea pig.

Here is a company/product I am looking at atm. I like these 10x10x5 (UB10) as they have a small thin base with tall (relative at 5mm) thin fins with a great amount of surface area for air to pass between taking the heat away when paired with an active cooler like the Zalman NC2000 or Cryo LX.

Thoughts.
https://www.micforg.co.jp/en/cat_ube.html

 

With active cooling you will get massive improvements,of course the heatsinks you choose will make a big difference,but with any it will be much better than stock or this mod.
You can get this one you liked and just cut/sand to the size you want.
Edit:I thought by active cooling you meant with a mod attaching a fan on the underside of it,not with this type of coolers,they make a difference,but it's not that big.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=416414

 

I picked them up on eBay from seller BudgetGadgetsDotNet ($6.23/8 heat sinks shipped). The ones shown in your link look a lot nicer and provide much more surface area for cooling but the material specification is A 6063 (6063 is an aluminum specification). Copper will transmit heat more efficiently than aluminum so I don't know if the additional surface area would be great enough to counteract the loss in heat transfer efficiency.

You may want to check with others who have done the mod to make sure that 5mm will work. IIRC, someone posted that they bought 4mm heat sinks but they actually measured 5mm and had to be trimmed.

 

Here you go. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5269916&postcount=17

5mm will fit nicely in the G51. There is no need to sanding.

 

Those are the guys I bought my first batch from (to test the waters before going all out with ram sinks). I ordered another 2 from them (making 24 total) and am using them with the Sekisui. I scraped off the black gunk (T4000) like Soviet recommended and am glad I did so, since it had the consistency of playdough and the stickyness of scotch tape.

I also have a little more room to play with in the G71 so the height was fine for me, even on top of the GPU heatsink.