XPS M1530 and Zalman ZM-NC1000 Owners Please

Just looking for some info on the Zalman ZM-NC1000 Notebook Cooler please. I've read a few reviews but none specific to the dell. Would be interested to here from any owners or even people with different coolers. Thanks.

 

ZM-NC1000 + M1530 Review

 

Thanks m8, great review.

Also looking at the Akasa Libra cooler, just searching out some info now. Thanks again though.

 

I've been using a NC1000 with great results, very satisfied, huge drops in temps all around (GPU, CPU, HDD), though I would have preferred the NC2000 but it wasn't on Dell's website (I had a giftcard)

 

i've been using the zalman nc1000, in my opinion it is a bit too small for the laptop. the cooling is pretty good while playing games, but when doing other tasks there wasn't much of a difference with it being off.

 

ARGH! ...how are people getting lower temps?!?!

I have the ZM-NC1000 and it's not making ANY, I repeat, ANY difference to my temps!

I bought an el cheapo cooler for $10 on eBay before I got it and it did nothing so naturally I thought it's because it's cheap. So I went and bought the ZM-NC1000 thinking it would make a difference (cause I too read all the reviews and people were saying it's making up to 10 degrees celsius difference) but it does absolutely nothing. Temperatures are the same as when I turn the fans off as they are when the fans are on max!

Seriously what is going on...it's not like my vents are blocked or covered or anything.

1st pic is without the fan running and 2nd is with the fan running..after playing COH for an hour in both cases..

 

I have the NC1000 and am very satisfied with it. Reduces my temps for 5-6 ºC while gaming, and the palmrest now is not even hot.

 

In my experience coolers have an good effect on idle temps, but very little effect on load max temps.

The behaviour i've noticed is as follows (with several laptops and several different coolers):
For this example, we will say the laptops own thermal profile wants to keep gpu temps below 80c. So without a cooler, when the temp reaches 79/80c, the fans kick in at full speed so the temp doesnt go any higher. Max temp = 80c

With a cooler, the laptop will still reach 80c, the cooler is not powerful enough to prevent this from happening. And the fans will still kick in as normal. And 80c is still the max. So the cooler makes no difference to the max temp, because the laptops own thermal profile is controlling the temp by itself. The only small difference the cooler makes, is that maybe it takes a little bit longer to reach 80c.

So the cooler makes no difference to max temp, just maybe lets the laptops internal fans work a little less, or kick in a little later.

This is just a simplified example, but i've noticed pretty similar behaviour with several real-world setups.

 

got NC1000 with XPS 1330, very satisfied, drop from 70 - 73 to 58 - 60 with GPU and I replaced mobo once

 

Did the huge temp drop come about after the mobo change?

I'm also interested to know how you position your 1330 on the cooler. Mine isn't making much of a difference in temps.

 

In our country, this is the equivalent of a Zalman NC1000:

--> For almost $10

But I didn't bought that one because when I did their in-store product test, i felt the wind flow is quite weak. So I bought this one instead......



For about the same price! The air flow was a bit powerful (2 fans). Noise is not that noticeable. Temps at full load was 2-4 deg lower (Celsius) than when I turn off the cooler pad. Regarding V_C's observation, I beg to differ. The max temp on my lappy is lower over the cooler pad. But the slow rise to maximum....hmm..... i believe that is one factor also.

 

Hmm I lowered my M1530 so that the bottom rubber legs are right at the edge of the cooler and noticed cooler temps! ACPI dropped by 10 degrees, CPU by 8, GPU by 7.

The M1530 has 4 vents. Before, I had my M1530 positioned in the centre of the cooler which meant that only the bottom 3 vents were in contact with the cool air and the top one wasn't which is why my temps weren't any lower. By lowering the laptop all the way to the very bottom edge however, half of the top vent is in now contact with the cool air. I guess you can get the entire vent over the air but you'd have to move the laptop so that the front is actually sitting on the desk off the cooler...