Need a Cooler for P6860FX

Hi guys, it has been a long time

I am one year and a half with my Gateway P6860FX with stock settings. Have been going to school with it and gaming as well. I recently purchased a 23" LG Glossy Monitor to accompany my laptop. However, I use the monitor only and keep my laptop closed...this started causing heat issues since air usually flows through the keyboard as well. Now the temps are not dangerously hot but I want to keep air flowing through my laptop with it closed. So I was wondering, what cooler are you using for your gateway P****FX? I have seen the Cooler Master Notepal Infinite and the Zalman NC 2000. However, the Zalman vents do not seem to line up with the GPU and CPU vents. I was wondering if I can get the opinions of the fellow NBR community and see if I can decide on which cooler to get. I am open to other options.

P.S. I do not need portability for the cooler.

 

NZXT Cryo LX?

 

I have the NZXT Cryo Lx and it works GREAT!! I had a belkin that did ok, but the Cryo LX does much better.

 

i've only ever used a NZXT Cryo LX. here are my thoughts:-

- Straight out of the box ("SooB") + running via USB power; you wont see much of a temp drop (0 to 2C), if any.

- SooB + 3rd party wall adapter (9v); slightly higher temp. drop (2 to 4C if lucky).

- SooB + custom fans + wall adapter (15v); noticable temp drop (7 to 10C).

If choosing to replace stock fans, I personally opted to go for scythe s-flex ones. They are a good balance between noise and performance even when all 3 fans are juiced with 15v. The magnetic bearing system in the S-flexs also allow for horizontal fan placement without being detrimental to fan lifespan.

For pure power, go with kaze jyunis and juice them with 15v. Crazy noise but superior CFM output. Only downside is you will have to remove the metal mesh grill or else you experience a very annoying whistling noise due to air being forced through the small holes (s-flexs dont suffer from this). These fans use the standard ball bearing system - they wont really like being placed in a horizontal position + they are also being overvolted @ 15v (recommended max volts is 12v according to back of retail box).

Some people like to pimp out the LX with LED fans so that's another option although i cant say much about that cos i havent used them.

If running at 5V+, I strongly advise against using the integrated USB hub of the LX as anything plugged into it will fry. Moreover, the fan adjustment dial is kinda rendered useless from 9v upwards.

 

My opinion is that with the laptop closed even with a cooler on the HDD heat is the one thats gonna be the problem. I'd suggest not fully closing the laptop lid. Thats how i do it. I used antec cooler finally a couple of days back stopped using it since i got this and i dont game a lot. Thats a perfect stand for any 17'' laptop to work on esp on bed.

 

I need to warn you against the Cryo LX, even though I recommended it. You might not be able to do all the stuff Hello Moto was talking about. I got a Cryo LX a couple months ago, and he helped me with installing new fans. We found out that my version was different from his, and it took forever to find a tip converter that would fit into the AC in of the Cryo LX. When I finally found one, the 12v adapter I was using made a loud buzz when connected to the LX, and eventually something on the fan control board shorted out. So be warned, if you get the LX, it's not a guarantee that you will be able to mod it.

And here is another suggestions. The Zalman does a good job cooling the CPU and GPU even in its normal position, but you can turn it around and prop it up with a book or something so that it lines up with the fan vents better. I sometimes do that if I'm more worried about GPU than HDD. And that's another good thing about it, it's a great HDD cooler.

Personally, I'm waiting for a design that is like the Zalman, but with air holes both on the top and the bottom and with larger fans.

And Maverick has a good point about not closing the lid. Over time, the plastic above the HDD bays can warp and push on the screen.

 

Now I do understand that using USB power will indefinitely produce heat and contradict the use of a cooler. With that said, I have been well aware and prepared to use a 3rd party USB AC adapter. I do like the idea of modding but then again, I will probably not have the patience to mod the cooler. I like something ready for me to go.

Its cool that I will definitely consider the Cryo LX. Anybody else want to contribute, I want to hear other people's experiences with laptop coolers.

Add on:

Yea I know not to close the laptop lid all the way as well, I have it slightly opened but not opened all the way to trigger the inner screen. I like to use my 23" monitor only and sometimes windows does not like to play nice with me.

 

Anybody have any other suggestions? I have read the cooler thread somewhere in NBR and I just want to hear from other users as well that use a gateway P****FX notebook with a cooler.

 

I have a P7801 and I've been using the cryo LX for about 8 months and it works amazing. Only thing I did with the cryo was remove the top metal mesh that encased the fans that your laptop sits closest to. Increased cfm slightly.