The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    is a notebook cooler neccesary.

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by jtay, Aug 30, 2008.

  1. jtay

    jtay Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    76
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    hey im using the new sony vaio FW series and i was wondering whether i needed a notebook fan/cooler for it and if so which one, i was told by 2 ppl at computer stores opposite claims saying new technology and engineering didnt require fanning because the fans are good, but then another said because the new power comes new need to cool it. so what are your thoughts and how should i go about it...i dont really game that much its more of a desktop replacement rite now and also occasional counter strike haha thats about it nothing heavy.
     
    jtay, Aug 30, 2008
    #1
  2. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,133
    Messages:
    6,399
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    206
    You can monitor your notebook components' temps by using software such as HWMonitor, RMClock, Notebook Hardware Control, Everest Pro, etc etc.

    You can Undervolt your CPU, to reduce the total power consumption, and hence lower temps, without losing performance.

    You can disable HDD Indexing (Windows Search), and Superfetch (in Vista), to reduce the HDD Load....which would in turn reduce HDD Temps.

    To reduce GPU (Dedicated) temps, you can disable some of Vista's visual features or play around with the Video BIOS to undervolt the GPU. (not really recommended !!)

    If none of the above work in reducing overall temps -> then you would need a notebook cooler. (The notebook is new, so I don't think it'll need internal cleaning)

    Also check out the Guide to Cooling Down Your Notebook Computer, and the Cooling Central.
     
    Andy, Aug 30, 2008
    #2
  3. notyou

    notyou Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    652
    Messages:
    1,562
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    If the notebook needs an external cooler to keep from overheating, return it because it shouldn't be in the wild like that (design flaw FTL). Coolers are only wanted (not necessarily needed) if you have an already extremely hot laptop (like an Intel Extreme CPU and 1-2 8800M GTXs) and you want to reduce those temps a couple of degrees. Other than that, you don't need a cooler.
     
    notyou, Aug 30, 2008
    #3
  4. LaptopGun

    LaptopGun Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    34
    Messages:
    362
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    And then there are those with lovely Nvidia graphics cards that have a higher than normal chance of going thermonuclear. Because Nvidia doesnt want to take responsibility to recall notebooks and OEM's have a band aid solution to the whole thing that basically you ain't getting recall, users have to do something.
     
    LaptopGun, Aug 30, 2008
    #4
  5. jtay

    jtay Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    76
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    well i mean im on a ati hd3470 so i should be okay right? and yeah i dont do heavy duty stuff
     
    jtay, Aug 31, 2008
    #5
  6. stewie

    stewie What the deuce?

    Reputations:
    3,666
    Messages:
    2,174
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    It will be fine, you won't need a cooler.
     
    stewie, Aug 31, 2008
    #6
  7. naton

    naton Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    806
    Messages:
    2,044
    Likes Received:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Laptops and desktops are engineered to deal with the heat generated by their internal components. So if they are not faulty you should not need to modify them or add external cooler to them.

    The cooling pad could help to cool your laptop down, but it's not always as efficient as it is claimed. I've read that someone in the forum (I think it was a thread about the overheating problem experienced by some with the Dell XPS 1330) have recorded only 3s or 5c decrease in the heat with a cooling pad.

    You want to cool your laptop? the best option and the cheapest one is to apply some Artic Silve 5 on the top of the CPU. This usually gives up to 10c degrees decrease in the temperature. The other option is to undervolte using a software like RMclock.

    This is a link if you want to read about undervolting
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824
     
    naton, Aug 31, 2008
    #7