For those seeking the best notebook cooler for their DV6/DV7s

Since the arrival of my DV6T Quad Edition in January, I've been looking for a notebook cooler that actually makes a difference in temperatures for my system specifically. I think now that I have found one that I am satisfied with, I should share this information with others who are relentlessly seeking cooling options for similar computers.

Several months ago, I created a thread on here asking if there was a cooler that worked for my notebook at all. The general consensus was negative.

After many visits to Fry's (specifically their returns kiosk) and Craigslist meetups, I've gone through at least seven well-known notebook coolers. I will be listing the one's I've tested and describing their effects on the HP DV6T-6000 series notebook. For the sake of this post, I'll leave the crappier ones out.


CoolerMaster SF-19: Base is too large for the DV6 - the rubber corners that the laptop is supposed to rest on are too far apart. The fan vibrations travel straight to the base of the notebook because of this. Though it features 140mm fans, the grill restricts their airflow because the perforations are too small. The fans also slap more air than they push and they're very loud. There isn't that much room to adjust the fans so it's hard to get them aligned with the DV6's more important vents at all. I didn't see much of a difference in temperatures with this cooler, maybe 2 C at most, but that's within the range of normal fluctuation without the cooler.

NZXT Cryo LX: The Cryo LX has alot of potential but not for the DV6. Like the SF-19, it features a huge landscape for larger notebooks and three 120 mm case fans. I bought it thinking it would work better than the SF-19, but it turned out to be poorly built (sharp corners, average machined aluminum). The vents for air to contact the bottom of the notebook are only in the center-back area and once again, brute force but the fans didn't line up. I would personally say not to buy this cooler because it feels cheaply manufactured and the price can get you much more (as later discussed).

ThermalTake Massive 23 ST: The giant fan on this cooler ensures it is quiet, but because it's a 5v fan, it doesn't have much air pressure. The fan is also located square in the center of the cooler - the DV6 has vents that don't get any airflow at all with this unit.

Antec Aluminum Notebook Cooler: Antec didn't have a specific name for this cooler but it was aluminum on top with many holes and the base was black plastic. I had this cooler for two years from prior use with various laptops and it works pretty well. The concept behind it is so suck the hot air out from the base, and this would work well if there weren't just two fans. When the core temperatures are hot, you can feel it shooting hot air out of its vents but the internal thermometers didn't show a big difference.

CoolerMaster NotePal U2: The adjustable fan system and the 80 mm fan size works well with the DV6. However, I will say that it was a bit too small - there were some places where I wanted to place a fan, but those parts were too close to the table to fit one. With just two fans, it barely made a difference on core temperatures.

CoolerMaster NotePal U3: This is the cooler I am using as we speak. I bought an extra U2 and daisy-chained the USB passthroughs together. This is the best set-up I have found for the DV6. The 80mm fans provide more air pressure per vent than having a giant fan encompass many vents. You can match one fan to every vent. As of right now, my ambient temperature is 23 C and my hottest core is at 43 C. When playing games like Saints Row 3, the base remains completely cool as if the computer was not turned on (actual highest temp after playing SR3 for many hours: 73 C).

I hope this helps someone make a purchasing decision. There's a lot of choices out there and most of them don't suit the DV6.
If you do decide to purchase the CoolerMaster U series cooler, I can't stress enough to lubricate your fans. The fans from the U2 don't have the oil ports, so I'm assuming they used a sealed bearing design. Many of the reviews for the U2 and U3 are complaints about the fans dying out - it's true that they come pretty dry, but it's a cheap fix that really raises the usability of these coolers.

 

Yeah, I have the Cooler Master NotePal U3 Notebook Cooler with 3 Fans as well and love it.

 

LOL I have the exact same cooler for my dv7t (5 fans and all)

 

How does one lubricate the fans?

 

im thinking about getting the coolermaster U3 based on your recommendation, however I was wondering if you have ever heard of a different model by the same company?

Amazon.com: Cooler Master Notepal X2 Notebook Cooler R9-NBC-4WAK-GP: Electronics

Anyone ever tried this one before?

 

Regarding SailerBoy's question about fan lubrication, as far as I know, the U2 models use a newer fan bearing design after many complaints about them going out way too quickly. Therefore, the U2 models no longer have the port to manually add oil to the bearing. For the other models, you can remove the fan from the mounting bracket (note the plastic hinges holding the fan in place, you do not need to remove the grill). Once you remove the fan from the mounting bracket, peel back the CoolerMaster sticker (should have dates, model numbers on it) and you'll see a hole in the center of the plastic. Take a drop of motor oil (any light, non-penetrating oil will do - I use Zoom Spout Oiler which I bought from ACE for $2.49) and dab it onto the center. Let the fan run for a bit and you're good to go. Be sure not to overfill the reservoir as these small fans have trouble overcoming friction of any type. You'll hear grinding if you overdid it.

 

Hi DemonEdge,

I wouldn't recommend the X2 for a couple of reasons. It's basically the ThermalTake Massive 23 but with a smaller fan. The entire cooler features one 140 mm fan dead in the center of the unit - if you look at the manual for the DV6 and DV7 model computers, you'll find that the vents in the center aren't as vital to cooling. One of the major ones is on the left (looks like a long rectangle) and that gets incredibly hot without a cooler. With the U3, you'll be able to target the problem spots precisely and add more fans as needed for your specific situation.

For that same price, you could get two U2's (MicroCenter has them for $12.99 right now!).

I hope this helps you out.

 

So Your using both the U2 and u3 at the same time?

 

Hi ChrisYeates,

The answer to that would be yes and no. I'm using the U3 as the structure upon which I mount fans included with the U2 and U3 (so 5 fans total). I am by no means using BOTH the U3 and U2 stands at the same time, though it's a funny idea because I'm a geek for notebook cooling. Slightly OCD at times as well.

 

Here's a pic of the underside. Could you circle (with MSPaint) the vent you're talking about ALso, what about lubricating the fans? Could you explain that?

 

Here's a link about the fan lubrication. In my last reply to your post, I described the process for the U3 fans in detail (post #6).

Quiet noisy computer fans with a drop of oil | TechRepublic

You seem to have a different computer than mine, but right off the bat I can notice that the fan on the top right (according to your picture) is the one to be concerned about. The exhaust vents are in that corner and presumably, the heatsink and fan are in that corner. On my particular model, there is a long vent in the bottom right (according to your picture) that gets hot. I don't have a vent under the fan like you do (mine has the retarded design).

 

Ah, I see. You've got the dv6t-6000, this is a pic for the dv6t-7000.

 

Really? Wow I thought after the 6000 series they'd add more vents.

 

Nothing is stopping you from drilling more holes

 

Hm, your new dv6 seems to have the 650m. It's both a notebook computer AND a portable grill. Mine only came with a cheese melter.

 

superwashcycle, i would be very grateful if you could post a picture of your fan placement on your dv6000

 

Here you go. It's the best I could do to show you how the vents line up with the fans.

 

Hey superwashcycle,
I noticed that you have a 9 cell battery on your laptop. Does the protrusion of the extended battery create any difficulty in fitting the cooler to the laptop? Or do you use a spare 6 cell?
Thanks.

 

Hey Neon10th,

The 9 cell battery does lift the computer up to a uncomfortable angle so I usually just use the cooler without the battery and plug it back up when I'm taking it somewhere. You can, however, put the battery in the gap on the back of the cooler - in other words, it does fit with the 9 cell, but further back. You can still get to all the vents with the battery tucked in.

 

Are any of you who have the U3 using this thing directly on your laps, or are you using it on a desk?

The reason I ask is that right now I'm using my DV6Z with a Logitech N700 Lapdesk, because it keeps my lap from getting scorched. The built in speakers are nice but I don't really need them now (they were essential before because my old Acer's mono speaker sounded like crap) and the N700's "cooling fan" does a whole lot of nothing to cool the laptop. When playing Battlefield 3 or Diablo 3 for a while I regularly hit around 80-82° C.

TL,DR; is it practical to use the U3 on your lap?

 

Has anyone tried removing that mesh below the vents?

 

I would say that the U3 isn't very practical for anything besides a desk. The prongs that support the U3 dig into your legs and if anything, U3 users usually have rather heavy computers. I get similar temperatures playing BF3, something like an average of 75 C but varying map to map.

 

Something's weird, I got a pair of fans to blow into the cpu and gpu, but temps stay the same. Maybe I'm putting the sames too close to the laptop? Maybe I should put some space between the laptop and the fans?

 

Hi EShef,

Initially, I thought that the vents would constrict airflow as well but if you take off the RAM/HDD door and blow air through the mesh, you'll find that a decent amount of the air gets through. You might get better temperatures by leaving this door open and exposing the components, but the dust factor makes this a sketchy decision.

 

Hi mambastik,

What do you mean exactly by a pair of fans? Are they from a CoolerMaster Notepal U2?

If you went through my first post, you'll find that the fan size and RPM makes a significant difference on cooling performance. In my testing, before purchasing any notebook coolers, I placed my computer on top of a typical house fan and the temperature differences were minimal if existent at all.

If the fans you're using aren't small, chances are much of the airflow headed in the direction of the vents is deflected.

You might want to try getting a plastic bag, and sealing the fan to a vent.

 

I see. I thought it may make a small difference. Probably best to just leave the mesh there, as it probably does pretty well protecting the internals, for what it is.

 

I haven't had any issues with dust yet as I'm only 4 months into this notebook.

 

It's one of these generic Chinese laptop fans. The fans are around 60mm, so nothing compared to Notepal's 80mm fans. I tried taking it apart so I can just have the bare fans, but it's surprisingly well-built - metal case, strong plastic legs, and held together where the screws' ends are melted, so I can't actually unscrew anything (anyone know how to remove these things?).

I was thinking you're right, the fans are small and probably too weak, so a majority of the air is being deflected by the vents. I flipped the thing around to use it as a vacuum, placed it over the CPU vents, then used tape to make a nice seal. I fired up Crysis 2 and I finally got a readable difference. I can even feel the hot air coming out from under the laptop, so the seal is definitely working. I want to get the Notepal that you showed me and use them as vacuums, but 80mm looks too big to fit one over the CPU vents and another over the GPU vents.

 

Hey mambastik,

Thanks for posting that information - I'm really interested in sealing my fans as well. That was actually my original idea, but for the exhaust vent on the side of my DV6T. Ideally, I want my 5-fan U3 blowing air into the bottom and another fan extracting air from the exhaust vents. That way, there's a flow of air traveling through the computer from point A to point B.

I think 80 mm will work fine and they will still pull air even if they are bigger than the vents they're sealed to. I'm looking to build something like this with a more powerful fan. I've seen it done with a graphics card fan but I've yet to find the type of blower fan that sucks air in instead of blowing it out.

Evercool Fit Notebook Cooler Review - Overclockers Club

Oh and by the way, you can just get a U3 and reverse the direction of all the fans. The only cooler I know that was built to suck air from the base of the computer is this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Notebook-Cooler-USB-Powered/dp/B0000BVYTV

 

At a certain point the cooling discussion becomes a weekend DIY project. I've been getting by on a plain, fanless folding stand sold by Targus. It's just a heavy piece of plastic with big holes, but it fits my dv6 well. It transforms between a variable-tilt table stand with decent friction, and a roughly 2ft-wide lapdesk with plenty of open space underneath and a spot to set your wireless mouse on either side of the laptop. The peculiar location of its feet 100% EXACTLY fits the four nubs on bottom of my dv6, making the lapdesk format a perfect zero-slip solution.

No fans so it won't be great for maximum-power gaming rigs, but very comfortable on my lap and easy to transport/reposition. Certainly the laptop alone is a bit difficult to balance on my lap and the edge vents tend to be easily blocked by clothing, but with this I was able to survive playing BF3 on a coffee shop couch. >.>

I don't know how many of you would care about the typing angle factor, but the back elevates from roughly an inch to nearly three inches in table stand format.

I've finally got the bits to scratch-build a proper table stand when I get time on some weekend, but have not ironed out the design...

 

I'm confused - have you modded that platform or are you talking about potentially doing it? In my experience, Targus products are overpriced for what they are and I think CoolerMaster makes much more practical products.

 

Sorry for the massive bump. I wanted more fans for my U2, and Coolermaster gave me these links:

Notepal U3 Notebook Cooler Fans - OEM Package - Cooler Master Store

Notepal U2 Notebook Cooler Fans - OEM Package - Cooler Master Store

Much cheaper than buying a brand new U2 and chucking it away for the fans.

 

Thanks a lot for the info. It's pretty hard to find usb-powered cpu fans. I was looking at the Thermaltake but the 25mm thickness was too much for me. I tested my brother's and the thing is a beast.

The Notepals look very nice at 10mm. The thing is that I'm planning to drill holes on the bottom of my laptop so I can directly mount the fans, but the fans look like they have this "quick release" function to them. To anyone who has them, is there a way to remove it and just have the bare fans?

Edit: Found out that you can take the cpu fan out of the quick-release casing. Planning on doing this to flip the fan upside down to create an exhaust instead. Source

 

I went with this one, Zalman ZM-NC3500 Plus: ::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::

I'm not really interested in the audio option on it, but couldn't find the one without it anywhere. Its pricey at 70.00 shipped, but it dropped by temps by 5C at min and max temps which I'm happy with. About 90% of the time that i use my computer, its in my lap. It's quite comfortable to use. It fits my DV7T-7000 Quad perfectly.

 

Well, on the subject of heat, I have a DV6-7000 that got sent back after 2 weeks because I consistently hit temps over 100C on all 4 cores and the GPU (650M). Venting is almost non-existent. I have an older dv9000 that gets hot, but handles laptop coolers well.

In the house we have a Cooler Master X-Slim, Notepal X2 and MiniFit XL, all of which work great on the dv9000. Anyone have any hard data on cooling temps on their dv6 quad? I hit over 20C reduction on the GPU using my X-Slim on the older machine, will test on the new one when it gets back. Scheduled for 21 days out of my hands. Lame

 

For A DV7T-7000 ... Should I get the 19" version of the Note Pal and get the extra fans? or the 17" version and the extra fans? Where are you guys positioning your fans for maximum cooling? My guess is a combination of vaccum and traditional blowing fans might be optimal?

Thanks
Lan

 

Any thoughts on this folks? could use some feed back.

Thanks
Lan

 

lanjoky, you want the U3 for the dv7t. It will give you three fans and the right size for your machine. If you want to add additional fans, you could always buy the 2-fan setup from the U2 and make a 5-fan system.

I would line up my fans at the vent sites on your machine and set them all to blow. Get a baseline and then experiment with exhaust if you think it might improve your numbers.

 

I have a dv6t and the regular and 9 cell batteries. I got the U2 but I realize I really dislike not having an option to not have it at an angle. This is especially the case if I want to use the 9 cell battery since it already causes an angle so it is basically unusable with the U2. Also, I realize I like to option of sometimes (not often but sometimes) using it actually on my laptop. Any good options for those issues? Thanks!

 

has anyone tried the notepal x3? im interested in trying it. deciding between that and u3 with extra fans as an upgrade to my u2

 

Edit
Question about how air circulation works through these laptops. Looking at the picture below, are those vents on the bottom what suck up air so is that why u should force air through them with the cooler? Also what about the vent behind the laptop I thought that was an exit for the air but when I put my hands there I don't feel any air coming out of it. I have a dv67000 btw

 

In your 7000 series there is virtually no venting on the bottom so blowing a volume of air isn't very helpful, especially with the weak Notepal fans. The only place you'll feel exhaust is on the left side of the machine near the back where the exhaust fan is. That will get hot enough to cook a hot dog, if yours is anything like mine. I've tried 4 different coolers with little success. Notepal X2, X-Slim, Cryo LX and MiniFit XL. Reduction of 6-7 degrees off the 102 I usually get.

 

Hi!
I mainly use mine for gaming, and was wondering how hot it was before you put the fans ?

 

LoL, mine maxed out at 73 as well, but without any external cooling. Just by using the Coolest settings in CoolSense

 

so I just ordered a CoolerMaster NotePal U3 + 3 other fans form it (so I'll have 6 fans total)
Will post result soon

 

My Dv6000 GPU does not get hotter than 45-50c most of the times it's under 40c. I know it's not the same as your units.

This is how you get your laptops to run cooler.

1. change the thermal paste on there. The stuff they use is crap and you will see it's dried out looking.
I like the Noctua X1 ($5-10 a tube). Clean the old stuff using 90+% rubbing alchohol. soak it with a q tip and if it's not coming off easily then use a credit card and scrape it away

2. do the same for your GPU

3. Now this is where you can drop the temps A LOT:
1. do you have room to put a copper shim between the gpu and the heatsink that covers it? You can get copper shims from ebay for $3 shipped for 3 of them search hpdv6000 copper shims (seller is from NJ not China) I think he has a 3 pack for 3$ shipped or so.

2. apply thermal paste to your items and this is a good trick apply between the thermal pads they use on both sides of pad. Your goal is to fill in the gaps to create a better contact patch. You do not need to slather it on, just put a pea size int he middle and use the credit card to spread it.

3. remove STICKERS and foam covering your items such as ram and the copper tubing used for cooling on the cpu/gpu.
why the hell do they use foam on these things is just dumb. Wipe away glue with the rubbing alcohol and scrape glue away with credit card or your finger nails. Coat the glue with rub alc. and let sit for a bit then rub off

4. now if you removed the motherboard then drill some holes. This is the BEST well maybe 2nd best thing I did after the copper shim. If you don't have a drill then use a candle and heat up a small screw driver. You can be fancy use a sharpie to lay out a nice little grid line pattern. Do this over the wifi area too as that card throws heat as well as your ram chips.

5. Don't be afraid to add holes, it's easy to blow out and vacuum out the future dust. Your goal is to get rid of heat. Heat kills your laptop.


oops
IV. I am going to look to fit a 20mm x 20mm x 10mm fan inside my unit (my gateway unit) see if you can do the same too.

As for a fan, I took the plastic laptop holder they sell at Ikea and took one of those USB fans with 2 fans on it where the legs fold out. I placed my laptop on it to see where my heat source are cpu/gpu. mark that area. Now drill lots of holes about 1/2 inch or so.

Get some of that double sure lock "velcro" stuff. attach the fan under the plastic case.
* You might want to move the fan higher up because when you place the unit on you or your bed you don't want your fans touching at the bottom. You can get creative and add a usb hub as well as a small laptop external drive under the Ikea stand.

* just make a large hole to run the usb cable from the fan or the usb hub from under the Ikea stand to your port. USe duct tape to tape up wires under the stand.

Another mod I did was to use some 1/4 inch black double density foam (had from some tools packaged with it) You can use anything soft but firm. The goal is to keep your laptop from sliding off the side hence the stuff I used (home depot will have, cost you about $1). I also drilled out a hole on the lip of the Ikea stand for my headphone to connect since it at the front of my laptop. If you line up the side foam holders then your headphone hole will always line up (easy to plug in the dark).

Well that's my cooler. You can add larger fans. I used what I had. I am sure if you use the usb hub with a external power plug to run your fans and hard drive you will have more power from the fans. Think about it. You only have 1 USB cable to remove. Your hidden drive can serve as your backup drive too.

**I later placed some of that foam in the middle of my cooler stand. I placed a 4 inch x 2 inch piece that way it lifts up the rear of the laptop providing better air flow.

I used contact cement from Permatex I think. It's a red tube meant for plastics to glue the foam pads down. It goes on creamy but dries clear.

So for about $10 I made a custom cooling pad that works well. It would be best if you can get a aluminum unit with a lip on the front since my Ikea unit is made from plastic.

*** You can also use that black filter material they use on air cleaners or panty hose type stuff to cover the fans therefore you now have a dust filter

With the added hols on your laptop case it's easy to vacuum too. Do not blow compressed air right onto your fan. I learned the hard way that inside the fan is a small chip and by blowing right on it and spinning the fan real fast we can damage the fan unit.

You have to look at things differently and customize it.

Items used
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/p...7ctUbjfGonx0wGe_oDoDQ&ved=0CEoQ9QEwAg&dur=361

THE LEGS COME OFF-just pull them gently they pop out then you can zip tie using the empty spots into the holes you drilled too on the Ikea thingy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Folding-USB...pt=US_Laptop_Cooling_Pads&hash=item41679e0747
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These have a nice light under them.
I also used a piece of metal that has a grid of holes cut out under the fan therefore I am cooling the air even more that the fan pulls into the pc. It also kept the fan from rubbing on the sheets when on the bed. But if you move the fan higher it reduces this issue. It will make sense to you when you start with it.