Undervolting and Review of the Zalman NC2000 on the HP dv5t

Seeing as how the HP dv5t is such a popular product, I decided to make this little information kit for you guys. My processor is a P8600 (2.4GHz) and my video card is the 9600M GT. You can find more info on the Zalman in the cooler guide or this review by X2P for general 15.4" notebooks on Zalman NC1000 and NC2000. He goes more in depth with the cooler, as it is a general guide, while mine is only basing it on the dv5t.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=281575

*Summary of the whole thing*
Generally, under stress, undervolting dropped about 10C on the CPU, and the Zalman NC2000 dropped an additional 10C for both the CPU and GPU, when compared to putting it on wood without raising its back (there is difference between just having it on top of wood and having it on top fo the zalman, even with the fan off). If you do raise it's back with sticky notes or other things, that already drops it around 5C, so the zalman drops it an additional 5C.

BEFORE UNDERVOLTING


Idle with fan off


Idle with fan on


Gaming WC3 on Wood, no raised back



Gaming WC3 with fan off



Gaming WC3 with fan on


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Undervolting
For this testing, I was attempting to undervolt, so I was stressing the CPU with ORTHOS. All of this was done on top of the zalman cooler, but the fan was either on or off (this is rather different from having it just on top of wood). CPU temps dropped 10C from undervolting, and with the fan, it dropped an additional 5C.

For those curious what numbers I got when I undervolted with the P8600 Processor

• For the 9x Multiplier, I dropped it from 1.0625v to 0.9625v, a total of 0.100v
• For all other multipliers, dropped it to 0.9000v, as it is the lowest it will go.

Before Undervolting


After Undervolting


After Undervolt with Fan on

 

The Zalman NC2000 on the HP dv5t

Additional summary for the Zalman NC2000 on the HP dv5t
The Zalman is a well built cooler, and the aluminum metal already makes it feel cool to the touch already. it has 2 usb ports, one is used to connect to another USB for power, and the other to essentially give you back that port. It has a blue LED light that shines when you power on the cooler. It has a push in/out power button and has a fan control setting. On the other hand, the thing about the Zalman is that, although it works, it's rather inconvenient and I guess a bit aesthetically ugly on the dv5t because of the way the 2 are built. In order for me to gain full benefit from the Zalman, rather than just putting the dv5t right on top of the zalman, I have to pull it down about 3 inches off the Zalman so that the vents line up. This is because the Zalman has about 3 inches of open space on the back before there are vent holes, while the dv5t has it's most important vent in the back left. Anyway, the Zalman is able to cool my laptop's CPU and GPU by 10C under considerable stress (I say considerable because my GPU wasn't stressed to it's max) when comparing it to having it on wood and having it on top of the Zalman with the fan on max (if I raise the back on the dv5t with something, it dropped 5C, so the Zalman, in reality, helped drop only 5C. In conclusion, the Zalman does a fine job, but after researching, it might have been better to get the Cooler Master Notepal Infinite as the vents can reach the HP dv5t's vent when it's right on top.

The Zalman Cooler

The cooler has about 3 inches before the vent holes come in.


Nothing too exciting that you haven't seen before here.




The HP dv5t

Pic stolen from X2P who stole it from someone else lol


The red is the most important vent, while the yellow are not as important. You want the Zalman NC2000 reaching the red vent


Testing the Cooler

For these tests, I stressed the CPU to it's max with ORTHOS and stressed the GPU with Windows Energy screen server (that is not it's max) for about 30 minutes each

On wood, no raised back



On wood, raised back by 2 bubble gum packs




On Zalman, Fan on Max

The reality of it is, you have to pull the laptop about 3 inches off the Zalman, leaving about 4 inches empty on the back

 

Interesting results. I like how your CPU temps were below 30 C without undervolting! My idle temps aren't that good and I have the same specs as you except for 2GB RAM. My idle temps are around 40 C and GPU at 45 C. Did you just turn it on or something? Also how do you undervolt? Seems like a good way to lower heat and lengthen battery life. What are the drawbacks? Slower computer?

 

Man... my temperatures suck compared to yours. I have t9400 with 9600m gt and 3gb ram. right now, with aim, firefox and yahoo radio, my cpu at is 44,38 and gpu at 45, with a cheap antec cooler @.@

 

Well, while it is idle, it's already at the lowest volts possible even after undervolting, which is 0.9V. I don't recall if it was just after turning it on, but I left it idle for atleast 10 minutes so it gave it time to warm up.

There is an undervolting guide in aftermarket upgrades. There is no drawback to undervolting, you just have to take the time to do it.

 

Well, T9400 uses 35w will P8600 uses 25w, so that is one major reason your cpu temps will be higher. I also used the T9400 before the P8600. Your GPU is normal i'd say, and make sure you line up the back left vent on the HP with the antec cooler, that really gives a notable increase. As for me, I have to pull the laptop a bit down from the zalman, better temps but it isn't exactly on top of the cooler, so ugly aesthetics. Also, I was idling, as in no windows open.

 

wow i noticed that the gpu temperature dropped about 10 degrees as well...pretty impresive...

chango what were your undervolting specs?

 

How far down do you need to bring your laptop to get those nice results? I brought mine down so that the bottom of the curve where the front rubber grips align with the edge of the cooler. I tried to do a temperature test but I realized my testing method was flawed later on.

Also, that undervolting did a nice job for your cpu temps, I might want to do that myself...

 

Using the P8600, I dropped the 9x multiplier from 1.0625v to 0.9625v. I crashed at 0.9375v, and didn't try the 0.9500v for too long, so I decided 0.9625v is where it should be stable. For every other multiplier I put it at 0.9000v as it is the lowest you can go.

 

I just brought it down enough to get the HP dv5t's back left vent to the air. The bottom of the notebook is about 3 inches away from the bottom of the zalman.

 

Do you have to continue running the undervolting software once it's done or can it be shut off? For some reason I thought you needed the software running in the tray at all times.

 

=/ Maybe we should've gone with the cryo lx.

 

Yeah, either cryo lx or the cooler master notepal infinite, but too late for me now. It's fine though I guess.

 

Yes, you have to have RM clock running in the tray for it to be active. What's the problem with having it there though?

 

By the way, do you think the vents on the bottom of the notebook, besides the top left one, are exhausts rather than intakes? I find it hard to tell since I can never feel any air moving in them, but I have a feeling they are exhausts...

 

the vents on the bottom are usually intakes and they usually blow air out from the back of the notebook. At least, that's how it is on my laptop. Shouldn't be different than yours.

 

Can the thread title be changed to what I changed it to?

 

Ya I was leaning towards zalman nc2000, but from this thread it seems that coolermaster may be the way to go, and its about 20 bucks cheaper including shipping.

 

They don't sell the coolermaster infinite in the US

Oh and Chango, if you want the thread title changed, PM a mod.

 

I have a XPS M1530, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9500 (2.6GHz/800MHzFSB, 6M L2 Cache) 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with Free Fall

this my reading with couple firefox, folders, and Cryptload open.

 

Love the review...I got the same specs so looks like i'm getting a zalman NC2000
...or the other one.

 

whats the ACPI temp for? how come that same program that im running doesnt tell me my hdd temp?

 

ACPI is your chipset temps.

Your HDD or chipset must have SMART monitor disabled...

 

Let's dust this off... oh god a spider!

 

Bump for all

BTW, i'm selling the Zalman NC2000.

 

Bump back up

 

The Cooler Master Notepal Infinite has come to newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997420

 

Whoa....I've been waiting for that for a long time! Thanks for the heads up Chango99!

 

Your welcome

 

Any one have the DV5T with the Notepal Infinte?
Would be nice to get a review or info on the reduction in temperatures with it.

 

I don't know if I should be posting this here, but I'm really worried about the CPU temperature of my new dv5.

This (see attachment )is my normal idle temperature reading but I don't think this could be correct (especially core 1) as the laptop doesn't feel hot at all and there is absolutely no reason for it to be this hot. It'ts a P7350 if it matters.

Please help a noob out with a friendly advice, this is my first laptop

_________________________________________

EDIT: I have done some CPU tests with Everest, for about 10 minutes. Core 0 gradually went up to 75 degrees while Core 1 stayed at 81 degrees. I could clearly feel the laptop getting warmer, so I'm pretty sure right now that the sensor for Core 1 is not working. But isn't 52 idle temperature in a room which isn't really warm also too much?

The back was raised on 2 CD cases all the time, without the back being raised everything is about 3 degrees warmer in Idle (and probably more under full load).

 

*** - why is core 1 at 81c? i dont think that is normal....

i have a dv7t and the highest temps i get across all the components is 70C, and that's from the gpu....

prop up the back of ur notebook or use a cooler and see the difference.

 

That is really weird...do you have the most recent bios? Is the fan always on option set in the bios?

 

The fan is always running, I checked that in the bios.

Everest shows the bios version is F.0C. I noticed there is a F.0C A on the HP website but I'm not so sure I want to risk a bios update that will probably make no difference.

I know this is a little subjective, but wouldn't a dv5 with both cores running at 50-55 degrees Celsius feel a little warm to the touch? Because mine really isn't and neither is the air that comes out of it.

 

Yea...its weird one core is way high

The other temps look about right

 

I'd say core 1's monitoring is definitely broken, as it doesn't fluctuate at all. Core 0 seems a little high for a P7350 at idle. GPU is fine. I'd suggest you try and call HP and ask for a refund or something, because the broken sensor probably can't be fixed because it's hardware.

 

Yes, I'm really sure right now that the monitoring is broken because it doesn't fluctuate and the laptop stays really cool as long as I'm not gaming.

I'll try undervolting the processor and see if Core 0 will go down a little more. The broken sensor from the other core doesn't really affect me and I'm pretty sure it would be really difficult to get a refund here in Europe (the Pavilion range from HP has terrible customer support).

Thank you for your help and for sharing your knowledge regarding this issue!

 

Hey guys, I just got my dv5t today, its the dv5t-1050tx

Intel Core 2 Duo CPU P7350 2.0 GHz
2GB Ram
512mb Geforce 9600m GT

I'm really worried about the temperature of this laptop, I used CPUID hardware monitor and the temperature are:

Core #0 - 54C
Core #1 - 52C

GPU Core - 55C

HDD - 47C

I used the computer for about a few minutes in doom 3 and have let it cool down for about 10mins (I'm in an air conditioned room, temp is set to 23C). So its just idle temperature, I'm not doing anything except firefox and hardware monitor is open.

These temperatures are quite worrying, are the temps normal? From what i've read other dv5t owners get significantly less temps than I have

I was wondering if underclocking would help lower the temps? and would this have impact gaming performance? Would i get any problems with my cpu not getting enough power? and what program do I use to underclock my processor (what values do I set)?

I hope someone can help me

Cheers

 

Actually, unless I misunderstood the screenshots, a couple of packs of gum look like the way to go since the CPU and GPU temps were lower than with the Zalman cooler; much less expensive than Zalman or coolermaster. I used to prop up the back of my ZD7000 with a little widget made out of Legos and got similar results.

 

Your reading the current value, you should read the max value only. When it was on the zalman, I stopped stressing the laptop which let it cool down, then i took a screen shot. On the packs of gum, it was still stressing it when i took the screen shot, thus you see the value of the current temps high.

 

Sorry, so then the differences are (from baseline max, on wood desk):


CPU0 - GUM (base -5C) ZALMAN (base -11C)
CPU1 - GUM (base -4C) ZALMAN (base -9C)
GPU - GUM (base -5C) ZALMAN (base -9C)

Looks like you get half the benefit just by propping up the back a bit, and save your $60 for something a little more fun, like a game

 

Yo!

I'm running a dv5 with a T9400. My lappy seems to be running hotter than usual. It would idle at about 65C (before underclocking) even when you raise the back up a couple inches or so.

So I got cracking on underclocking and it's been awesome so far. First time I stressed it out (9x - 1.1v) it would heat up to 95C+ and would shutdown so I got it down to 1.0v and it held the temps down low enough to stop it crashing. ATM I'm testing it at 0.9875 and it's at about 83C.

Even though it's a significant decrease, it's still abnormally high...right? I'm thinking of opening up the lappy, cleaning out the fan and applying some AS5 when I get some, but I can't help but think it won't be enough.

Apart from the thermal paste, what other factors could affect it this much?

I'm planning to get a cooling pad as well. Here in Australia, the NC2000 is $85+ whereas the Notepal Infinity is ~$40. Not sure whether I want to spend an extra $40 for quieter and possibly cooler pad...

Anyway...ideas?

Oh and awesome review thanks

 

I have the NZXT Cryo LX, and the CPU hasn't gone higher than 71*C yet. And that was after a few hours of encoding quite a few video files. My GPU now idles at 53*C, and the highest the hard drive has gone is 46*C.

All of this is with Vista's power profile set to High Performance.

 

Okay so here I am testing at 0.95v or so RMClock says. Orthos says I'm running at 2530MHz which is wrong, it should be around 2400Mhz right? One concern I have is when I try CPU-Z, the VID it displays is 1.063V...what's going on here? Shouldn't it be 0.95 considering I'm running at 9x not 9.5x?

 

Hm... I'm not very sure as I didn't undervolt a T9400 successfully (it was my first try lol). Didn't have it for too long before returning it.

It seems like RMClock is not activated? And what does RMClock say your running at on volts and clock speed? Also, did your temps drop? If your temps drop, then it is undervolted and those monitors are just displaying some wrong info because of the undervolting.

All just speculation, i'm not too sure.

 

I got too confused with what CPU-Z and RMClock was showing. So I opted to try another program called CrystalCPUID and it's going pretty well so far. It can dectect all multipliers (yes that includes 9.5x) which is good. Similarish to RMClock in terms of functionality, just that it's able to detect the 0.5 multipliers and gets updated more frequently. So at the moment, I'm just stress-testing the voltages.

Now the only concern I'm having is what other factors could contribute to abnormal temps? Well, at least I think they're abnormal - stress testing 9.5x @ 1.100v is @ 84C and I don't think thats too good...

 

Just to let everyone know, if you have a p7350 cpu, HWMonitor reads the temps wrong. (it sets the TjMax at 100C). This is why it reports 50C at idle (yet the computer feels cool). The P7350 has a max thermal junction of 90c not 100c.

h**p://processorfinder.intel.com/Details.aspx?sSpec=SLB53

Therefore HWMonitor reports temps of 50C - 53C at idle, when they are actually 10C LESS. Core Temp also reads the temps wrong by 5C. I recommend downloading Real Temp and manually setting the TjMax to 90C in settings, this should report the correct temps or alternatively, setting a 5C offset in coretemp

At room temp of 25C (using AC) my idle temps are

CoreTemp (using -5 offset)
Core#0 - 38C
Core#1 - 37C

HwMonitor

GPU - 50C
HDD - 35C

Does this seem normal?

 

stop playing around with ur laptop and buy a decent laptop cooler stand from coolermaster like my NotePal X1 which cools at all the points below laptop evenly! if u keep ur laptop in the way u have shown then its a high probability of laptop falling down the table!! the stand should provide effective cooling at all the points specific to your laptop and it also provides Grip to the laptop legs. Please be careful!

 

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