Best cooling option for P170EM?

I am looking to get something that will be able to cool down my P170EM and would like to get some advice/pointers before making my decision. The Cooler Master U3 Notepal Cooler seems pretty good, but are there better options out there?

Thanks

 

Due to the limited ventilation (placed to help direct airflow and the amount calibrated for the inbuilt fan alone) cooler pads usually don't help unless you modify the back cover too. The best case otherwise is just to make sure it is slightly raised and kept clear.

 

I use a lapdesk called the Lapinator: Amazon.com: Lapinator Plus! - Blocks the heat & keeps your notebook cooler!: Office Products

It's just a lapdesk made of Thinsulate with some rubber pads to keep the back elevated. I've had mine for four years now and it's very sturdy. The Plus size is big enough for the 9170 with a little extra room although you'll need to buy the optional mouse pad extension if you want to use a mouse on it. It works great although the 9170 doesn't seem to get that warm. I had a Gateway 6860 previously and it was hot enough to act as a space heater and the Lapinator was the only thing that worked to protect me since most coolers are too small for 17" laptops and too uncomfortable to have on your lap for long periods of time.

 

i have th cooler master U3. got to say though i really dont put it on that much. the cooling on the laptop is excellent even during heavy game sessions. Although does help being in the UK as weather is normally pants lol.

 

Being in the UK at the moment does mean you don't need to go into the refrigerator to get silly ambient temperatures at the moment

The raising on a flat surface is going to give you that little edge, any fans will not.

 

I live in Norway so I believe we're pretty even on that ground.

Anyways, thanks for the responses.

 

Well in norway to be honest I think you guys win if the couple I was speaking to a couple of days ago were right....

 

This is what I did with my P170EM, I just stuck 2 small plastic triangles I made myself under the back of the laptop and get 5-7 degrees cooler.

 

Or you could always... go a little more hard-core...

 

Good effort (+rep), like I said you need to do some warranty voiding case mods if you want to add heatsinks and them do something.

 

Thanks. And yeah, it takes some effort to make a difference, especially when the system fans only speed up at specific thresholds. Most passive cooling will just delay when the fans kick on and maybe maximum temp. Results may vary.

 

I've used the U3 ever since i got my P170EM this summer. I found that I hardly need to use the cooling pad but now it is getting hotter because I need to clean the fans. I mainly use the pad if I have my laptop in bed.

 

Was -10 degrees Celsius last week, so you are probably right about that.

As for keeping the laptop elevated, I have tried lifting the laptop while running kombustor, and I did get a drop of about 2-3 degrees. Now all I have to do is find something suitable for the task of keeping it that way...

Also, what are the highest safe temperatures of my 7970M and 720QM?

 

My experience with Notepal U3 briefly:

- Lifting the laptop up is definitely the most important part of cooling a laptop and a practical cooler is always better than putting books under the notebook.
- I forgot to turn the cooler on yesterday and my temps reached 81°C. Usually I put it at max speed, and temps hover between 76° and 78°C (same game, same conditions). So the active cooling part does have an impact.
- My cooler would make absolutely no difference before I improved air circulation with the famous tape mod available on this very forum.

Hope this helps

About the safe temperatures, it depends what you mean by safe. There is a security threshold which is usually very high (over 100°C), but a temperature of 90°C will wear the CPU/GPU faster than a temperature of 80°C, etc...