Difference Clevo P15**M/P17**M copper or aluminium CPU cooler.

I've search all over but can't find the answers, I stumbled across this thread a while ago, now the question has come back up after seeing a review for the P170SM showing a copper finned cooler, and a P150SM review showing an aluminium cooler...... naturally I want a copper version.... 400w/mk, vs 210w/mk.......... (or maybe I could make one from solid silver..... 429w/mk.... I digress.....)

I'm looking to answer some questions, I'm hoping the resellers and community can help with...... and I'll post the answers (if I get them , in the second post)

1. Is the cooler picked by the reseller?
2. or is it model specific (P150SM comes with the Aluminium version, P170SM comes with the Copper?)

and my other questions are regarding the coolers themselves..

a. whats the overall size difference (same I assume)
b. how many fins does the copper and aluminium versions have.
c how thick are the fins
d how wide are the air gaps
e how wide, and how high are the heat pipes at the CPU end (the same I assume)

Ultimately the temperature will be determined by the fan profile, it may be cooler at the high end, and quieter in-between but it will be minimal if measurable at all, but I still want that copper bling!

 

Just in case I get the answers, or run any tests, I'll put the results here

 

Typically the cooler is per the manufacturer (Clevo), although some resellers offer their own coolers to supplement.

As for the dimensions, number of fins, etc. - I'm afraid I haven't been able to measure or assess those things.

 

AFAIK its just the same but copper vs aluminium.

 

Ok thanks guys, I'll just wait and see what I get....... it's a bit annoying, the P170SM for me, is just to big! but it comes with a 230w PSU, vs 180w, and it (probably) has the copper CPU cooler and its about £40 GBP cheaper.......... I honestly feel like I'm paying more for less, I wouldn't mind if it was £40 more for the P150SM and it had the copper cooler and 230w psu but to pay more and get less......

 

Since you are in the UK drop PWNPCS a mail, tell them you want a P150SM but with P170SM PSU and CPU cooler...worth a shot:

Laptops | PWN PCS

 

170EM PSU uses a different plug

 

Dam! - it couldn't be that simple could it Clevo......

I've had some great contact with PWN so I'll be in touch, although they haven't won any of my business yet, maybe this is their year!

 

That's the second time you have to remind me of that...LOL

 

Don't worry, you're not the only one

 

Welcome to the club Prema

 

ha, ive been wondering exactly this for quite some time now and bam this thread pops up, nice soooo....what id like to see is hard data comparing copper vs. aluminum cpu heatsink in the same system. also, by how much is the cooling capacity improved in the 170sm cpu heatsink vs. the hm/em heatsinks? same goes for 375sm primary gpu heatsink vs. the other respective sm/em/hm heatsinks.

thinking about swapping out both on my machine

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Copper is a much better thermoconductor than aluminum, about twice as much

Thermal Conductivity

What i find curious is this seems like an attempt to save money on the cheaper version, but i always thought that copper was easier to work with/machine than aluminum.

 

The fins are rolled to shape and simultaneously cut from sheet then another machine positions rolls and interlocks them, have a close look at how they are made, it's a great method!

Materials have a K value (relating to folding patterns not Kelvin) that will change slightly from material to material but on something as tiny as this it will be of little significance if any so it won't matter what you feed in to it. It will produce the same cooler at the other end, in theory a thinner sheet of copper could be used, equally thermally efficient but giving a tiny increase in air flow (resulting in different sound levels and or reduced temperature but it might be hard to measure)

Aluminium is available in so many different forms it can be made specifically for a task, ie. high thermal efficiency, easy forming. Copper is less versatile but also available in different forms each with their own properties but all good at conducting heat.

Furthermore yes, this does look like a bid to save money, but we are talking mere pence..... which is frustrating but Clevo do offer substantial amounts of laptop for your money IMO and I wouldn't want that to change, but given the option.... I'd pay extra for that copper..

 

This is where things get hazy for some. Aluminum actually has a lower melting point, which allows extrusions to be made cheaply. Aluminum also has a higher heat capacity (and is lighter than copper) but does not transfer heat as well, so aluminum is fairly easy to keep cool, despite its deficiency in heat dissipation. This is why copper is preferred for bases and heat pipes, and why heat pipes are used in high quality heat sinks.

 

per gram yes.....

but copper is 3 times denser than aluminium at the very least, and aluminium is only twice the specific heat,

so for a cooler the exact same size and shape, the copper version would hold 50% more heat. (by volume, not by weight) and given its twice as thermally conductive it also has has a greater efficiency value, with less cold spots and a more even heat distribution, and also..... a lower "latency" between heat applied and heat dissipated.

 

Ahhh very interesting @calibre & Prostar. I briefly worked with a tech company that dealt with aeroplane manufacturers and contractors and i remember a machinist complaining about the difficulties of making some aluminum pieces using CNC machines. Apples and oranges obviously, but I'll certainly pay more attention to the materials used in the cooling systems in laptops for my next purchase. I lucked out this time in getting the np9170 as it is alllllll copper from what i can see.

 

Is really not a deal breaker! Both coolers will perform, probably the same, the fan might just have to work a bit harder on the aluminium version - maybe, just maybe.

I'm so dam busy, what I want to do, and what I can do, are 2 different things! But what I want to do is compare delta temps between each cooler while simultaneously monitoring the noise output and fan speed (I have a friend who could possibly lend me the test equipment to record and output excel dbA levels)

This way we can see if the aluminium version has a different temperature,

We can see if one makes more noise than the other for a given fan speed (if the fins are thinner on one)

And we can see if the fan has to work harder to maintain the same temperature.

We could also trip some heavy loads on and off to see how quickly the heatsink reacts and removes heat.

I think it's important to assess all the points simultaneously as fan profiles are not linear to a temperature, they hang on or have to duck under by certain levels before adjusting speed.

Like I said, I feel like i have a million and one things to do......

 

same here mate, just cant get around to such fun things with my PhD hovering about every day in my case, fan profiles and noise are not important whatsoever, im just trying to get my cpu temps down when its overclocked to 4.7 ghz

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Lol, 4.7Ghz.......... That's insane

 

In about 3 hours, I will have my hands on the P150SM with a GTX 780m and 4700MQ......... yay!

It's got the aluminum cooler, but my guy at the dealer is checking the compatibility of the P17**M copper version and he will get back to me with a price if it fits - although it might have to wait a month or so for my finances to recover and my other half to stop throwing plates at me....

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm GTX 780m .................................. tasty

 

Ok............ so the coolers are......... exactly the same fitment. sadly they don't have any in stock, and my good man Jack (who is a bloody legend) has tried to twist a few arms to get one removed from a P170EM and replaced when the new stock arrives but it's a no go. They will be getting spares and when they do, one has my name on it. I can't promise to find the time to do the full indepth anaylsis of temperature against fanspeed and noise level, we'll see what I can do, I will certainly let you know!

I expect they might even add it as an optional upgrade on their online order system - I will suggest this to them.

Here she be... a slightly customized spec

Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4700MQ (2.40GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1866MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M - 4.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 256GB OCZ Vertex 4
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 6x BLURAY WRITER, 8x DVD ±R/±RW & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£139)
Keyboard & Mouse INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery Collection (free delivery available)

 

Congrats and enjoy!

 

It's the perfect excuse for you test the old heatsink now and make a comparison when you get the copper one

 

word! im all eyes and ears on this one

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