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.

    What is your cooling solution(s)?

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by kylera, Aug 5, 2020.

  1. kylera

    kylera Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    81
    Messages:
    234
    Likes Received:
    117
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Now that I have one coming sometime in the near future, I’m looking up different cooling solutions. I have paid extra for a delidded i9 as well as liquid metal and thermal pads, and was wondering if there’s anything else to consider and add.

    Undervolting? External fans?
     
  2. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,436
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,909
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Delidded the CPU, used a third party taller IHS, modified it for a larger die (was 7700k originally), liquid metal on all contact surfaces. Thermal pads adjusted.

    GPU thermal pads adjusted for perfect core contact, liquid metal used for contact.

    Custom made cooling pad with high pressure 140mm fans temperature controlled off the exhaust temperatures.
     
    kylera likes this.
  3. kylera

    kylera Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    81
    Messages:
    234
    Likes Received:
    117
    Trophy Points:
    56
    How loud is the cooling pad? Is it still tolerable without headphones?
     
  4. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,436
    Messages:
    58,194
    Likes Received:
    17,909
    Trophy Points:
    931
    No louder than the computer! Plus as I said it scales with temperature, it's basically off at idle.
     
  5. jc_denton

    jc_denton BGA? What a shame.

    Reputations:
    10,923
    Messages:
    3,036
    Likes Received:
    5,781
    Trophy Points:
    581
  6. cfe

    cfe Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    305
    Messages:
    92
    Likes Received:
    201
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Sorry if this is too late to be useful, but in the off-chance that I could still offer some helpful advice:

    I can't emphasize enough the importance of a cooling pad--even if it's just an unmodified stock model, right out of the box. I didn't really understand the necessity of a proper stand at first, despite thinking I had really done my due diligence and research on this matter. :rolleyes: So, this post is just an attempt to double down on some wisdom you're likely already familiar with. :)

    Allowing the native cooling system to function at optimal efficiency requires elevation and a unrestricted airflow. You'll often see suggestions as simple as setting bottle caps under the back feet, which is a night/day difference versus the chassis sitting flat on a desk; whatever you do, it is critical to ensure that there is at least some gap between the resting surface and the bottom of the laptop. Imagine the internal mechanisms as needing to breathe (like, a LOT o_O), and don't let them suffocate :cool:

    If you're lucky, you may be able to purchase a customized cooling pad from a fellow NBR member. I remember reading this line and not really taking it seriously :eek:...but honestly, I wish I had... :D

    I think the Cooler Master Notepal U3 Plus is probably the best bang for the buck, by far. It's been a couple years now since my purchase, but I did fairly exhaustive market research at the time, and I doubt much has changed since. It's cheap, light, reliable, well-designed, solidly-constructed, and is a great platform for further modification/improvement as your time/money allows. Actually, it's virtually the only cooling pad that checks all those boxes (again, could be out-of-date here, but I doubt it--and the Notepal U3 Plus was already quite old at the time of my purchase).

    Either way, I definitely encourage something with a backplate that's as open/permeable as possible, and thus fully conducive to airflow under the chassis; don't make the mistake of being seduced by a "modern" design that sacrifices functional engineering principles for fashion or novelty.

    Apologies for the lengthy and likely-irrelevant reply :p