NBR Cooling Central

We are the NBR Cooling Team. We are a group of NBR members who are dedicated to the reduction of temperatures in notebooks to allow higher overclocks and longevity. We have established our selves to help YOU keep your notebook running cool.

(display pictures to be added shortly as well as team sigs)

X2P: For X2P he was never a notebook guy but a desktop fanboy until he received his Vostro 1500. Although he never got the hang of overclocking he was still pursuing a way to give his notebook extra cooling after noticing objects such as water bottles were melting within a foot of his fan. After attempting a few methods he settled on a cooler and has developed a passion for notebook coolers.


Johnny　T: It all started when his Compaq B3800 “beeped’’ at him (believed to be caused by Pentium M CPUs reaching 90C). Since then he has used every single notebook cooling technique that can be thought of. Ranging from notebook coolers to putting a frozen gel mat underneath his notebook. Loves his notebook, hate its cooling system. If you have a question regarding notebook cooling, he is everywhere on NBR, literally.

Gophn: He has never been a notebook owner before his Clevo D900K. He researched and invested his money of the world's first dual core notebook, which also happened to be the highest-end gaming notebook at the time. He ran into an issue with the GPU downclocking after a few months of use. He realized that it was overheating and decided to make a thread about it, then another thread to help others monitor their notebook's temps, as well as become an advocate of notebook cooling... especially for performance/gaming notebooks that need more care than a typical use notebook. You can find is "Copy-Paste" of his tips to clean out the dust from a notebook all over NBR. So you better read that before you post yet another "My notebook is overheating.." thread (or he will eat you …. “X2P” .

Flipfire: A Master of undervolting, Flipfire is our resident UV expert. He will be spreading his majestic UV’ing techniques. From Pentium Ms to Core 2 Duos, he has done them all! He is situated in the HP forum or the Dell forum, and also is the creator of the undervolting guide. He has always had a slight craving in keeping his notebook cool but unlike many of us he has an unknown past and an unknown reason as to why he does it.




Monitoring Temperatures

Idle temperatures are varied in most notebooks. The reasoning behind this is due to their different thermal designs and low-level programming for fans.

Danger zone (high) temperatures are pretty standard due to manufactures low-level specifications of usage. Danger temps are set to downclock the component such as the CPU or GPU in order to cool the component down enough to prevent overheating

Here are temperatures for specific components when they enter the danger zone.:

CPU danger temperature is around 75-85C (check the CPU's tech specs)
GPU danger temperature is around 90-95C
HDD danger temperature is around 60-65C

Threshold temperatures are also pretty standard once again due to the reasons specified under the danger zone temperatures. These temperatures are the most dangerous to a system, in which permanent hardware damage can be incurred if the user does not remedy the heat issue during which time the user is experiencing temperatures within the danger zone. Systems that have a component that reaches threshold temperatures will usually crash or shutdown when the temperature peaks.

CPU threshold temperature is around 90-100C (and above)
GPU threshold temperature is around 100-105C (and above)
HDD threshold temperature is varied, but above 65C is bad

Safe temperatures are temperatures are basically any temperature below the danger zone temperatures. Even a 5C-10C difference is ok as long as it stays below the danger zone temperatures.

If it is not a new system when a it enters the danger zone, it is a red flag to do some serious cleaning of dust from the vents and fans (guide below) or to be aware that you may be blocking vents on the bottom or side, which is restricting the airflow. Only use notebooks on hard, flat, clean surfaces. Never use a notebook on a lap, couch, bed, or other soft surfaces.

If it is a new notebook and it is reaching danger zone or threshold temperatures it is recommended you contact the vendor of your notebook.

There are a few systems that may be close to danger zone temperatures, due to their thermal design (or lack of). These systems will benefit with any extra cooling, for example a cooler like the Zalman ZM-NC1000/NC2000
.... check out the: Notebook Coolers : A Buyers Guide

This section was brought to you by Gophn.






There are three main approaches to cooling a notebook. The easiest being accessories followed by software and hardware. We will provide links with guides on how you can apply these methods but please note that we are not responsible for any damage to your notebook including if you overclock too high although your temperatures are ok.

We will be posting out tips in the following format:

TITLE OF TIP: Description of tip, description of tip, etc…
^if the title appears like this text (underlined and blue) it is linked to a guide

Difficulty: Beginner*/Intermediate**/Expert***
Effect: Measured in units of C (for cool)

Cost: $ (US+Canadian)
Software Required: All required software will be here linked to the official site


Alternative Software: All alternative software will be here linked to the official site
Tools Required: If any tools are required they will be posted here

* never really used/opened up a onotebook before
** has experience with computing and is comfortable with fiddling about with their notebook
*** done it all before...






Software is crucial in several regards. It is used to first diagnose if your notebook has a heat issue or not while detecting the temperature of your notebook’s components such as the hard drive, processor and graphics card. That is why we consider this the first step to keeping your notebook cool. Software can also allow you to tune your component(s) so that they produce less heat and even speed up your notebooks fan when you would like to on specific models.


Monitoring Temperatures:
As stated above temperatures are quite evidently very important to cooling down your notebook as you will not be able to calculate any changes in temperature with your components if this step is not taken. This is a MUST step in order to cool your notebook and is expected you use it to apply all methods of cooling although it will not be written down as required software.

Difficulty: Beginner
Effect: CCCCC

Cost: $0
Software Required: Riva Tuner, Notebook Hardware Control.
Alternative Software: HDTune, RMClock, I8Kfan (Dell only see below)


Drivers and Bios:
”The drivers guide is designed to help you update your laptop's video card drivers. Why update your drivers? Newer drivers can improve 3D performance, fix bugs and other graphical glitches in certain games, support new features, and use your hardware more efficiently”. It is best to try out drivers and test temperatures and performance and find the right driver for your graphics card as video card drivers can affect the amount of heat output of your video card. Bios also play a factor as newer Bios are released for your system some may show slight improvement in temperature.

Difficulty: Beginner
Effect: C

Cost: $0
Software Required: Drivers (ATI / Nvidia), Bios from your manufacturer’s site.
Alternative Software: N/A


Undervolting:
Undervolting is a process which reduces the excess "voltage" given to the CPU using a software. This is widely used as a cooling solution and in my opinion more effective than any other cooling solution available (thermal paste, cooling pad, etc) at NO cost. Results can vary from 5c up to 20c drop in temperature, most will achieve an average of 10c.

Undervolting will NOT compromise performance at all. Underclocking and Overclocking (clock speeds) is whats responsible in regards to performance. Benchmarks will also prove that performance remains the same. Most beginners usually think and assume undervolting will sacrifice performance but they are wrong.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Effect: CCCC

Cost: $0
Software Required: RMclock, ORTHOS CPU loader, HWmonitor
Alternative Software: N/A


Fan Control:
Many believe that notebook fans cannot be controlled but that is a false statement. Notebook fans can be controlled, infact using HWmonitor you could code with its ACPI BUT it is complicated and useless to the average user and we do not recommend you attempted it. We recommend if your notebook isn’t a Dell or a Thinkpad you let your fans be and find an alternative method to cool your notebook.

Difficulty: Beginner
Effect: CCC

Cost: $0
Software Required: I8Kfan (Dell (XPS Support Pending)), ThinkPad Fan Control (Thinkpad T4X also a tad complicated recommended fore mroe advanced users)
Alternative Software: Speed fan (It is rumored to work on some notebooks not confirmed)

Unnecessary Processes:
A great way to keep your laptop cool is to lower its load. By lowering the load on your components it lowers heat production. Although this has only a minor affect to some it may have a larger affect and may even boost game performance. To do this just press and hold CTRL + ALT + DEL and choose processes. With the list infront of you type the process such as "acrotray.exe" into google and you will find many resources on what this process is and you can decide if you would like to disable it. Note:some of these can be even stopped from starting up via msconfig.

Difficulty: Beginner
Effect: 1/2C

Cost: $0
Software Required: Windows OS
Alternative Software: N/A





Hardware is what runs your system whether it is your processor or hard drive it is anything “physical” that operates your system. It is quite obvious that it plays a major role in the heat output of your system since hardware is what produces the heat. Although there is not much you can do about modifying the hardware there are some methods to help control the heat output of your hardware.


Clean your Fans:
We cannot stress this enough that this is probably the most important and easiest things you can do to keep your notebook cool. Dust does get stuck in fans regardless if your room is clean or not it is a matter of time. It is recommended you do this regularly, as in every 3-6 months should be sufficient. The difficulty level of this varies from notebook to notebook but take your time and avoid frustration.

Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Effect: CCCCC

Cost: $7+ (depends on tools already acquired)
Software Required: N/A
Alternative Software: N/A
Tools Required: Compressed air (they now have tilt able cans as well), flashlight, screwdriver set, Qtips, cotton swabs.


Thermal Paste:
First off it is very important to note that this may void your warranty and we are not responsible. A recent trend in notebook cooling is the application of thermal paste to notebook processors and video cards. There are different types of thermal pastes and not all methods are applied the same way so learn the basics from the link provided. Here is a link to a guide for one of the more popular thermal paste's, arctic silver 5(<click). It is also a great resource on how to clean up in general using any thermal paste.

Difficulty: Beginner
Effect: CCCC

Cost: $5+ (depends on the paste chosen and tools already acquired)
Software Required: N/A
Alternative Software: N/A
Tools Required: Refer to the guide


Notebook Cooling mods:
There are cooling mods to notebooks that exist including modding heat pipes and drilling holes etc but we highly do not recommend you attempt these or let alone even think about attempting these unless your are qualified and do not care about damage to your notebook.

Difficulty: Expert
Effect: ?

Cost: ?
Software Required: ?
Alternative Software: ?
Tools Required: ?






Notebook Coolers:
Although notebook coolers have often been referred to as a “fancy” accessory such as a gaming mouse pad its adoption has been recently booming here on NBR and on other sites. They are a simple tool that will help keep your notebook cool. There are many coolers out there and there is no need to be fooled, follow the guide.(best viewed in 1440x900 (to be lowered soon))

Difficulty: N/A
Effect: CCCC

Cost: $20-$75
Software Required: N/A


Homemade Notebook Coolers:
These are a great summer project if you have the tools the money and the time and patience. They allow you to customize where you would like the air to come out to better fit your notebook’s vents. There are different types of home made coolers and it is up to you which you would like to create. Good luck.

Difficulty: Intermediate/Expert
Effect: CCCC

Cost: ??? (Varies by materials, time etc)
Software Required: N/A
Alternative Software: N/A
Tools Required: Depends on the build


Cable ties and an Organized Desk:
Many people never take into consideration that a messy desk can affect their notebooks operating temperatures. A clean work space around your notebook is note just handy and nice to have but if the space around your notebook is insolated with clutter it can block off good air circulation with your notebook. It is also recommended that you use cable ties for mice with long cords and other cables that may be in the way.

Difficulty: N/A
Effect: 0.5C

Cost: $1+
Software Required: N/A
Alternative Software: N/A
Tools Required: N/A




If you would like our assistance in cooling down or keeping your current and/or future notebook please fill in the FAQ so that we can help you to our fullest extent and to reduce wait times.

Start Copy
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1. What notebook do you own/going to own (Make and Model)?

2. Specs of the notebook (List Details Please)

3. Maximum and minimum temperature of CPU/GPU/HDD in Celsius and if possible idle and load times (see software guide)

4. What sort of cooling solutions are you looking for? (active solutions (fan coolers/passive, thermal paste...etc) )

5. Budget for cooling solutions?

6. Your general computer knowledge (Beginner to Expert)

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End Copy

Last update: 08/06/24 by X2P, addition of Stopping processes, editing spacing/


Did you like this Post? Did you learn something from it? Then vote for it in the NBR Amazing Content Contest

 

Thanks guys.I am indebted to you pioneers.

 

This is really nice. When someone I knew saw my ZM-NC2000, he said "Yeah, I thought about getting a cooler, but then I realized it was a complete waste of money". Other people have told me I'm addicted to cooling. Well, most of their laptops are showing problems, and one of them did die due to overheating.

So yeah, this is really good. Glad you guys put this together. This is sure to help many.

Oh, just on a side note. I was thinking about building my own notebook cooler, but I didn't get the time, and at this point I'm sort of glad I didn't. I bought the Zalman and it was way better than I have previously expected. I figured that if I was going to build a USB powered one like I had planned, I probably couldn't match the Zalman. Now, if I went with a 120 V power supply, then I could probably beat it.

Thanks for putting this together.

 

Checking in...

 

hmm, where is the upgrade your fans to high performance EBM PAPST's?
I didnt see it there.
I have upgraded all of my fans to ebm system blowers on my laptop, and it runs much cooler, with its high quality german manufactured fans

K-TRON

 

When I get my new notebook in the next month or two this stop will be on my list. If the cooling team needs a spokesmodel I am available.

 

Alright, I guess I'll just fill out the FAQ !

1. What notebook do you own/going to own (Make and Model)?
Dell Inspiron 1520

2. Specs of the notebook (List Details Please)
Specs are in Signature.

3. Maximum and minimum temperature of CPU/GPU/HDD in Celsius and if possible idle and load times (see software guide)
Maximum would be around 60-70 C.
Minimum would be around 40 C.

4. What sort of cooling solutions are you looking for? (active solutions (fan coolers/passive, thermal paste...etc) )
Both types... I have undervolted my CPU already.

5. Budget for cooling solutions?
Around $20.

6. Your general computer knowledge (Beginner to Expert)
Intermediate to Expert.

Thanks, guys!

 

hehe...i'll have to learn abit about fans sometimes...

Thermal paste could be a possibility, but of course that will most probably void your warranty...unless you can get access to the CPU without breaking any seals...(like my notebook). You temps are looking pretty good to me...

 

looks nice guys.

We have an auto-link for this thread yet?

 

ooo good idea! I am gona go ask now. Also that sig is just something tempory...X2P is goona fix something up for us.


EDIT: we have auto link now! test-> Cooling Central

 

i have a z96j with intel core duo T2400 and vista premium. my current voltage according to Notebook Hardware Control (NHC) is 1.2625 (11x). Is that too much or too little? Should I use Rmclock to undervolt it to reduce the temperature? My current temperature just browsing this forum is 65C!

 

UV is the cheapest and best way to reduce temps.
Give it a go.

 

1. What notebook do you own/going to own (Make and Model)?

ACER 5920g

2. Specs of the notebook (List Details Please)
intel core 2 duo T7300 2.00ghz
gefore 8600M GT ddr2 256mb (driver 177.26)
160gb of hard drive
(need anything else?)

3. Maximum and minimum temperature of CPU/GPU/HDD in Celsius and if possible idle and load times (see software guide)
IDLE - CPU are both 50c
GPU (with poweroptimizer turned off, meaning full clock while idle) is 63C

FULL LOAD- CPU hits 85 to 88
GPU hits 92 to 95 (when playing GRID, gears of war, and mass effect) <---without overclock
the gpu is the main problem
4. What sort of cooling solutions are you looking for? (active solutions (fan coolers/passive, thermal paste...etc) )

i already have a cool pad that has fans, but they barely lowers the temperature. My laptop is elevated 4cm off the table. Also, i have cleaned my fans and vents.
So i am looking for anything that will easily cool my laptop down or rather FIX it.
5. Budget for cooling solutions?
preferably $0, but anything less than 50 is fair.
6. Your general computer knowledge (Beginner to Expert)
been learning a lot the past year, so i would say intermediate

 

Flip can get your hands on a AMD Turion TL and add the instructions to your guide. I have played a little with UV and run into stability issues. I suspect I am doing something incorrect and just have not had time to teach myself.

 

Could you specify exactly which cooler you are using. Make sure the notebook is directly on the cooler not elevated.

First off I would clean out my fans if I were you and then undervolt the CPU an almost 0$ solution. After that try thermal paste if you are comfortable in doing so and if you dont mind that your WARRANTY MAY BE VOID in doing so.

 

yea i got ripped off with the laptop cooler(startech notebook cooling pad with 4 fans that goes to 2600rpm but badly designed), and i dont really think any cooler will do anything since acer5920g has the heat sink and fan and the very top left corner of the notebook. so usually out of reach of the fans of my cooler.

and yes i have cleaned my vents as stated above.

i am trying the uv option now, report back for changes

 

Hello Notebook Cooling Team, Thanks so much for the guide, now hoping for a litte more assistance- my notebook, an asus f3j ive owned for roughly 18 months. take very good care of it, always ran well, but recently started running really hot. like the palmrest is almost too hot to touch, and also underneath is extremly hot - so i opened it up the back and blew out the dust. suprisingly, there was not much, even in the vents behind/below the fan. for how hot it is running, i was expecting just clouds of dust like ive seen in my desktops. . . but relativley clean - i can post pics to show

after cleaning, still running about the same temperature, and still very hot on the palm rest and below. it is much hotter on the right hand side. NHC shows cpu at 58-60C and hd at 39C.

please advise further in order to help these temp problems, could this be battery related?? will check later how temp go w/o being plugged in.

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1. What notebook do you own/going to own (Make and Model)?

ASUS F3J

2. Specs of the notebook (List Details Please)

t7200, ati x1700 vid card, gig of ram

3. Maximum and minimum temperature of CPU/GPU/HDD in Celsius and if possible idle and load times (see software guide)

cpu - 58-50C

hdd - 39C

gpu - ??

4. What sort of cooling solutions are you looking for? (active solutions (fan coolers/passive, thermal paste...etc) )

how to clean more/ add laptop cooler

5. Budget for cooling solutions?

6. Your general computer knowledge (Beginner to Expert)

tons and tons, but i know im no expert

 

I was just wondering if there is any notebook cooler that is worth the money for a XPS m1530? I just shipped back the Zalman NC2000 I had back to Newegg cause it barely did anything, IMO 3-4 degrees is not enough to justify 60 bucks. And I tried positioning it all over the pad, made no difference. Thanks.

 

What do you guys think of the Bytecc NC-500?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834999336
Newegg is willing to sell me one for 14.95, since i showed them a website that is selling it for that price.

I own a M-152XL, and after reading some reviews, this cooler seems to be cheap and gets the job done.

 

Lakjin,

Thats just a basic cooler, its not even worth more than $10-15 anyways.

If the fans on the cooler line up with the fans under your notebook, it would be ok, but its still not as efficient as a Zalman or Cooler Master Infinite.

 

Hmm I want to make a cooler I have nothing else to do this summer so why not.

But I can't figure out where the vents on my T61p are and if they suck or blow does anyone know or have a link to somewhere I can get the info.

 

fans on the bottom intake air and the back and sides exhaust the hot air.

 

I would monitor your temps first. I know lower temps are always better but nice to know what you are up against. This is only an opinion and if you game hard I do understand a cooler. Try and get it cool without add ons to start. I guess a notebook with a cooler gets away from why I bought a notebook in the first place. I know opinion and have acknowledged exceptions (hardcore gaming) but I like the undervolting and thermal compounds first.

 

Here is the ultimate cooling solution, rest your notebook on some small cinder blocks so as to elevate it. Then, get a fan and point it at your laptop. This 'el cheapo' technique will enable you to play intensive 3d games for hours at overclocked settings without worry and without breaking the bank! Simple!

 

TBH i dont need a cooler cause i dont game intense, at most i play WC3. I just want a cooler to be cool (no pun intended...okay maybe a little). But i also dont want to spend a lot on it lol.

How exactly can i identify where the fans are? Something i should look for in specific? I see 4 vent type things at the bottom of the laptop, those the location of fans?

I know coolers like the Zalman and the Infinite are great, but they also cost a decent amount =(

 

you should usually see the fans through the vents.

use a flashlight to help you find where the air intakes and exhausts.

 

OK smart ass! I got a part time job at a restaurant washing dishes. I show up earlier and leave later than my shift. I spend the extra time in the "walk in" freezer extreme gaming! And I get paid!

 

anyone have exp with asus f3j extreme high temps even though fans and headsink are clean??

 

What "tasks" or "apps" are running? That would help much?

 

I submerse my laptop in liquid nitrogen and play on an external monitor.

 

nothing more than firefox and notebook hardware controller - cpu temps drop to 51-53C idle and unplugged, load on cpu shows at 0-3%

 

That's what I actually do though...

 

Oh...top left, thats ok! have a look at the Coolermaster notepal! Not the infinite but the original series. The have fans located along the top of the cooler.

http://www.coolermaster.com/products/product.php?act=detail&tbcate=152&id=4809

Not 100% sure whether that one is released yet, but it looks promising, other wise if you can track down the original notepal then that will be good too.

Sounds like you could do with abit of undervolting! You Should be able to do it with NHC, if not there are other programs available. You can find Flipfire's UV guide's link on the front page.

PS. Looks like this place got abit busy!

 

eh...what the hell. checking in, and a bit suprised to see that my 'review' on the NZXT CRYO LX is a part of this. i reviewed it way to early. waaaaay too early. i had much better results after allowing it more airflow than being cramped into a corner of a desk. and after the break in period of the AS5 that i put on the T9300 in this computer, will be using it to make it even cooler than it is already running.

 

Why don`t ya throw a beer in there too, it won`t matter, Liquid Nitrogen freezes all

 

I don't want a frozen beer! I just go over to Arkys work and grab one out of his walk-in freezer

 

You do know some laptops can't work if it's like -150°

 

Guys lets keep the OT stuff to the minimal please. A little here and there is fine, just not too much.

 

Bump for an answer.

 

Not really, you could try the Coolermaster infinite ...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=162820

 

hmm, interesting how the NC-2000 didnt work out for you. You might see an effect of a larger magnitude if you try undervolting.

 

Note book coolers have been notorious on not working well with the Dell XPS 1530 line. Sorry that no one has answered yet besides johnny. As johnny stated undervolting would be a good idea. May I recommend chucking somthing under the battery to get extra airflow below. I8Kfan may also be worth investigating. Unfourtunatly I do not have a XPS line to test . In the initial release xps line was not supported

 

notebook coolers are varied in their efficiency.... the main reasons are:
- notebook design (bottom fans and vent locations)
- ambient temp
....etc....

 

ok i am back and thanks to the undervolting guide, my cpu now runs crysis at 73c (before it was around 88 to 90)

but all the hard work didnt pay off as my GPU is still able to cook my breakfast with 93c on full load and no overclocking

this is really frustrating. I tried cleaning my vents, but it turned out i dont have much dust anywhere. I tried using a cooling pad, but acer's weird designed makes it impossible.

Isn't there another way to cool my gpu without trying thermal compound?

 

How is your GPU performance in theory you could underclock it slightly if you dont need the full performance of the GPU. Also try switching drivers, check for a bios update, and get rid of ANY unnecessary processes.

A final option may be the following:

It may void your warranty. If you are willing to then go ahead but we are not responsible. When opening it up look for the GPU and heat pipe. Just take a look at first to see if there is any tape around it. The heatpipe should have nothing taped to it or on it. You might aswell check the fan area and gpu area from the inide aswell if you are infact voiding your warranty. This was a problem with the Asus G1S.

 

I would just like to recommend this Antec cooler to anyone searching for a cheap and efficient cooler. I can comfortably use it on my 17" notebook, but it is most effective on 14" and 15.4" laptops. It has two fans situated near the center of the cooler so it's not great if your laptop's hot spots are in the rear or front, but otherwise it works great. While gaming, it reduces my GPU temp from 80C+ to around 70-72.

 

Nice. I was gona get that as my 1st cooler a few years back but opt for the NotePal. Mainly because it was metal and looks well build, hehe. But I see now that the Antec wouldn't have been a bad buy either. Also I thought it was abit small form the provide info, I guess I was wrong... none the less, good to hear that it works!

 

removing the tape eh? is there any risk if i remove it tho? I dont want to remove and find out that i just break my card

 

I unscrewed the graphic card but unable to take it out. Do i need to lift it up first then pull it or something?

 

I recommend thermal paste at this point. I think its your best and only shot.