Quality cooling for laptop

[drahlz]

So my laptop has been thermal throttling so I need to do something to fix that. I have seen devices like I linked below in the past and it looks like it could be very helpful (also reviews seem positive)
http://www.amazon.com/LC05-Cooling-Auto-Temp-Detection-Compatible/dp/B00XKU47Y2/ref=zg_bs_2243862011_3#Ask
Does anyone have experience with one of these?

I typically use my laptop on a lapdesk and am happy with that, but a concern would be that the cooler has to be able to support itself which it looks like this one can. I just don't know if it is worth $25 or if there is a better option.

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

I wouldn't buy one of those coolers as they have a chance of damaging the fan that's in the notebook. It would be better instead to open up the laptop and clean out the heatsink, as well as replacing the thermal paste.

 

[drahlz]

I wouldn't buy one of those coolers as they have a chance of damaging the fan that's in the notebook. It would be better instead to open up the laptop and clean out the heatsink, as well as replacing the thermal paste.

Already been done.. I feel like it is just something with my model of laptop. I actually RMA'd the laptop because of this and I believe CPU/GPU were replaced. I also took it apart and cleaned it out as a first step which made no difference as it wasn't dirty.

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

I wouldn't buy one of those coolers as they have a chance of damaging the fan that's in the notebook. It would be better instead to open up the laptop and clean out the heatsink, as well as replacing the thermal paste.

Already been done.. I feel like it is just something with my model of laptop. I actually RMA'd the laptop because of this and I believe CPU/GPU were replaced. I also took it apart and cleaned it out as a first step which made no difference as it wasn't dirty.

OK, then I would go for a laptop cooling pad, which is slightly more passive, and should help with airflow without risking damage. Something like this would be great: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002Q8X3L2

 

[drahlz]

I wouldn't buy one of those coolers as they have a chance of damaging the fan that's in the notebook. It would be better instead to open up the laptop and clean out the heatsink, as well as replacing the thermal paste.

Already been done.. I feel like it is just something with my model of laptop. I actually RMA'd the laptop because of this and I believe CPU/GPU were replaced. I also took it apart and cleaned it out as a first step which made no difference as it wasn't dirty.

OK, then I would go for a laptop cooling pad, which is slightly more passive, and should help with airflow without risking damage. Something like this would be great: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002Q8X3L2

I actually use this currently.
http://www.amazon.com/LapGear-Deluxe-Laptop-LapDesk-91498/dp/B017EVRZG4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
I know it doesn't have any cooling, but none of the ones with fans seem to have any space for a mouse. I game on the laptop and rarely sit at a desk/table so having a spot for the mouse was a must. I was thinking of possibly checking if there is enough room to cut a hole in the lapdesk and mount a fan to it.

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

I wouldn't buy one of those coolers as they have a chance of damaging the fan that's in the notebook. It would be better instead to open up the laptop and clean out the heatsink, as well as replacing the thermal paste.

Already been done.. I feel like it is just something with my model of laptop. I actually RMA'd the laptop because of this and I believe CPU/GPU were replaced. I also took it apart and cleaned it out as a first step which made no difference as it wasn't dirty.

OK, then I would go for a laptop cooling pad, which is slightly more passive, and should help with airflow without risking damage. Something like this would be great: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002Q8X3L2

I actually use this currently.
http://www.amazon.com/LapGear-Deluxe-Laptop-LapDesk-91498/dp/B017EVRZG4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
I know it doesn't have any cooling, but none of the ones with fans seem to have any space for a mouse. I game on the laptop and rarely sit at a desk/table so having a spot for the mouse was a must. I was thinking of possibly checking if there is enough room to cut a hole in the lapdesk and mount a fan to it.

Quite honestly - anything will work as long as it forces air to circulate on the underside of the laptop ;D

 

[drahlz]

I wouldn't buy one of those coolers as they have a chance of damaging the fan that's in the notebook. It would be better instead to open up the laptop and clean out the heatsink, as well as replacing the thermal paste.

Already been done.. I feel like it is just something with my model of laptop. I actually RMA'd the laptop because of this and I believe CPU/GPU were replaced. I also took it apart and cleaned it out as a first step which made no difference as it wasn't dirty.

OK, then I would go for a laptop cooling pad, which is slightly more passive, and should help with airflow without risking damage. Something like this would be great: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002Q8X3L2

I actually use this currently.
http://www.amazon.com/LapGear-Deluxe-Laptop-LapDesk-91498/dp/B017EVRZG4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
I know it doesn't have any cooling, but none of the ones with fans seem to have any space for a mouse. I game on the laptop and rarely sit at a desk/table so having a spot for the mouse was a must. I was thinking of possibly checking if there is enough room to cut a hole in the lapdesk and mount a fan to it.

Quite honestly - anything will work as long as it forces air to circulate on the underside of the laptop ;D

I think I might just get the side mount unit. I know you mentioned it could damage the fan, but dealing with the laptop in its currently condition is getting unbearable. Also it is only about 6 months old so has 1.5 years of warranty left so hopefully if the fan would die they would send me a replacement.

Going to also look into mounting a fan to the bottom of my laptop as I am already modifying it slightly by replacing the wrist rest. If I can get that to work and it is sufficient I can return the side unit.

I will probably hold off for a little bit to see if anyone else has any input as this unit seems to be one of the more expensive ones, but it also looks to be more of a quality product.

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

Sounds like a good plan!

 

[drahlz]

Sounds like a good plan!

I went ahead and purchased the cooler I linked originally and so far in my testing was pleasantly surprised that my CPU is no longer thermal throttling. Even while doing a stress test in AIDA64. It will still get fairly hot around 90C, but previously the CPU would show about 30-40% throttling at those same temps.

Anyways this brings up another question. I would like to modify my lapdesk for more airflow. What type of fans would I went to get for this? I would need some fairly thin ones, but I don't know much besides that. Also they would need to be USB powered.. so not sure if I can get an adapter for a case fan or if I would need special ones.

Or would just cutting a hole in the lapdesk below the vents be sufficient to increase airflow?

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

You can try cutting a hole in the lapdesk before buying any fans to see if it helps. If it doesn't, you can make your own USB fan from any case fan that you buy and a USB cable - connect the power leads from the fan to the power leads from the USB cable - follow this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Convert-A-Case-Fan-To-USB/

 

[drahlz]

You can try cutting a hole in the lapdesk before buying any fans to see if it helps. If it doesn't, you can make your own USB fan from any case fan that you buy and a USB cable - connect the power leads from the fan to the power leads from the USB cable - follow this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Convert-A-Case-Fan-To-USB/

I might just try cutting a hole in the lapdesk first like mentioned. I guess I really don't know how the air-flow of my laptop even works. From what I can see the intake might not even be supplying any air to where I want it to go. Would they really design a gaming laptop with only exhaust and no intake?

Apparently there is no intake. I just found this thread with someone asking a similar question.
http://www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-2755239/cooling-asus-rog-gl551jw-ds71.html
I suppose it doesn't pay to cut up my lapdesk then. If it was out of warranty I would be tempted to just cut some of the plastic off the bottom of the case... it is under warranty though so don't want to do that. Shucks..

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

You can try cutting a hole in the lapdesk before buying any fans to see if it helps. If it doesn't, you can make your own USB fan from any case fan that you buy and a USB cable - connect the power leads from the fan to the power leads from the USB cable - follow this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Convert-A-Case-Fan-To-USB/

I might just try cutting a hole in the lapdesk first like mentioned. I guess I really don't know how the air-flow of my laptop even works. From what I can see the intake might not even be supplying any air to where I want it to go. Would they really design a gaming laptop with only exhaust and no intake?

Apparently there is no intake. I just found this thread with someone asking a similar question.
http://www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-2755239/cooling-asus-rog-gl551jw-ds71.html
I suppose it doesn't pay to cut up my lapdesk then. If it was out of warranty I would be tempted to just cut some of the plastic off the bottom of the case... it is under warranty though so don't want to do that. Shucks..

Hmmm... I guess you're out of luck ;D

Is removing the back casing an option or will that void the warranty too?

 

[drahlz]

You can try cutting a hole in the lapdesk before buying any fans to see if it helps. If it doesn't, you can make your own USB fan from any case fan that you buy and a USB cable - connect the power leads from the fan to the power leads from the USB cable - follow this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Convert-A-Case-Fan-To-USB/

I might just try cutting a hole in the lapdesk first like mentioned. I guess I really don't know how the air-flow of my laptop even works. From what I can see the intake might not even be supplying any air to where I want it to go. Would they really design a gaming laptop with only exhaust and no intake?

Apparently there is no intake. I just found this thread with someone asking a similar question.
http://www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-2755239/cooling-asus-rog-gl551jw-ds71.html
I suppose it doesn't pay to cut up my lapdesk then. If it was out of warranty I would be tempted to just cut some of the plastic off the bottom of the case... it is under warranty though so don't want to do that. Shucks..

Hmmm... I guess you're out of luck ;D

Is removing the back casing an option or will that void the warranty too?

I can remove the cover over the HDD/RAM but it doesn't look like that provides any air to the GPU/CPU. The only other cover to remove is the entire bottom panel and I don't want to do that