Laptop cooler advice

[Bullseye]

So I have an optimus II laptop and I'd like to get a cooler.

I have two candidates, the Coolermaster Notepal U2 or the Zalman NC3000S, the latter one costs 2x what the former one is, but if it is better for my laptop I don¡t mind paying the extra. Taking into account the vent position of the Optimus II 15'', which one would you recommend?

 

[cb1173]

Hi, i have the same laptop and use a zalman zm-nc1500 and find it is a good cooler, also have 2 compaq laptops that use the same model. I have found the temps to be about 10 deg c lower while gaming that without using one.

 

[Bullseye]

Thanks for the reply. My doubts come because the in the Notepal U2 one you can move the fans to where you want to. I have read they don't help much, but I am wondering if that info is veridic or not. Also the NC3000S has a middle fan, don't know if this lapotp would benefit as much from that.

 

[cb1173]

The problem with the movable fans is they direct the air to the area directly above them (can be an advantage in some cases). The zalman i use has 2 fans offset from directly under the laptop and uses a scoop shape under the laptop to cool the entire underside. (16cm x 20cm)
Its all a mater of taste but be careful as some coolers work by drawing the hot air away from underneath the laptop, and with the laptop fan drawing air from underneath this can create a vacum.

 

[Bullseye]

Thanks for the reply. I will go for the Zalman.

 

[AshleyUK]

I have the Zalman NC3000S, must say it is a very good cooler, from all the cooler's they provide it has the highest CFM (Amount of air moved), due to the large fan size it spin's alot slower resulting in much quiter operation.

Also it can be used on a lap or bed e.t.c as it has a cage over the fan both sides, meaning nothing can obstruct the fan at any point, the air is distrupted very evenly across the whole cooler not just the centre, and keeps the base of the laptop very cold, it brought down my temperatures by a couple of degree's however the main advantge is the actually whole laptop it self is very cold during operation keeping the motherboard and other component's nice and cool.

Also after a intense CPU period it takes litterly seconds for the temp's to come back to normal due to the surrounding area around the CPU and heatsink to be already cold, compared to a good minute without the cooler. Defintly worth the slightly expensive price.

If you wish ill take some photo's to show you the design feature's and how its different from the average laptop cooler.

 

[LightningMat]

I have a Coolermaster NotePal U3 (Slightly larger version than the U2, and it has 3 fans) which I have been using with my 17" Optimus II. I have found the option to position the fans to exactly where I want them to be very handy.

I have not used a Zalman myself, but I too was deciding between the two, as the Zalman does seem to get some good reviews - I chose the Coolermaster. As has been pointed out, if you plan on using the cooler on you lap / in bed / anywhere other than on a flat surface, then perhaps the Zalman would be a better choice, as that has a covered underside, whereas the Coolermaster is completely open, therefore the fans can be easily blocked by cushions / duvets / etc.

The underside of the Optimus II doesn't have vast cooling intake vents, so I considered it important to be able to direct as much air as possible directly into the available vents. I have seen temps reduce around 10 deg C under load, which can only be a good thing, as the Optimus machines do seem to run hot.

 

[Bullseye]

Thank you for your reply. Don't need to take some pictures from it, I appreciate your gesture. How many degrees was the reduction in temperature?

I have the Zalman NC3000S, must say it is a very good cooler, from all the cooler's they provide it has the highest CFM (Amount of air moved), due to the large fan size it spin's alot slower resulting in much quiter operation.

Also it can be used on a lap or bed e.t.c as it has a cage over the fan both sides, meaning nothing can obstruct the fan at any point, the air is distrupted very evenly across the whole cooler not just the centre, and keeps the base of the laptop very cold, it brought down my temperatures by a couple of degree's however the main advantge is the actually whole laptop it self is very cold during operation keeping the motherboard and other component's nice and cool.

Also after a intense CPU period it takes litterly seconds for the temp's to come back to normal due to the surrounding area around the CPU and heatsink to be already cold, compared to a good minute without the cooler. Defintly worth the slightly expensive price.

If you wish ill take some photo's to show you the design feature's and how its different from the average laptop cooler.

Lightningmat, thanks for your input as well. I could not find the U3 but the U2, in the end I went for the Zalman NC3000S due to great reviews. I hope temperature decreases around 10 ºC as well.