Any Recommendations On A Cooling System For A Laptop

[BuffaloHelp 24]

Just to update on the performance of Targus Chillhub.It was a flop! In the beginning it was all quite dandy. However, prolong usage proved that the effectiveness quickly dwindled as my sister's laptop began to run hotter.Just to be on the fair side, her laptop is still Compaq Presario with AMD 64bit chip that came out about 2 years ago. She is a school teacher and hardly ever use her laptop beyond 2~3 hours at a time. This one weekend she decided to do her shopping over the internet and used about 4 hours. Bam! Her laptop came to the familiar halt when she opened three internet browsers... we were so disappointed as you can see.This Compaq laptop had so many bad reviews to begin. So perhaps it wasn't Targus Chillhub's fault at all. But we did additional 6 hours of computer operation with just the normal $9.99 clip on house fan and we had no further freezing of computer operation. That tells me that Compaq design for cooling this laptop was/is very poor (I want to say even worse word but I'll hold) and any laptop coolers powered by USB isn't adequate enough to cool her laptop. USB's maximum voltage output is 5V with the tolerance of +-3%. This means, two or more fans for any laptop cooler are running 5V fans. Cheaper coolers may run two 2.5V fans. When was the last time you saw an effective fan doing anything with 5V? Even a decent computer case fan requires 7v or more. This raises the question, can a USB powered cooler be any good at all?

[Watermonkey 0]

USB's maximum voltage output is 5V with the tolerance of +-3%. This means, two or more fans for any laptop cooler are running 5V fans. Cheaper coolers may run two 2.5V fans. When was the last time you saw an effective fan doing anything with 5V? Even a decent computer case fan requires 7v or more. This raises the question, can a USB powered cooler be any good at all?

I do believe the answer to your question is a definite maybe. The reason it could work is if it was actually engineered for the specific laptop in question and that's going to be tough since there are so many different case/cooling designs out there. I believe the goal of a device such as the Targus Chillhub is to move air over the bottom of the case, as is the goal of most of these products. If the case isn't dissipating much heat from the CPU(s) to begin with, then this would be futile. One thing I love about my MacBook Pro is the case is actually aluminum and also acts as a heat sink, quickly dissipating heat effectively. Furthermore my computer has two fans that draw air in from the sides (probably from the speaker grills) and out the back side below the screen hinge. The previous generation of this computer has simple small holes in the back for the air to travel through and they constricted the flow of air enough to generate heat issues and cause problems! Now the air flow has been improved by replacing the holes with long slits which allow much more air to flow out the back and the heat issues are gone. Just one little over site in engineering and design can make all the difference in the world. That's why I always say, let someone else test out the first generation of a product so you can buy the improved second generation (after reading the reviews, of course!).

 

I wonder if there's a product out there that has multiple USB links to gather more voltage from the computer... I think most laptops share voltage between USB ports so maybe that wouldn't solve the low voltage/low fan speed problem, just a thought.

[Saint_Michael 3]

Just to update on the performance of Targus Chillhub.

 

It was a flop! In the beginning it was all quite dandy. However, prolong usage proved that the effectiveness quickly dwindled as my sister's laptop began to run hotter.

 

Just to be on the fair side, her laptop is still Compaq Presario with AMD 64bit chip that came out about 2 years ago. She is a school teacher and hardly ever use her laptop beyond 2~3 hours at a time. This one weekend she decided to do her shopping over the internet and used about 4 hours. Bam! Her laptop came to the familiar halt when she opened three internet browsers... we were so disappointed as you can see.

 

This Compaq laptop had so many bad reviews to begin. So perhaps it wasn't Targus Chillhub's fault at all. But we did additional 6 hours of computer operation with just the normal $9.99 clip on house fan and we had no further freezing of computer operation. That tells me that Compaq design for cooling this laptop was/is very poor (I want to say even worse word but I'll hold) and any laptop coolers powered by USB isn't adequate enough to cool her laptop.

 

USB's maximum voltage output is 5V with the tolerance of +-3%. This means, two or more fans for any laptop cooler are running 5V fans. Cheaper coolers may run two 2.5V fans. When was the last time you saw an effective fan doing anything with 5V? Even a decent computer case fan requires 7v or more. This raises the question, can a USB powered cooler be any good at all?

Interestingly enough when I was scanning for cooling systems, some reviews claim that after awhile the fans break or something like that. Going into my 2 week using this system and it has proven quite successful, especially at nights when I don't have my AC running. However, when it gets nice and hot out and the AC in the room is useless, the cooling system becomes a bit useless as well, but that isn't unusual though when it comes to heat. Nah heat couldn't be the only problem, it could be a memory issue, problems with the cpu or motherboard or even the bios that could cause the computer to stall like that. I would assume she brought it to a tech to figure it out and junk, if not should because if your computer is generating more heat then something is busted or on the verge of being busting that is producing all that heat.

 

Let I mentioned in my early post, at the right room temperature it drops a good 13-15 degree's and the battery life is excellent as well. So it would have to depend on the product and of course the type of computer and of course the proper ventelation.

 

 

I do believe the answer to your question is a definite maybe. The reason it could work is if it was actually engineered for the specific laptop in question and that's going to be tough since there are so many different case/cooling designs out there. I believe the goal of a device such as the Targus Chillhub is to move air over the bottom of the case, as is the goal of most of these products. If the case isn't dissipating much heat from the CPU(s) to begin with, then this would be futile. One thing I love about my MacBook Pro is the case is actually aluminum and also acts as a heat sink, quickly dissipating heat effectively. Furthermore my computer has two fans that draw air in from the sides (probably from the speaker grills) and out the back side below the screen hinge. The previous generation of this computer has simple small holes in the back for the air to travel through and they constricted the flow of air enough to generate heat issues and cause problems! Now the air flow has been improved by replacing the holes with long slits which allow much more air to flow out the back and the heat issues are gone. Just one little over site in engineering and design can make all the difference in the world. That's why I always say, let someone else test out the first generation of a product so you can buy the improved second generation (after reading the reviews, of course!).

 

I wonder if there's a product out there that has multiple USB links to gather more voltage from the computer... I think most laptops share voltage between USB ports so maybe that wouldn't solve the low voltage/low fan speed problem, just a thought.

Thats what my hardware class has been talking about if you set up your computer tower with a fan to intake and outtake air, then you will have a good circulation and keep your computer rather cool. Of course then we debated about the fact which would be better two 120mm fans or 3-4 80mm fans, but with that though comes how much you want your computer to be running quietly then you go with the 120mm fans and set them up like I mentioned earlier.

[BuffaloHelp 24]

Which fan type you choose the importance is on the CFM (cubic feet per mintue) rating. A 120mm fan can actually move less air than a 80mm fan, aside from the extra noise.

 

If I was to build my own cooler, which is my next project for my sister, I would install a step-up voltage capacitor. I have already made a regular USB to round adapter that resembles any regular pin type connector cable. I'll make my own board that regulates 5V in-current to maybe a 12V out-current volt transformer. Or, perhaps even to a larger volt but I should also watch how much heat is generated from volt transformer.

 

Using a higher volt and regulated mA, I can install any fan I choose. Start with a sheet of aluminum (better heat dissipater), position and cut vent holes for fans according to my sister's laptop and install. Perhaps I can make it resembling Jimmy's suggestion with slight slop to have the laptop in an inclined position. Encase the aluminum sheet so that the capacitor and transformer is tucked inside, away from giving an electric shock or potential danger.

 

It may be bulky but the portability isn't the issue with my sister's laptop.