# Modification of a Cheap Laptop Cooler for efficiency.



## Hrishi (Jul 5, 2013)

Most mainstream laptop have a dedicated Graphic Processing unit in them , which gives these laptops the ability to play modern games at medium-high graphic settings.
Although , these laptops are not designed for gaming but due to their processing capabilities they can actually game just like any other gaming device.
However , like said earlier they are not designed to sustain heavy gaming or stress intensive tasks , because mainstream laptops are designed keeping "portability" , "aesthetic" and "battery-backup" in mind.

While they are having decent cooling mechanism but still that fails to work efficiently because of the slim-design. Most people generally prefer to use Laptop Coolers , while gaming for pro-longed duration.However , as a matter of fact most day-to-day laptop cooler or so called "cooling-pads" are nothing but just a marketing gimmicks .A lot of the'm provide nothing more than just a hard-plain surface for sufficient intake of air.
While , this may help a little , but makes almost no difference while gaming on the machine.
These gimmick laptop cooling pads are fitted with a barely capable 5V fans.They draw power from the USB port , and let me remind you doing so can be very harmful , because certain ordinary cooling-pads can even cause harm to your motherboard by drawing excess power.

Although , most of the'm have a slim design , I managed to buy a regular sized laptop cooling pad from the market.It was just an ordinary cooling pad , with a 140mm fan ,with a flashing blue led(certifies the gimmick) in it. [ Managed to get one for just 300 INR.]

The moment I deployed the cooling pad , I knew it wasn't gonna make any difference in temperature.
So , I planned to modify it a bit.

Here's what I did , using some easily available spare materials at my home.


Spoiler



Removed the existent fan from the laptop cooling pad. 
1.Took 4 spare 80mm exhaust fans from my old Desktop cabinet , rated at 12v (2400RPM).
2.Took a laptop AC adapter from my old laptop , { no longer in use. } / Can use a 12-15V adapter as well. //Easily available for 100-200 rs//
3.Took few screws , and cutting blades.
4.Drilled few holes to attach the 80mm fans to the pad.
5.Marked the location where I need to place the 80mm fans , and then remove the base beneath it. ( Cut the plastic just below where you'll place the fans , to ensure sufficient air -intake. }
6.Placed the 80mm fans according to laptop's air vent and tighten the screws holding th'm to the pad.
7.Joined the wires of all those fans and connect them to the 15v adapter.

Placed the metal mesh above the pad , to avoid dusts entering the laptop.

Placed the laptop on top of the cooler and adjusted it to ensure maximum air-flow.
Now , play the game and notice the difference in temperature. 



This will keep the laptop much cooler for prolonged gaming sessions.

Cons :
1.Due to excessive flow of air , it may cause dust to accumulate on it.
2.Power consumption is greater than those 5v fans.
3.Generates a bit of sound.

Pros :
Keeps the laptop much cooler than the original stuff.In my case , it made a huge difference of at-least 7-10C at high-performance.
Max CPU temp : 85C
Max GPu temp : 78C

Without Cooler :
Max Cpu temp : 92-94C
Max Gpu temp : 85C.

Pics 


Spoiler



The original laptop cooler.
*img827.imageshack.us/img827/7835/o5fv.jpg

The laptop-cooler Fan.
*img694.imageshack.us/img694/9894/knzl.jpg

The Laptop Air-Vents.{not according to the location of the laptop cooler's fan.} 
*img829.imageshack.us/img829/558/ntxz.jpg

Modified Cooler Pics :
*img441.imageshack.us/img441/5548/tss3.jpg
*img221.imageshack.us/img221/1576/txj4.jpg
*imageshack.us/scaled/medium/833/x2ca.jpg
*imageshack.us/scaled/medium/541/xyza.jpg
*img200.imageshack.us/img200/6903/l5a1.jpg
*s2.postimg.org/oxtpa6dmx/IMG_20130705_125320.jpg
*s16.postimg.org/o4hij1b9h/IMG_20130705_125018.jpg
*s8.postimg.org/xbg0zgm11/IMG_20130705_124809.jpg
*s24.postimg.org/5x12l4ydh/IMG_20130705_125533.jpg
*s23.postimg.org/usz3mlv23/IMG_20130705_124913.jpg


While I could have designed it at entirely at home , using card-board , metal-casings , etc but that wouldn't have provided the adjusting angles and look/feel like a professional cooler.Plus , I wanted to stay under budget. 

So I simply bought a cheap laptop cooler , for the sake of it's design and modified it accordingly. 
Simple , easy and effective { even , when overclocking the components.}.


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## Chaitanya (Jul 5, 2013)

Nice.. but what do you do for laptops that don't have adequate intake vents on underside??


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## Hrishi (Jul 5, 2013)

Chaitanya said:


> Nice.. but what do you do for laptops that don't have adequate intake vents on underside??


Well , in either case the base of laptop usually heats-up a lot. Main thing is to keep the other components in a laptop cool , because CPU/GPU are built to withstand high temps usually , and can maintain themselves by throttling adequately but it's not the same case with other components on motherboard.

You can mod the base of the laptop a little by covering/sticking thermally conductive material like foil or plate beneath the base and then place it on cooler on top of fans.
I have not tried it practically , but I think that should help a lot.


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## Chaitanya (Jul 5, 2013)

Well you are right but this is more effective for laptops with vents below..

I guess companies should make full metal bodies acting as heatsinks..


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## flyingcow (Jul 5, 2013)

Wow, congo..Looks very professional, but do they make too much noise?


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## Chaitanya (Jul 5, 2013)

Buddy I have an idea about making a speed regulator for that cooler & you will get rid of noise..


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## Hrishi (Jul 5, 2013)

flyingcow said:


> Wow, congo..Looks very professional, but do they make too much noise?



Thanks.
As far as noise is concerned. Well , they do create a little bit of humming , but it's not that loud. 
Can use silent fans in place of it , but I don't mind the sound as most of the time , I have earphones plugged in.



Chaitanya said:


> Buddy I have an idea about making a speed regulator for that cooler & you will get rid of noise..


Yeah , I was planning to do so. I am looking for a potentiometer from the Scrap laying around.
Infact , I was planning to replace th'm with high quality silent fans with increased airflow.


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