Fan nay-sayers, think outside the box

[dukajoe]

http://www.nexustek.nl/Nexus_TDD3000.htm
http://www.chillpak.com/

Has anyone tried any of these out? I think im going to get that first one eventually after I get the 43p--

[jmt]

The T42/T43 is at the absolute maximum in size and weight that I would consider for traveling. To add anything to that, for me at least, would be totally unacceptable.

[Cowman]

it looks neat but I have my doubts about cooling solutions for laptops. There has to be a huge loss of cooling efficency when you have to go throug the plastic casing.

[chbone]

You can use it at office, but carrying it may be painful.

[emorphien]

Right now I have a very inexpensive, quiet and light one with two fans that pulls air off the bottom of the laptop and blows it out the back. It does almost nothing for my dell (except when I put it on my bed where it cant breath at all) but I suspect if I ever get my T43p it'll be more useful.

A friend had one he used quite often on an older T2x series laptop. Helped quite a bit apparently.

[jmt]

"If you're going to post, please take the time to make sure what you post makes sense!"


"It does almost nothing for my dell (except when I put it on my bed where it cant breath at all) but I suspect if I ever get my T43p it'll be more useful. "

If it does nothing for your Dell, why would you feel it would do something for a T43?

[mlykke]

I havent tried any of them so i cant comment on how effective they are, but the whole idea is VERY stupid to me.
When buying a laptop for sometimes more than three grand you shouldnt need to buy some weird plate thingy to put under it which just makes it even less portable etc etc.

Nah they should just fix the problem with the T43's and untill then just get a T42 and you dont even need that stuff

[K. Eng]

I agree. I don't want to be dragging around another piece of equipment with me.

I havent tried any of them so i cant comment on how effective they are, but the whole idea is VERY stupid to me.
When buying a laptop for sometimes more than three grand you shouldnt need to buy some weird plate thingy to put under it which just makes it even less portable etc etc.

Nah they should just fix the problem with the T43's and untill then just get a T42 and you dont even need that stuff

[emorphien]

"If you're going to post, please take the time to make sure what you post makes sense!"


"It does almost nothing for my dell (except when I put it on my bed where it cant breath at all) but I suspect if I ever get my T43p it'll be more useful. "

If it does nothing for your Dell, why would you feel it would do something for a T43?

Apparently you've never used laptop cooling bases. Some systems need them more than others. As I said it does nothing for my Dell, the processor runs at most 2 degrees cooler, and my video and HD run maybe 1 degree cooler each. Not really that big of a deal.

On the other hand my friends T20 would get very hot playing Wolfenstein:ET without a cooling pad. Apple powerbooks can also benefit from them a fair amount.

I suspect part of the difference is the bottom of my Dell is plastic and insulates it better whereas the Thinkpad and Powerbook can release heat more efficiently through the base. Whatever the reason, what I said would make sense if you had dealt with these kinds of things before on any laptops. Some simply don't need a cooling base because it makes no noticeable difference in temperatures.

[dukajoe]

First of all, its not just a piece plastic or wierd plate-thingy, its a system of heat-pipes, created by teknology, like the wierd key thingies that make that make the magic letters on the wierd liquid crystal thingy.

It weighs 1.6 lbs and is .085 inches thick--

Considering the amount that people gripe about fan noise, it seems to me that this could be a solution. You dont have to take off the bottom of your laptop or anything, you just put it underneath (I'm speaking of the nexus, btw). If you are playing games, or need silence on cerain occasions, or all the time, you could leave it on your desk and not take it with you, or take it with you, cause its thin and lightweight.

Some people have complained about their fan keeping them up at night, and whatnot, and I am personally worried about taking notes in class with the 43p, but I have a feeling that the fan noise is not going to be nearly that bad, for many reasons, but I could infer from the opposition from the cooling pad alone, that the fan is not a big tradeoff when picking a T series. Personally, if the only barrier to huge performance is fan noise, and that could be fixed for $40, then it seems worth it to me.

Oh and not to mention, laborory tests confirm cooler tempretures, less/no fan usage, and increased battery life!

[Plinkerton]

That "Chill Pak" is so ridiculous... I can't believe they actually make those...

[dukajoe]

That "Chill Pak" is so ridiculous... I can't believe they actually make those...

Uh, I don't know if you have ever seen the X-files, but that guy is like a computer super-genius!

[Plinkerton]

Man... You're right. What was I thinking. I'm ordering 50 right now!!!

[mlykke]

Personally, if the only barrier to huge performance is fan noise, and that could be fixed for $40, then it seems worth it to me.

Oh and not to mention, laborory tests confirm cooler tempretures, less/no fan usage, and increased battery life!

It's not the price that bothers me. 40$ is nothing, but it's the fact that i have to have my computer on some wird plate as i call it and have the whole computer raised almost another inch. And on top of that i would have to carry it arround with me also if i really should get some benefit from it. And what if you use a dockingstation, then you cant fit that thing under the computer.

All in all i just think itøs stupid and should be unneccesary.
And hell, when i come with my three grand Thinkpad and place on that thing and people ask why i do that. I have to say "oh well this expensie piece of something needs this gadget to just stop making to much noise". They will laugh like a mad scientist when they pull out there 1000$ plastic notebook which runs without all that noise.

Thanks, but no thanks.

and in the end it is actually only the T43P i consider to have a serious issue in this regard, which is why i bought the T42P instead cause then i get super performance without the noise. It's a win win situation.

But for people who dont mind adding another inch to the bottom of their computer(i do know that you only place it under but it will raise the hight), and who dosnt use a dockingstation and who dont mind carrying another 1.6 lb around then it's fine. I just dont see alot of people interested in this. Then we might as well have bought a thicker/heavier laptop which has more room to circulate the air and therefor dont have these problems. Not to forget that the "bigger" laptops often are cheaper as well.

[Plinkerton]

Are the T43's really that loud? I have a T42 and my fan is on often I guess, but it's never really bothered me. Sometimes I have to stick my head next to the fan, to even hear if it's on.

My dad has a big desktop replacement HP notebook, and THAT thing is loud. It's got like 3 fans, they're always on. But even still, it seems that things just need fans. It's not like it's beeping or anything. Even desktops have fans that can be noisy, and there's a lot of room in those for air circulation.

I guess it just never really bothered me.

-Plink-

[emorphien]

I'm curious to see how my T43p will be when I finally get it. My 4 yr old Dell 8100 (1.13 ghz P3 Tualatin) on battery can run forever without the fan on as long as it's not doing much. On AC I have a program (well I always use it) with a custom fan profile set so it comes in and out of using the fans once it reaches 45 or 50C I think. But since for the most part I've been leaving it on monitoring Skype, the fans aren't needed.

They are not the quietest though. I've never heard them go full power automatically, only when I'm playing with them and then it sounds like it's ready for liftoff. Even still you can hear them in a quiet room without much trouble if they're on at a moderate level.

My friend has a Dell 8600 and when that fan kicks it up it's pretty loud.

[roast]

I wonder if the Nexus TDD-3000 would still fit the thinkpads that come standard with 9 cell batteries. I could remove it, though that would be, like, changing cartridges everytime I become mobile.

[Navck]

I would only say the passive one is worth it because its not "one time use" or whatever. And the only use is when you're not even using adaptive, have your X300 overclocked, playing a game in windowed and surfing the web and doing photoshop at the same time. Because my T43 can get warm on the bottom, but not "HOT"

[JLai]

I've used the Vantec LapCool and LapCool 2. Personally, it was awesome for my Alienware cause that thing would overheat like a biotch. But for the thinkpads, I think cooling solutions are not necessary. I've yet to experience an overheat problem or slowdown due to heat. This is also due to the fact that the exhaust outlet is off to the side instead of the bottom of the laptop where the hot air gets recycled back onto the laptop. **Common sense has given IBM the advantage. **

[RonS]

The Chill-pak looks like a product I already own called a "Chillow". It cools your pillow at night.

http://www.soothsoft.com/chillow.htm