Searching CPU cooler selections

Brent — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:16:22 +0000

If you’re looking for a CPU cooler, you’re in the right place. Being able to keep your CPU cool is of the utmost importance when you’re running processes that require a lot of processing power. That includes games, graphic design programs, and all sorts of others such as that. You’ll know when your CPU is running a bit hotter than it should when a couple signs crop up. Those signs include a frozen computer, stuttering, and every once in a while, strange display patterns. If you get any of those, shut your laptop down immediately and don’t restart it until you’re absolutely sure that the temperature is back to normal. To continue to work with your computer after the CPU has overheated can cause severe and irreparable damage. Just a warning for you!

So, what’s the best CPU cooler available on the market today for your laptop? Well, we could go on and on about that, but we’re going to tell you about what works. What really works for a laptop is a “cooling stand.” These are excellent for laptops because they don’t require you to do any modifications to your computer’s internals. Desktops often have fancy stuff such as water cooling, but unless you really want to get technical, we have to concentrate on external sources. Cooling stands do just that. So, which one works pretty well in our minds? The Spire PacificBreeze II CPU cooler has gotten excellent reviews (disclaimer: we haven’t tried it, just read about it!). This CPU cooler fan system is what your laptop actually sits on, helping dissipate a lot of the heat that can build up on the bottom of your computer. It tilts up slightly to help you with your typing, all while reducing neck strain. Best yet, it’s made out of metal for better conduction of heat away from your system, and actually has two large fans that blow air straight up toward the laptop itself. What occurs is that cool air brought in through the stand actually blows all of that hot air out from the bottom of the laptop, bringing temperatures down measurably.

You’d be crazy not to have something like this when you’re playing your first-person shooter games!

How much does this thing cost? It’s actually not bad if you consider the amount of money you’ll spend if you ignore your CPU’s cooling needs. It runs about $20 USD (you thought it’d be expensive, didn’t you? ), and comes with a 3-year warranty. I don’t think you should be without this handy little CPU cooler, especially being that the price is right.

Shopping:

Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 Hyper 212 Plus 775/1156/1366/AMD/AM2/AM3 Universal Direct Contact Heat-Pipe 120mm Fan CPU Cooler

Cooler Master GeminII S Copper Base Aluminum Fins 5 Heatpipes CPU Cooler - (RR-CCH-PBU1-GP)

SilverStone Low Profile 90mm Fan CPU Cooler for LGA 1156 Platforms NT07-1156 (Black)

Cooler Master RR-910-HTX3-G1 130-Watt 92mm Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler for 775/1156/AMD/AM2/AM3

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler CWCH50-1

Laptop overheating? Check your CPU fan

Brent — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:17:07 +0000

An overheating laptop caused by a bad CPU fan isn’t an unusual thing at all. In fact, it’s probably one of the more common ailments you can see with a laptop. Usually overheating is caused by something simple: That is, accidentally blocking the outflow vents on your notebook. This can be caused by placing the computer on the floor (particularly thicker carpet), putting it on your lap, or otherwise blocking the amount of air that’s allowed to exit through the bottom vent. It is true that many newer laptops come with the fan exhaust vent on the side, allowing you to do such things without actually hurting your computer. That being said, check to make sure where your CPU fan exhaust port is; on my Compaq it’s actually on the left side, but I’ve seen many that have this port on the bottom. It’s a good idea to see where yours is so that you can actually think about where you place it.

Obviously the best possible place you can put your laptop is a hard, flat surface such as a table. This allows your laptop to sit properly on the rubber nubs on the bottom, which promotes proper cooling. Even if your CPU fan exhaust vent isn’t on the bottom, the buildup of heat below the laptop can cause problems down the road. That buildup can also wear your fan out early by creating the need for it to be running constantly.

If you want to take apart your laptop to do a little bit of CPU cooler fan cleaning, you can certainly do that as well (do this at your own risk! You’ve been warned!).

Assuming you know what you’re doing, this shouldn’t be a tough thing to do. All you’ll be doing is accessing the internals through the predefined access points (consult your manual for this), then either using a dry rag or better yet, compressed air to gently get rid of the dust. This dust buildup can lower the efficiency of the fan blades, causing your CPU cooling fan to work harder and wear out quicker. You’ll be amazed at just how well your computer gets cooled once you do this simple step.

Of course, sometimes your CPU fan just fails. This can be a normal wear and tear issue, or can be caused by all that dust buildup or continual overheating. Either way, you can visit places such as our links below or sites like Tiger Direct to pick up a new one. Either way, if you know what you’re doing you can replace this fan by yourself fairly easily. If you don’t, we recommend taking it to the nearest laptop repair shop and letting them do it.

Shopping:

Spire WhisperRock IV CPU Cooler and Fan for AMD #SPA04S4-2

External Notebook Cpu Cooling Fan

STARTECH.COM FAN6X1TX3 Replacement 6X1CM TX3 Fan

Cables Unlimited Evercool FAN-P4-S478-3 Pentium 4 Socket 478 CPU Cooler

Cooler Master RR-910-HTX3-G1 130-Watt 92mm Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler for 775/1156/AMD/AM2/AM3

The Refurbished Laptops Guide » cpu cooler fan

Searching CPU cooler selections

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Laptop overheating? Check your CPU fan

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