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Keeping XPS 9100 notebook cooler

post #1 of 33
11/29/04 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 
I currently have a Dell XPS 9100 notebook and it often gets hot when I play games. What is the best notebook cooler for wide screen notebooks. I was told from a friend that the ultimate 4 fan notebook cooler is the way to go for wide screen notebooks. Anyone have any other suggestions?
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post #2 of 33
11/29/04 at 12:27pm
A plank of wood to put it on, if you use it on your lap. If not, theres no problem. Use I8kFanGUI. Either option is much cheaper than shelling out $50 for a notebook cooler, and just as effective. You dont need to run the 9100/XPS at 40C.
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post #3 of 33
11/29/04 at 2:16pm
I got one from nexfan.com for ~$13 and reversed the fans to blow more air to the bottom of my 9100.
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post #4 of 33
11/29/04 at 2:17pm
I agree. I use a book. The key is to keep the fans unobstructed.

However if your looking into making your notebook more ergonomin click oysterdock and here.

mc*2
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post #5 of 33
11/29/04 at 2:18pm
If you still want to have a cooler though, make sure that the fans are blowing towards your lappy and not away from it since the 9100's fans are 'sucking in air' from underneath and 'not blowing out air'. If on the specs of the cooler says it "sucks air away from the laptop", you might want to ask the store if you open up the cooler, if you can reverse the fans.
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post #6 of 33
11/29/04 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubyruby90
I currently have a Dell XPS 9100 notebook and it often gets hot when I play games. What is the best notebook cooler for wide screen notebooks. I was told from a friend that the ultimate 4 fan notebook cooler is the way to go for wide screen notebooks. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Umm, that ultimate cooler you've linked to has four more fans! What the hell does that sound like?! A plank of wood is right! Or download FanGUI and see if you can control the temp with fan speed. Every one has their own opinion of what "running hot" is when playing games, but let's remember, this thing qualifies as a Desk Top Replacement. You're sitting inches, and working over top of every major component that makes your games run silky smooth!

Take your desktop midsize tower and set it on you lap for an hour - the experience is probably about the same(well, except for the bulkiness - no wait, it's an XPS! bulkiness included!)

Plus those dumb cooling units invariably don't take into account Dell's solution of putting our lappys on feet that look like the base of the Eiffel tower! Now you have a 1 1/2" space between the cooler and the lappy!

Thanks, though.
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post #7 of 33
11/29/04 at 3:13pm
I just use a 3/4 in. piece of custom cut laminated plywood (countertop). It is custom cut to fit my lap and allows me to put my lappy, and the mousepad/mouse on the unit... gaming bliss when on your lap i tell ya!
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post #8 of 33
11/29/04 at 3:16pm
A plank of wood might help to prevent lap burn but have nothing to do with "Keeping XPS 9100 notebook cooler". Actually, when you got your lap burnt, it means that more heat got out of the notebook and it get cooler
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post #9 of 33
11/29/04 at 3:29pm
You cannot take apart and reverse the fans on the cooler mentioned in the first post. It does have varying speeds and does not sound too loud(for having four fans). It does pull hot air away from under the laptop so using it may be counter-productive with an XPS.
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post #10 of 33
11/29/04 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by antecboy
You cannot take apart and reverse the fans on the cooler mentioned in the first post. It does have varying speeds and does not sound too loud(for having four fans). It does pull hot air away from under the laptop so using it may be counter-productive with an XPS.
YES, you CAN reverse the fans for this cooler. I did it by using "3M Scotch Mounting Tape".
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post #11 of 33
11/30/04 at 2:26am
I have been using a Targus Tornado Chill Mat with my 9100, which blows away from the notebook, for about 3 months. I decided to test the theory that the cooler pad must blow toward the notebook, not away from it. My idle temperature with the cooler pad is consistently 114 degrees. I removed the pad for several hours and my idle temperature was 120 degrees consistently. Obviously air being drawn away from the bottom of the 9100 has quite a cooling effect. I wish I had a cooler pad that blows air toward the notebook to test its cooling capacity and compare with the cooler pad that sucks air from the notebook.
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post #12 of 33
11/30/04 at 3:15am
Thanks for posting some numbers. Does anyone else happen to have some numbers to post, especially with the reversed fan cooling pad setup?

I'm rather curious since I run my XPS 24/7 with the lid closed hooked up to a 21" crt (graphic designer, lcd's are useless with the backlighting). Keeping my baby cool is a definate concern.

Cheers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffb100
I have been using a Targus Tornado Chill Mat with my 9100, which blows away from the notebook, for about 3 months. I decided to test the theory that the cooler pad must blow toward the notebook, not away from it. My idle temperature with the cooler pad is consistently 114 degrees. I removed the pad for several hours and my idle temperature was 120 degrees consistently. Obviously air being drawn away from the bottom of the 9100 has quite a cooling effect. I wish I had a cooler pad that blows air toward the notebook to test its cooling capacity and compare with the cooler pad that sucks air from the notebook.
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post #13 of 33
11/30/04 at 10:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mc^2
I agree. I use a book. The key is to keep the fans unobstructed.

However if your looking into making your notebook more ergonomin click oysterdock and here.

mc*2
Nice find
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post #14 of 33
11/30/04 at 11:58am
unless you want a docking type solution like oyster, just use something like a DVD case to prop up the rear of the unit, which angles the keyboard comfortably, and gives an extra 1/2" clearance.

Then get I8kFanGui, follow the thread here that provides a fix for the incorrect sensor reading (it's I8k not I9k, so obviously it wasn't originally written for the XPS). I run FGui such that at 116F the fans kick into high and bring it back down to 102F, then go back low. The system will climb back to the 110-112 range usually, but it does depend a lot on the room temp.

The biggest reason I like this setting, is when I do play games, FG essentially kicks the fans into high right at the start, so I know I'm getting maximum cooling, which is important to me since I'm O/C'ing the GPU to 450/375. Stays very comfortable at all times, and didn't have to waste $50 for a useless device that just adds more weight to my bag
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post #15 of 33
11/30/04 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffb100
I wish I had a cooler pad that blows air toward the notebook to test its cooling capacity and compare with the cooler pad that sucks air from the notebook.
Look for the Antec Laptop Cooler. That is what I use and I got it's fans reversed by simply opening it up.
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post #16 of 33
11/30/04 at 2:26pm
i8kfangui doesn't read my fan1 and fan2 after couple of hours running that it says i can't read your cpu temp too it already can't read my gpu temp


so it is useless to me
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post #17 of 33
11/30/04 at 7:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ehsieh
YES, you CAN reverse the fans for this cooler. I did it by using "3M Scotch Mounting Tape".
Thanks, ehsieh, for pointing that out. I should have said the fans are not reversible simply by flipping them over(as some other coolers appear to be), but that some jury-rigging must be done.
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post #18 of 33
12/1/04 at 12:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirBA
i8kfangui doesn't read my fan1 and fan2 after couple of hours running that it says i can't read your cpu temp too it already can't read my gpu temp


so it is useless to me
uninstall, reboot, reinstall and apply the updated exe.
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post #19 of 33
12/1/04 at 1:23am
you know, rogueone has the simplest, but ultimately the clearest cut solution to fixing a software issue for small programs like FanGui, but I'm reading such lousy glitches from this program. I'm on the verge of downloading it for the hell of it to get a bead on my 'puter's CPU temp, but can someone give me an indicator of how well the current .exe is running on this thing? Too many people accross multiple threads are complaining about missing indicator lights in the task bar, and utter misreads by the program.
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post #20 of 33
12/1/04 at 1:27am
its better than nothing ... IMO. Saved my ass a couple of times.
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