Top 3 Cooling Pads

[DRY_ICE]

Hey guys, I just ordered the 8662, and from the initial observations, it is supposed to run pretty hot. I was wondering what you guys think is/are the top 1/3 notebook cooling pads out there. I know xoticpc sells two pads, but I would prefer a completely unbiased and strictly performance oriented review. Thanks guys. :D

[Anewbus]

I understand that Zilman, while a little pricey is one of the best. You do want to look for something that is aluminum with a fan or two and not plastic. Aluminum is far better at wicking away heat. Plastic just doesn't doesn't do anything. With the plastic coolers your relying totally on the fans and even with two of them it's not doing a great deal.

[markjsc]

I looked at the Zalman, but ended up choosing a SilverStone instead (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834992016). It's big, all aluminum, and very quiet (even with 3 fans). One of the reviewers said he used it successfully with an NP8662 (which is what I just bought).

The 3 fans sit at the top and seem to work well to cool the CPU and GPU.

My concern is the HD, which is in the front. There are no fans there and the laptop is not able to make direct contact with the surface of the cooler in the front due to the placement of the feet. It's almost as if the HD is not receiving any cooling benefits - and it definitely seems to run hot (60+ when gaming).

Any thoughts on this?


Update: After doing more research, I decided to order a Zalman NC2000. I'm going to sell or give away the SilverStone. I'm just too concerned about keeping the HD cool, which the SilverStone does not do with this laptop's configuration. Portability is not really a concern for these - I have a separate StartTech cooler (4 fans) that should be OK for travel, even though it's plastic.

[DRY_ICE]

Apparently the Zalman NC2000 seems to be the top pick for gaming laptops. I'm thinking about getting one too. It's too bad the 8662 seems to have such a heat issue. Oh well, rather have power and heat than a weak laptop right? ha... Does anyone out there have any data for with and without NC2000 on a 8662? For $70 I'd hope it'd be somewhat substantial.

[markjsc]

Here's a great thread that helped me decide on the Zalman: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=304671