cooler for 11" macbook air

[johnadams2007]

I'm looking for a direct contact cooler for my 11" macbook air. I've seen the Luxa2 products, and they are fantastic. However, they list everything EXCEPT the 11" macbook air as a compatible product. I wonder if the cooler is too wide or something. Has anyone here had any experience with coolers for the 11" MBA? I'm open to all brands/sizes/whatever. Thanks guys!

 

[miles01110]

Why do you think you need a cooler? It's not going to extend the life of your machine, if that's why you think you need one.

 

[LRJordan]

I know there are some cooling pads and stuff here http://www.gearzap.com/macbook-accessories/cooling-pads.html I use the 13inch one for my MBA 13, obviously the 11 inch one would still fit onto it with a bit of an overlap each side. It does work really well though.

 

[johnadams2007]

Why do you think you need a cooler? It's not going to extend the life of your machine, if that's why you think you need one.

when i run games it gets a little hot (as expected). i opened it up and replaced the thermal paste with as5 and it dropped my gpu temps under load by about 8c. if i add a direct contact cooler, it will further lower the temps. that is why i would like to have a cooler. also, cooler components equal longer life. anyone with experience with computers knows that.

now that we've taken care of that. anyone else have some input on the original topic of my thread?

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I know there are some cooling pads and stuff here http://www.gearzap.com/macbook-accessories/cooling-pads.html I use the 13inch one for my MBA 13, obviously the 11 inch one would still fit onto it with a bit of an overlap each side. It does work really well though.

i've seen some cooling pads like that and have heard from real owners that they do infact work. i would be willing to pick one up if anyone knows of a good american site that has them. they are pretty cheap, so i would pick up that and the luxa2 for some testing (assuming someone here that owns a macbook air and luxa2 cooler will post on this thread)

 

[VMMan]

I agree with the OP that temps are important. There are plenty of people on this forum who would say that their MBA runs fine at >80 degrees Celsius, etc, but running a computer at a lower temp is a very desirable goal.

When I used to build my own PC boxes, I always spent a considerable amount of time on choosing the right heatsink, fans, case, and layout of components for optimal directed airflow. I would have probably moved on to a water cooled/radiator system eventually but by then I moved on to Apples (again).


For my MBP 17" I use a Logitech N100 for the lap and a CoolerMaster U3 for the desk. Sometimes I even have a separate small fan blowing air across the top of the computer/keyboard when the temps go > 80 degrees Celsius. What's nuts is that I have the U3 on top of an aluminum Rain laptop stand.

For my MBP 11" I move it onto the Logitech N100, but the Logitech is too large and concave curvature of the N100 makes placing the MBA 11" too difficult for me to recommend. It's also plastic and depends completely on its single fan to blow air across the MBA bottom.

I also would be interested in finding a cooler with or without fans for the MBA 11" for use on the couch or in bed.

 

[ZBoater]

Different CPUs are designed to run at different temperatures. Although I wouldn't disagree that cooler is better, if the chip is designed to run at 100C, and it will last me more than three years, then, honestly, what do I care? I have to believe Intel knows what they are doing. I have also over clocked and burnt my share of CPUs. But this is the 21st century, and this is Apple. This is not the wild wild (PC) west. The thing was designed with purpose, and I simply refuse to believe I have to resort to opening the machine and applying thermal grease, or running a utility to under clock the CPU to "prevent damage" or "extend the life" of my MacBook Air. Apple doesn't roll that way. Not from what I can see.

I could be wrong. I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so this is just my opinion. Take it for what its worth. As a former PC builder and PC gamer, it is a breath of fresh air just to crack open a computer and USE it without having to worry about it. It just works.

 

[OzExige]

Our 'cooler' at work would be very inconvenient to use for my Air.
How do you propose to work with all those 'rumor mongers' hangin' round all da time??

 

[VMMan]

Different CPUs are designed to run at different temperatures. Although I wouldn't disagree that cooler is better, if the chip is designed to run at 100C, and it will last me more than three years, then, honestly, what do I care? I have to believe Intel knows what they are doing. I have also over clocked and burnt my share of CPUs. But this is the 21st century, and this is Apple. This is not the wild wild (PC) west. The thing was designed with purpose, and I simply refuse to believe I have to resort to opening the machine and applying thermal grease, or running a utility to under clock the CPU to "prevent damage" or "extend the life" of my MacBook Air. Apple doesn't roll that way. Not from what I can see.

I could be wrong. I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so this is just my opinion. Take it for what its worth. As a former PC builder and PC gamer, it is a breath of fresh air just to crack open a computer and USE it without having to worry about it. It just works.

Some people buy a car and just enjoy driving it. Others buy a car and enjoy both driving it as well as take a separate enjoyment in taking care of its internals.

Although over time, though, I tend to think most tend to become the former, if even starting as the latter.

 

[PaulDoFish]

Cooler components don't necessarily mean longer life.

When people overclock their CPUs, they get hotter (obviously) and tend to have shorter lifespan than non-overclocked chips; but it's not the heat that's killing it (probably is a factor, but negligible), it's mosty the increased current running through it that's killing it.
This is where the misconception comes in that cooler chips = longer lifespan.

As long as you're below the max rated temperature, it doesn't matter if your chip is running at 80C or 70C (assuming the same amount of current is running through it). They'll have the same lifespan.

I say you shouldn't worry, especially for an Apple product. I'm sure, being Apple, they've thought of this already.

But if you must, any of those Luxa2 products should be fine. They are part of Thermaltake, and Thermaltake has made some okay desktop CPU heatsinks, so they definitely have experience.

 

[LeakedDave]

Although over time, though, I tend to think most tend to become the former, if even starting as the latter.

^^ Story of me moving from Android to iOS.

 

[coopiklaani]

Not true. MTBF is certainly a function of temperature. Intel and other chip manufactorers do put chips in very hot oven to accelarate their aging. you realy think they wait for 3 or 5 years to give you the lifespan?

Cooler components don't necessarily mean longer life.

When people overclock their CPUs, they get hotter (obviously) and tend to have shorter lifespan than non-overclocked chips; but it's not the heat that's killing it (probably is a factor, but negligible), it's mosty the increased current running through it that's killing it.
This is where the misconception comes in that cooler chips = longer lifespan.

As long as you're below the max rated temperature, it doesn't matter if your chip is running at 80C or 70C (assuming the same amount of current is running through it). They'll have the same lifespan.

I say you shouldn't worry, especially for an Apple product. I'm sure, being Apple, they've thought of this already.

But if you must, any of those Luxa2 products should be fine. They are part of Thermaltake, and Thermaltake has made some okay desktop CPU heatsinks, so they definitely have experience.

 

[ZBoater]

Some people buy a car and just enjoy driving it. Others buy a car and enjoy both driving it as well as take a separate enjoyment in taking care of its internals.

Although over time, though, I tend to think most tend to become the former, if even starting as the latter.

Agreed. So if you are a tinkerer, buy a 68 Mustang, not a Chevy Volt.

----------

^^ Story of me moving from Android to iOS.

+1. This is how I arrived at the MBA.

 

[miles01110]

when i run games it gets a little hot (as expected). i opened it up and replaced the thermal paste with as5 and it dropped my gpu temps under load by about 8c. if i add a direct contact cooler, it will further lower the temps. that is why i would like to have a cooler.

Try reading. I didn't dispute that your machine gets hot- I said that you don't need a cooler. In fact, a magazine (which you probably have lying around your house) will keep your lap from getting warm if that's what you are worried about.

also, cooler components equal longer life.

Not necessarily. Even if that were the case, electronic components at the board level (like the CPU) have a lifetime measured in decades when put under normal use; not hours, months, or years. Heat does not affect a component's lifetime at this scale. It's kind of like when you pay off $10 on a $20,000 debt. You aren't that much closer to meeting your obligations.

i've seen some cooling pads like that and have heard from real owners that they do infact work. i would be willing to pick one up if anyone knows of a good american site that has them. they are pretty cheap, so i would pick up that and the luxa2 for some testing (assuming someone here that owns a macbook air and luxa2 cooler will post on this thread)

Of course cooling pads "work" - they just don't do anything other than help your machine dissipate faster. Cooling pads are one of the biggest wastes of money that routinely get recommended on Macrumors.

 

[johnadams2007]

lol@miles for trying to hijack my thread to display some sort of technically knowledge that the obviously doesn't even have. anyway, this discussion isnt even about the longevity of my mba. i would like to get my mba down to the coolest possible before i proceed with higher overclocking. i dont care who thinks its stupid or pointless...its my laptop and i can do what i want with it. that is why i am looking for a good direct contact cooler.

now once again...if i could get some actual information from people who own coolers for their mba. thanks

 

[PaulDoFish]

i would like to get my mba down to the coolest possible before i proceed with higher overclocking. i dont care who thinks its stupid or pointless...its my laptop and i can do what i want with it. that is why i am looking for a good direct contact cooler.

now once again...if i could get some actual information from people who own coolers for their mba. thanks

I know this isn't contributing to your thread, but I'm pretty sure it's not possible to overclock a MacBook Air (or any current Mac, except the Mac Pro)....
With all these new Sandybridge Macs, their FSB multipliers are locked (thanks to Intel, you must buy a "K-Series" processor to increase the FSB multiplier. Apple unsurprisingly uses the standard processors because they like to lock down their hardware), and increasing the actual FSB on any Sandybridge CPU is totally not recommended and totally unstable. On top of that, on a Mac it's not even possible to gain access to change the FSB.

And please stop calling them "direct contact coolers". These are not "direct contact"; they are not directly absorbing heat through conduction from the laptop to a mechanism that dissipates the heat (aluminum fins, for example). These laptop pads just help dissipate heat from the MacBook's aluminum casing by blowing air on it.


Now, to contribute to your thread, if you truly think you need a laptop cooler, again, I believe the Luxa2 products you mentioned earlier in this thread will be adequate because they are a division of Thermaltake, who is known to make some good direct contact coolers (for desktop CPUs, ) and computer cases; so they definitely have experience.

 

[DieterRams]

^^ Story of me moving from Android to iOS.

+1. This is how I arrived at the MBA.

gee you mean you guys aren't "isheeple"?

 

[minnus]

I know this isn't contributing to your thread, but I'm pretty sure it's not possible to overclock a MacBook Air (or any current Mac, except the Mac Pro)....
With all these new Sandybridge Macs, their FSB multipliers are locked (thanks to Intel, you must buy a "K-Series" processor to increase the FSB multiplier. Apple unsurprisingly uses the standard processors because they like to lock down their hardware), and increasing the actual FSB on any Sandybridge CPU is totally not recommended and totally unstable. On top of that, on a Mac it's not even possible to gain access to change the FSB.

ULV Sandy Bridge chips do not play by the same naming rule as the Desktop chips. While FSB isn't manipulated, the BCLK could potentially be.

 

[Young Spade]

I'm just going to throw this out there. Because I, too, tried cooling my MBP.

Putting it on a bag of ice. THe laptop, on a bag of ice covered with paper towels (to absorb moisture) did practically NOTHING in terms of cooling the CPU. Nothing.

Blowing air on it from a little fan will do less. The entire unit as a whole was cooled and I saved 5 degrees C when monitoring the temps. That's on ice.

So you can "do what you want" and buy an overpriced fan but you aren't going to get any results. The CPU is inside the computer. Unless you cool down the environment the computer is in (take it outside when it's ~50 degrees out (F)), you aren't going to lower the temp.

They overclock automatically though. But I'm sure you knew that.

 

[meistervu]

Young Spade, you are going about it all wrong.

When I tried to defrost a frozen fish, it takes a few hours if I let it sit on granite which is a pretty decent conductor, perhaps not as good as aluminum, but you get the point: a few hours to defrost a fish.

What I do is put the frozen fish in a big bowl of cold tap water. It takes 15 minutes to defrost the thing.

The point is, ice is cold, but the molecules don't move: they are frozen. That's why igloos make comfortable shelter.

What you need it to submerge your MBA in ice water. I suspect the results will be drastically different. Heat will no longer be your problem.

 

[Young Spade]

Young Spade, you are going about it all wrong.

When I tried to defrost a frozen fish, it takes a few hours if I let it sit on granite which is a pretty decent conductor, perhaps not as good as aluminum, but you get the point: a few hours to defrost a fish.

What I do is put the frozen fish in a big bowl of cold tap water. It takes 15 minutes to defrost the thing.

The point is, ice is cold, but the molecules don't move: they are frozen. That's why igloos make comfortable shelter.

What you need it to submerge your MBA in ice water. I suspect the results will be drastically different. Heat will no longer be your problem.

Obviously. But nobody here can do that now can they? If you find me a MBP that's watercooled I'd gladly take it; I see a few rigs here and there with the capability and I'd love to try it.

Hydrogen is an amazing element, no?

 

[PaulDoFish]

ULV Sandy Bridge chips do not play by the same naming rule as the Desktop chips. While FSB isn't manipulated, the BCLK could potentially be.

Haha, well, in the desktop world, FSB and BCLK are used interchangeably in overclocking; which is what OP desires to do with his Macbook Air

 

[ZBoater]

How exactly does one go about over clocking a MBA?

 

[johnadams2007]

How exactly does one go about over clocking a MBA?

to clear a few things up. you can easily overclock the mba gpu with msi afterburner. i run at 600/1200 but i know i can go higher. once again, it may seem pointless to some but its my laptop and i can do what i want with it. and about the direct contact issue brought up earlier...yes it is direct contact in a sense of the phrase. most notebook coolers are just fans that blow air onto the bottom of the laptop. since the mba has no fans on the bottom, this would be inefficient. the luxa2 coolers have an actualy aluminum heatsink that makes contact with the bottom of the laptop. the heat is then transferred through the luxa2 cooler and out through the fan. kinda like a desktop heatsink/fan. from what i've heard it works. i think ill just buy it anyway and see how it works. i just hope the cooler isnt too wide (or my 11" mba is too narrow) to get proper contact with the bottom of my macbook

 

[zen]

I'd actually like a cooler pad for my Macbook Air, simply because the thing gets damn hot when I work with it on my lap (which is 99% of the time). I've shifted from a 2010 MBA to an i5 2011 MBA, and the difference in temperature is huge. This thing gets uncomfortably hot.

The Macbook cooling pads from GearZap look pretty neat (although a little too large). I'm assuming something like that would be good insulation for my legs?

 

[miles01110]

I'd actually like a cooler pad for my Macbook Air, simply because the thing gets damn hot when I work with it on my lap (which is 99% of the time). I've shifted from a 2010 MBA to an i5 2011 MBA, and the difference in temperature is huge. This thing gets uncomfortably hot.

The Macbook cooling pads from GearZap look pretty neat (although a little too large). I'm assuming something like that would be good insulation for my legs?

A magazine or pillow works just as well. Or if you have a sleeve you can use that.