Author Topic: Is water-cooled laptops possible? (and other cooling techniques) (Read 2448 times)

CRxTRDUDE · « **on:** April 03, 2011, 12:46:32 PM »

It just occurred to me... I saw this CPU in a mall from where I'm situated. It's watercooled on the CPU and 2 GPUS (Which I guess that were over-clocked). It's kinda nice 'cuz I experienced destroying my comp many times due to overheating. And water can be a nice heat disperser for heat emitted by these processors...

Now the question to you techie guys out there... Can water-cooling for laptops be possible? (it might be nice...)

If it does, on what extent? Just curious...

EDIT: I changed the name of this thread 'cuz it's more relative to the content of this thread

AceHigh · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:06:33 PM »

If it's a completely closed system, then yes, but laptops are advertised as light weight and water cooling would ruin that part.

CRxTRDUDE · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:08:45 PM »

Well, would it work that laptops, if you know how to open them and what to cool... then It would work right?

AceHigh · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:15:26 PM »

Technically yes, you have several challenges:

Finding a cpu water block and a way to fasten it
Finding tubes and pumps that would fit

CRxTRDUDE · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:23:28 PM »

^Well that would be cool. How bout modifying the laptop to provide a casing for the cooler...

kureshii · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:38:36 PM »

Better question: Why the hell would you want a water-cooled laptop?

What laptops really need are heatsinks with a larger cooling fin surface area, and better/more robust cooling fans. Water-cooling isn't going to do anything for them. They already have heatpipes for transferring heat from the CPU block to the heatsink, and water-cooling is no improvement on that.

AceHigh · « **Reply #6 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:50:40 PM »

Quote from: kureshii on April 03, 2011, 01:38:36 PM

Better question: Why the hell would you want a water-cooled laptop?

1 To be the cool kid among pc-nerds
2 For shits and giggles

Micharus · « **Reply #7 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:52:42 PM »

Quote from: CRxTRDUDE on April 03, 2011, 12:46:32 PM

It just occurred to me... I saw this CPU in a mall from where I'm situated. It's watercooled on the CPU and 2 GPUS (Which I guess that were over-clocked). It's kinda nice 'cuz I experienced destroying my comp many times due to overheating. And water can be a nice heat disperser for heat emitted by these processors...

Now the question to you techie guys out there... Can water-cooling for laptops be possible? (it might be nice...)

If it does, on what extent? Just curious...

At this point in time.....not possible.

There is simply not enough room to run a water cooling system in a laptop, not too mention that it would be one more item drawing power from the battery.

This is before we start thinking about exactly where the water reservoir is going to fit, not to mention a possible radiator system to help keep the water/liquid cool.

Maybe sometime in the future it will be possible, but now, no.

On the subject of your computer overheating and frying itself, a liquid cooling system is something you should look into if it happens to you as often as you say it does.

I live in Western Australia and it gets fairly warm here in summer on a regular basis.
I've thought about fitting a liquid cooling system to my PC, but I figure I don't really need it.

Nothing is overclocked, so the only time it even starts getting hot is when the temperature goes over 35' C.
Plenty of fans installed, the 'stock' fans that come with the case and two aftermarket fans that have speed controllers on them.
When it gets hot, I crank them up. It sounds like a jet is trying to land in my room, but it keeps things from bursting into flames.

AceHigh · « **Reply #8 on:** April 03, 2011, 02:03:57 PM »

Oh it is possible to fit a water cooling system in your laptop, it's just that after the modification your laptop will look like a small suitcase

nstgc · « **Reply #9 on:** April 03, 2011, 03:17:26 PM »

Quote from: AceHigh on April 03, 2011, 01:50:40 PM

Quote from: kureshii on April 03, 2011, 01:38:36 PM
Better question: Why the hell would you want a water-cooled laptop?

1 To be the cool kid among pc-nerds
2 For shits and giggles

Thats why I water cooled the CPU on a computer with a POS video card. Overclocked it by 66%. Could have gone higher, but the chipset cooler wasn't good enough (even though it was a DFI board).

zat0x91 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 03, 2011, 08:33:55 PM »

Quote from: AceHigh on April 03, 2011, 02:03:57 PM

Oh it is possible to fit a water cooling system in your laptop, it's just that after the modification your laptop will look like a small suitcase

This is basically what it looks like after putting in only a "fake" watercooling kit (Corsair H50):

Entire worklog: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=260157

Proin Drakenzol · « **Reply #11 on:** April 03, 2011, 09:30:28 PM »

In short: possible? yes. practical? no.

@zat0x91: that looks more like a "portable" desktop than a laptop.

nstgc · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2011, 09:47:40 PM »

@zat: I suddenly want to build my own "lap"top.

AceHigh · « **Reply #13 on:** April 04, 2011, 12:00:13 AM »

I really want to make my own suitcase desktop now!

I mean it is really simple to carry to LAN and you have a real gaming machine, not some crap that will drive you insane with it's loud, tiny fan because it tries as hard as it can to keep the shit from overheating.

Proin Drakenzol · « **Reply #14 on:** April 04, 2011, 12:10:06 AM »

One of the guys in my shop had a suggestion.

Make a custom briefcase-laptop in one of those spiffy brushed aluminum cases and have the lock screen say something like: "I am a Bomb. Countdown activated."

Try getting that through airport security.

AceHigh · « **Reply #15 on:** April 04, 2011, 12:21:15 AM »

Ha! A year ago or so there was an incident in a Jerusalem airport. Customs officers took a normal laptop from this journalist chicks and 5 minutes later she hears gunshots. Later she gets her laptop back with several bullet holes. They suspected that it may be a bomb, so they shot at it from a safe distance... or so the said. That stupid bitch was a Palestinian sympathizer and had several stickers with symbols of Hamas and muslims, so they assumed it was a bomb.

Proin Drakenzol · « **Reply #16 on:** April 04, 2011, 12:28:21 AM »

Quote from: AceHigh on April 04, 2011, 12:21:15 AM

Ha! A year ago or so there was an incident in a Jerusalem airport. Customs officers took a normal laptop from this journalist chicks and 5 minutes later she hears gunshots. Later she gets her laptop back with several bullet holes. They suspected that it may be a bomb, so they shot at it from a safe distance... or so the said. That stupid bitch was a Palestinian sympathizer and had several stickers with symbols of Hamas and muslims, so they assumed it was a bomb.

That's pretty stupid. Why would you take something that could be an IED through Israeli security with terrorist support stickers on it?

mgz · « **Reply #17 on:** April 04, 2011, 01:19:05 AM »

Quote from: Proin Drakenzol on April 04, 2011, 12:28:21 AM

Quote from: AceHigh on April 04, 2011, 12:21:15 AM
Ha! A year ago or so there was an incident in a Jerusalem airport. Customs officers took a normal laptop from this journalist chicks and 5 minutes later she hears gunshots. Later she gets her laptop back with several bullet holes. They suspected that it may be a bomb, so they shot at it from a safe distance... or so the said. That stupid bitch was a Palestinian sympathizer and had several stickers with symbols of Hamas and muslims, so they assumed it was a bomb.

That's pretty stupid. Why would you take something that could be an IED through Israeli security with terrorist support stickers on it?

for the sensationalist journalist report that you can put out after the fact to make the israelis seem like fucking assholes

Tatsujin · « **Reply #18 on:** April 04, 2011, 01:35:22 AM »

Quote from: zat0x91 on April 03, 2011, 08:33:55 PM

Quote from: AceHigh on April 03, 2011, 02:03:57 PM
Oh it is possible to fit a water cooling system in your laptop, it's just that after the modification your laptop will look like a small suitcase

This is basically what it looks like after putting in only a "fake" watercooling kit (Corsair H50):

Entire worklog: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=260157

I have the Razer keyboard your using and the Razer Naga mouse your using. Amazing for WoW players. <3

dcudney · « **Reply #19 on:** April 04, 2011, 01:42:15 AM »

You could use the keyboard and mouse from one of those first generation mac's and still do well with WoW

That suitcase computer is pretty damn funny, good for you on making that! Neat to see what people use these days as computer cases