3CFM - Might as well just go passive?

echosystm · Post by **echosystm** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:11 am

Hi,

My laptop fan just died 1 month out of warranty. It's going to cost an arm and a leg to replace as well since my laptop is a BTO generic brand. Now, I checked the details on the internet and the fan only moves about 3CFM (5 at the most). That seems like such a small ammount it's hardly even worth worrying about. Furthermore, the meshing covering the intake is extremely tight - it's got roughly 0.8mm holes, I'd say theres just as much metal is there is air gaps.

If i remove the fan and remove the grille, this system should run fine passive right?

At the moment, with the fan still in there doing nothing, my CPU hits 55 under burn in. What is a safe max temperature for a 1.73 Pentium M? I see Pentium 4's at work (I'm a technician) going up to 60-65 degrees with stock cooling.

I'm going to build a platform with a 12cm Scythe fan in it which funnels up into the laptop intake so it stays 100% cool while I'm at my desk anyway, just to be safe.

Thanks guys.

Trunks · Post by **Trunks** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:07 am

the only way to know is to try.
Just some things to think aboutâ€¦how does the air go in to past, and out of the area.
I would think if you can blow air into the intake in any way you would be better for it.
It might be a simple issue if the air intake is on the bottom, raising the machine just a bit.
I would still consider replacing the fan with something internal. If it is a normal â€œboxâ€

BillyBuerger · Post by **BillyBuerger** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:18 am

Even a small amount of air can cool a lot more than passive cooling can. You may be able to get away without the fan. But I would be very careful about how you use it. Definitely keep it on a hard flat surface so there's room to breath. Hot environment or say out in the sun could be dangerous. But then again any kind of laptop cooler (or custom mod like you're thinking) could probably do the job of the broken fan.