Is it just a desktop at this point? (Clevo X170SM-G Hybrid Cooling)

[Mnky313]

Background

lots of info on the laptop is in my initial review thread but a TL:DR is that this laptop is incredibly powerful but struggles to cool a 10900k (I know, who would have guessed it's hard to cool a desktop i9 in a laptop).
I've been interesting in the hybrid coolers for clevo machines since before I bought this laptop, but obviously there are some problems. Mainly complexity, portability, and cost.

 

The Parts

I tried to keep this as compact and simple as possible while not compromising portability too much. I knew I needed a quick and easy way to disconnect the water cooling system if I needed to take the machine somewhere, there's really 2 options for this:

• Predone aliexpress kits with a 'water return function' that I was told is quick and easy but I don't know how much I trust them and they are quite expensive (another $300-$400 on top of the heatsink).
• Quick Disconnect Fittings

I went with quick disconnects, the ones I got were from koolance. I was told the tubing is 3mm ID, 5mm OD. It's not, it's 4mm ID, 6mm OD. I had to cut up end off the rubber cover that shipped with the fittings and use as a kind of adapter in between the 3mm bard and fitting, this plus a zip tie seems to work pretty reliably, haven't had any issues but just in case I angled the laptop and positioned everything in a way that if one was to leak it wouldn't leak onto anything except the desk. (the fitting on the laptop heatsink are designed for 4x6mm tubing.

I'll probably get some 3x5mm tubing and hope I can stretch in over the laptop's fittings.

As for the rest of the loop I found this thing:

It's a Barrow DARIDP-30, it's a pump, radiator, and mini reservoir all in one. It's perfect for something like this as it simplifies the loop to basically just 2 tubes between the laptop and it. Plus it's actually quite cheap, I got mine for $160 on eBay which is way cheaper than a pump+res+rad.

The hybrid heatsink is from Aliexpress, here's a link for the X170SM-G/X170KM-G but they have one for a lot of Clevo laptops.

Total Cost to watercool it is ~$600 which is quite a lot and honestly probably isn't worth it from a cost/performance perspective.

 

Mini heatsink review

Overall the performance of this heatsink is awesome however basically everything else was kind of eh.
Mine arrived a little bit bent on one side but it still fit without issues.
There were literally 0 instructions for where to place thermal pads so I just had to guess based off the stock heatsink, I guessed wrong... 3 times... Had to spend multiple hours trying different configurations until it wouldn't either hard crash under GPU load or throttle the CPU because the VRMs were overheating... The reason it took so many attempts despite only including 2 different thickness of thermal pads was that you have to stack thermal pads to make contact with most of the VRMs.....
Also as mentioned above, I asked what size the tubing was so I could order QDCs and they told me 3x5mm, the tubing literally has '4x6mm' written on the side of it...

The Benefits

The main thing I was looking for was getting the CPU temp under control when playing games or just under short bursty workloads. That definitely happened, instead of the CPU stilling at ~60 and spiking up to 90+ it sits at 40-45 and spikes up to only ~70 max. (under a all core stress test like cinebench it still reaches the 90s).

With the normal heatsink cinebench would throttle the CPU down to ~4.5-4.6GHz while pulling ~140W.
Now it'll happily truck along at 5.0GHz while pulling just over 200W...

Cinebench went from ~15000 to ~16400, I beat a stock 1950x xD.

 

3DMark scores honestly aren't much higher but temps are way lower.
Without any real tweaking besides my quick GPU overclock that I knew was stable (+140 core, +800 mem) I got almost 12k in Timespy:

It's also quite a bit quieter even with the radiator fan speed at 100%. Honestly might swap the fans with some Noctuas though. I believe any 120mm (25mm thick) fan should fit in that pump/rad/res combo thing.
_{plus, like it's cool.}

Pictures

 

Conclusion

It's super cool. However if you just want to improve CPU temperatures I would highly recommend just getting the aftermarket air cooled heatsink as I tested it without the loop connected and while temps were obviously higher I was actually able to run 4.9GHz all core while pulling ~180W in cinebench. It also didn't spike as high during normal use. This is probably because they more than doubled the amount of heatpipes connected to the CPU compared to the stock heatsink.

I'm just one to see how far I can push the limits and having a 10 core i9 @ 5GHz in a laptop is quite awesome, lol.

Extras

If you like this kind of stuff, check out @Meaker's thread here.
Feel free to ask questions and suggest things.
 

[Bombastinator]

Well the original fans seem to be gone, so it can’t cool itself at all without the…radiator unit? I guess?..  cooling brick? There should be a singular name I think rather than pump/radiator/Rez combo.  It’s clearly a single unit.  So it’s not a laptop anymore since you can’t put it in your lap.  If all the parts are or can clip together to act like a single unit that can act like luggage it’s a portable or a luggable.  The thing seems to be mounted to a board.  Get some kind of enclosure on the back and screw things down so they don’t move and it’s a luggable.  If you could recase  the thing (I’m envisioning some luan horror)  make the cooling brick integral, and run it off some self contained battery (shouldn’t be too insanely hard, the fans and the pump look 12v) it would be a laptop again.  Just a really really thick one. There have been some awful thick laptops in the past.  Not for a while. I feel a certain temptation to get a really old plasma enclosure, stuff it all inside, remove the panel, attach it where the plasma screen used to be, screw on a suitcase handle, and call it an all-in-one portable if you can battery power the pump and fans.  An all-in-one luggable if you have to use a PSU and plug it in. Toaster Mac was an all-in-one luggable.  There is precedent. Another option is if you could get some quick disconnects on those hoses, and get the old fans back in to where they could cool the thing at least some, you could run the thing on air even if it was at a reduced rate.  Then you could put all the other stuff in a “stand” and it would be a laptop again. There’s precedent for that too.  It just wouldn’t have a lot of power unless it was on the “stand”.  This I could actually see being potentially kind of useful.  Sometimes something to drag around and just watch movies on is handy. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Bombastinator

[Mnky313]

1 minute ago, Bombastinator said:

Well the original fans seem to be gone, so it can’t cool itself at all without the…radiator unit? I guess?..  cooling brick? There should be a singular name I think rather than pump/radiator/Rez combo.  It’s clearly a single unit. 

The picture was when I received the heatsink, the fans had to be moved from the original heatsink to the new one.
It can run completely on it's own without the res/pump/rad thing. It'll just run hotter.

as for portability, I don't really see myself carrying the watercooler with me many places but you definitely could fit everything (laptop, power bricks, and cooler) in a bacpack or probably a large messenger bag.

The idea of building a stand thing with everything contained is interesting but the pump/res/rad thing kind of does that already.

 

[Bombastinator]

1 minute ago, Mnky313 said:

The picture was when I received the heatsink, the fans had to be moved from the original heatsink to the new one.
It can run completely on it's own without the res/pump/rad thing. It'll just run hotter.

as for portability, I don't really see myself carrying the watercooler with me many places but you definitely could fit everything (laptop, power bricks, and cooler) in a bacpack or probably a large messenger bag.

The idea of building a stand thing with everything contained is interesting but the pump/res/rad thing kind of does that already.

 

Then if it can come loose without wrenching or screwing or whatever it’s still a laptop.  Assuming it’s got a bottom you could still put on your lap though. 

[Meaker]

I've got some M5 stoppers so you would quick release the connection so there is not much in the tube and then use paper towel to put the stoppers in. Once in the unit won't leak on the move.

 

Your heatsink really does look top notch.

[Mnky313]

1 minute ago, Meaker said:

I've got some M5 stoppers so you would quick release the connection so there is not much in the tube and then use paper towel to put the stoppers in. Once in the unit won't leak on the move.

 

Your heatsink really does look top notch.

I got some with mine (funny enough, I can't find them xD. I assume there is a bag somewhere), and it could work but the extra bit of tube doesn't really bother me, also pouring out any fluid and having to refill it quite a pain because of the pump res rad thing. (it sucks to bleed).

And yeah, I was quite impressed at how much better the heatsink was than stock even without the loop connected.

[Meaker]

I've found the 4/6 tubing and fittings can come off with some pulling fairly easy so is be way of travelling with them. Also I would avoid dropping down to the smaller tubing to avoid a loss in pressure.

[Mnky313]

7 minutes ago, Meaker said:

I've found the 4/6 tubing and fittings can come off with some pulling fairly easy so is be way of travelling with them. Also I would avoid dropping down to the smaller tubing to avoid a loss in pressure.

really? I can't find my extra fitting to test but when I was messing with it a while ago it seemed like a pretty strong connection, I figured the connection between my weird rubber thing and the 3mm barbs would be weaker.

I doubt it would really make a difference shrinking the tubing, all the barb fittings are already much smaller than the tubes and even the holes in the fittings on the laptop are was smaller than even a 3mm ID tube.

[Bombastinator]

41 minutes ago, Mnky313 said:

really? I can't find my extra fitting to test but when I was messing with it a while ago it seemed like a pretty strong connection, I figured the connection between my weird rubber thing and the 3mm barbs would be weaker.

I doubt it would really make a difference shrinking the tubing, all the barb fittings are already much smaller than the tubes and even the holes in the fittings on the laptop are was smaller than even a 3mm ID tube.

The term “weird rubber thing” leaves so much room for improbable possibility.  I kind of don’t want to know what you’re referring to as my imagination provides so many amusing  possibilities

[Mnky313]

20 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

The term “weird rubber thing” leaves so much room for improbable possibility.  I kind of don’t want to know what you’re referring to as my imagination provides so many amusing  possibilities

Plus a zip tie over top of everything. It's obviously not ideal but it does work.

proper size tubing should be here at some point.

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, Mnky313 said:

Plus a zip tie over top of everything. It's obviously not ideal but it does work.

proper size tubing should be here at some point.

Well that’s not shaped like a dinosaur…. That’s a flexible watertight pipe shim.

[laptop1987]

hey im planning on doing this to my x170km-g  can i still utilize fans 

 

[Mnky313]

1 hour ago, laptop1987 said:

hey im planning on doing this to my x170km-g  can i still utilize fans 

 

yeah, you move the original fans to the new heatsink when installing it.

[laptop1987]

ok i was almost 100% positive thats what i do till i read some thing on another website 

[laptop1987]

what hose size will i need?

[Mnky313]

6 minutes ago, laptop1987 said:

what hose size will i need?

the modified heatsink should have come with tubing, if it didn't mine was 4x6mm

[brentbucci]

@Mnky313 do you have a link to any of the coolers you mention that have the water return function? Looking to have the system either drain itself before disconnecting, or to mod a unit using a leakshield to accomplish the same thing.

-B

[Mnky313]

4 minutes ago, brentbucci said:

@Mnky313 do you have a link to any of the coolers you mention that have the water return function? Looking to have the system either drain itself before disconnecting, or to mod a unit using a leakshield to accomplish the same thing.

-B

I just checked their aliexpress page and it looks like they sell Quick disconnect that connect directly to the heatsink in the laptop now which is awesome, I would have done that but at this point I'm not going to bother, mine works well enough. But if you want the automatic draining thing I was linked this one (specifically the 360-4 option).

[brentbucci]

Thanks for this, I was hoping that they would use a vaccum drain return feature simular to the one used by the original asus watercooled laptop that would fully drain out the laptop. That said, I did find a few cool links to different types of units that seem a little better built. I think I'm going to go ahead and pick up the external 360 tower here, or this 240 here

Did you happen to document what pads you used in terms of the location?

[Mnky313]

3 minutes ago, brentbucci said:

Thanks for this, I was hoping that they would use a vaccum drain return feature simular to the one used by the original asus watercooled laptop that would fully drain out the laptop. That said, I did find a few cool links to different types of units that seem a little better built. I think I'm going to go ahead and pick up the external 360 tower here, or this 240 here

Did you happen to document what pads you used in terms of the location?

They're page has a diagram now as well:

I have no idea how I did it but I definitely did it differently than they indicate so go off theirs.

[DJTurnTable]

On 4/19/2022 at 4:27 PM, Mnky313 said:

They're page has a diagram now as well:

I have no idea how I did it but I definitely did it differently than they indicate so go off theirs.

Super late replay to this but do you know what size radiator fittings you ordered? Bit of a newbie when it comes to water-cooling parts so i'd appreciate the help beacuse I just ordered the heatsink / quick disconnects by the same seller and the radiator that you had here. 

 

I'm assuming really the only things I'll need is the fittings for the radiator and some coolant, correct?

[Mnky313]

45 minutes ago, DJTurnTable said:

Super late replay to this but do you know what size radiator fittings you ordered? Bit of a newbie when it comes to water-cooling parts so i'd appreciate the help beacuse I just ordered the heatsink / quick disconnects by the same seller and the radiator that you had here. 

 

I'm assuming really the only things I'll need is the fittings for the radiator and some coolant, correct?

yeah, I ordered the fittings from Koolance when I ordered the quick disconnects, they told me the tubing was 3x5mm but it's actually 4x6mm.

If you can find them a G1/4 -> 4mm fitting would be ideal, I found this: https://www.torqued.io/nuke-performance-1-4-barb-fitting-for-4mm-hose

 

and yes, besides the radiator, heatsink & quick disconnects the only thing you should need is fittings from the radiator, the fittings for the heatsink, tubing, & thermal pads should come with the heatsink.

[DJTurnTable]

On 2/11/2023 at 9:51 PM, Mnky313 said:

yeah, I ordered the fittings from Koolance when I ordered the quick disconnects, they told me the tubing was 3x5mm but it's actually 4x6mm.

If you can find them a G1/4 -> 4mm fitting would be ideal, I found this: https://www.torqued.io/nuke-performance-1-4-barb-fitting-for-4mm-hose

 

and yes, besides the radiator, heatsink & quick disconnects the only thing you should need is fittings from the radiator, the fittings for the heatsink, tubing, & thermal pads should come with the heatsink.

As parts are slowly rolling in the radiator showed up today and I realized I need a way to power the pump and fans, what was your solution? 

 

Assuming it's the same connectors as yours I need 3x6 pin fan connectors, 1 Molex for power, and looks like another 4 pin fan connector for the pump speed. 

[Mnky313]

22 minutes ago, DJTurnTable said:

Assuming it's the same connectors as yours I need 3x6 pin fan connectors, 1 Molex for power, and looks like another 4 pin fan connector for the pump speed. 

totally forgot about their weird 6 pin, my solution is to depin the connector and connect them to the 12v & ground from a molex to dual 4 pin PWM adapter.

My setup is currently:
usb --> microcontroller --> fan PWM for speed control (this isn't needed, without PWM signals the fans just run at 100%)
wall --> molex power brick --> pump power passthrough --> molex to dual 4 pin PWM adapter --> fan power

this is the pinout of the connector:

alternatively you can get a controller which is powered via a sata connector (so you would go from molex power adapter --> pump power --> molex to sata --> fan controller, you get lighting control with the remote but no PWM control without a motherboard to control it)

[DJTurnTable]

16 minutes ago, Mnky313 said:

totally forgot about their weird 6 pin, my solution is to depin the connector and connect them to the 12v & ground from a molex to dual 4 pin PWM adapter.

My setup is currently:
usb --> microcontroller --> fan PWM for speed control (this isn't needed, without PWM signals the fans just run at 100%)
wall --> molex power brick --> pump power passthrough --> molex to dual 4 pin PWM adapter --> fan power

this is the pinout of the connector:

alternatively you can get a controller which is powered via a sata connector (so you would go from molex power adapter --> pump power --> molex to sata --> fan controller,  you get lighting control with the remote but no PWM control without a motherboard to control it)

Sounds like the easiest method for me is the molex power adapter --> pump power --> molex to sata --> fan controller. The barrow controller is in stock here so I'll just go this route.

 

I appreciate the help so far! Now I just have to wait for UPS to get my package out of HK to the US.