Solution
I bought the 2 fan version for my Lenovo IdeaPad Y470.

Unfortunately, at best it only cools the Y470 by at most 1C (maybe).

I don't think it's a problem with the cooler itself since the CM allows you to place the fans where the vents are underneath the laptop. The problem is the limited number and size of vents the Y470 has; there are only 3 vents:

Vent #1 - This has an intake fan which cools the laptop. Placing the CM cooler fan does not improve cooling since using a fan to push more air into another intake fan does work. Maybe if the CM fan was pushing an excessive amount of air at 10,000RPM a little extra air might be pushed through the intake fan, but that's doubtful.

Vent #2 - Roughly 2" x 1",but even with the CM fan directly...
I bought the 2 fan version for my Lenovo IdeaPad Y470.

Unfortunately, at best it only cools the Y470 by at most 1C (maybe).

I don't think it's a problem with the cooler itself since the CM allows you to place the fans where the vents are underneath the laptop. The problem is the limited number and size of vents the Y470 has; there are only 3 vents:

Vent #1 - This has an intake fan which cools the laptop. Placing the CM cooler fan does not improve cooling since using a fan to push more air into another intake fan does work. Maybe if the CM fan was pushing an excessive amount of air at 10,000RPM a little extra air might be pushed through the intake fan, but that's doubtful.

Vent #2 - Roughly 2" x 1",but even with the CM fan directly underneath the vent, there was no change in the CPu's temps.

Vent #3 - The smallest vent right above vent #2. Roughly 1" x 1/4". Again, no apparent change in temps.

Lastly, Lenovo calls the underside of the laptop a "Thermal Door". I guess the "Thermal Door" works 'cause even with a CPU temp of 93C and GPU temp of 75C, the bottom of the laptop is only slightly warm even without using the CM cooler.
 
Solution

Au_equus

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Mar 31, 2011
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i don't know, a cpu reaching 93C? sure is not the gpu? So what you have essentially have is a stand for the Y470. the only downside I can see (and what you probably experienced) is the 15cfm/fan.
I saw some freezing issues associate with the heat of the envy17 series so notepal u3's out. The one that looks interesting now is the CM SF-19,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=34-992-522&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo
which appears to keep the temps down better although $20 more. There appears to be some noise associated at full rpms, but finding one that's not is hard. With headphones, the noise shouldn't be bothersome. If anyone can find a better one, please let me know. Otherwise, this one will be purchased. Thanks.
 

thesnappyfingers

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Sep 6, 2011
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I have never heard of a CPU reaching 93 C on a laptop. If it did I would be incredibly concerned. You could try the zalman 3000u or the zalman 2000, the 3000 is roughly 50.00 online and the reviews have been pretty good. The 3000 has a 240 mm fan (i think) while the 2000 has two smaller fans.

I also own the 2 fan version of the cooler, it seems to help a bit lowers temps 3-6C, but it kind of depends on the chasis.

The best way to keep your laptop cool is to control the internal fan of the laptop if you can.

 
I'm positive the CPU goes up to 93C because I use CoreTemp to get the reading. The TJMax for mobile Core i3/i5/i7 CPUs is 100C.

Based on several laptop reviews I've read 93C temps seems to be quite common and the reviewers do not seem to care too much because the system is still stable. I played Crysis for a long as 3 hours in one session (before buying the CM cooler) and I noticed no stability issues. However, prolonged high temps are generally not good for the long term life of a laptop.

While the 15cfm fans are not very powerful, they should at least be able to provide some cooling. I need to wait for my warranty to expire to take my laptop apart to find out exactly why the CM cooling pad is not cooling down my Y470 at all.

Maybe next year I'll try the ZALMAN Ultra Quiet Notebook Cooler Model ZM-NC1000 to determine if perhaps it is the CM Cooler's fans that are too weak to effectively cool the laptop.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=34-998-051&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=100&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo
 


I typically set the fan to auto adjust based on temperature. There is no difference in temps with the laptop's fan set to auto speed or full speed. Max temps while playing Crysis remained the same.
 

thesnappyfingers

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Sep 6, 2011
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that sucks dude, I guess it entirely depends on the chasis of the computer. My GPU temps never exceed 85c and cpu never exceeds 60. Before fan control the cpu would heat up to 70C and GPU would 99C. Yet, I have a different laptop and different CPU. Shows you cant apply the concepts learned from one laptop to the next.

after your warranty is up you could add more copper to your heat sink to help dissipate the heat, you would be amazed what a simple flat piece of copper attached to the heat sink would do to help dissipate heat.