Modder Straps 360mm AIO to Laptop to Drop Temps Below 40°C
A hardcore PC modder has pushed extreme cooling to a whole new level by strapping a 360mm AIO radiator and custom watercooling loop to a laptop.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
An Extreme Laptop Cooling Experiment
PC hardware modification often involves pushing components past their intended limits, but one enthusiast has taken the concept of laptop cooling into entirely uncharted territory. As reported by Tom's Hardware, a popular YouTube hardware modder known as TrashBench decided to heavily modify a Metabox laptop equipped with an Nvidia GTX 1060 and an Intel Core i7-8750H processor. Further details are available from Tom's Hardware in the original source material.
Metabox is an Australian laptop brand featuring rebranded hardware from Clevo, a Taiwanese original design manufacturer. The stated goal for this unusual project was to prepare the portable computer for the modder's daughter to play Fortnite, resulting in a machine that stretches the very definition of a laptop.
Custom Waterblocks and 3D-Printed Mounts
Executing the modification required stripping away traditional air-cooling hardware and engineering a custom liquid loop. TrashBench initially planned to use a stock AIO pump alongside a second CPU waterblock, but testing revealed that a larger, standalone pump would be necessary to handle the dual blocks.
The waterblocks were mounted using custom 3D-printed holders and screwed directly into the existing holes previously occupied by the stock heatpipe and blower cooler. Meanwhile, additional 3D-printed mounts were designed to secure the 360mm radiator behind the laptop screen. Because the space between the screen and the shell was too narrow for screws, Loctite 2-part epoxy was used to firmly attach the radiator mount.
Modifying VRMs, Power Delivery, and Chassis
Thermal management extended beyond just the primary processors. A heatsink was attached to the RAM and voltage regulator modules, using thermal pads to align the RAM with the VRMs so a single heatsink could cover each cluster. A dab of thermal paste paired with a spot of epoxy permanently secured the heatsink in place.
Because the laptop runs on 19 volts while the pump and fans require 12 volts, a DC-DC step-down converter was soldered directly to the original blower fan's electrical contacts. To manage the continuous power state, a physical toggle switch was mounted to a 3D-printed plate. This plate was screwed onto the bottom shell of the laptop, which featured a large, gaping hole cut out specifically to accommodate the waterblocks and pump. Finally, a 3D-printed riser was screwed to the bottom to give the heavily modified device clearance to stand.
Temperature Drops and Performance Gains
Despite the unorthodox appearance of the final build, the thermal results were remarkably effective. During rigorous testing and benchmarks, the system successfully dropped temperatures by a staggering 60°C compared to stock cooling, keeping both the CPU and GPU well below 40°C under full load conditions.
With such a massive thermal overhead available, TrashBench pushed the hardware further through overclocking. Performance in applications and games saw clear improvements, with benchmarks showing an average 14% overall gain. For instance, in Forza Horizon 5, frame rates initially rose from 75 FPS to 77 FPS, and climbed further to 83 FPS following overclocking.
Sources
- Tom's HardwareCrazed modder straps 360mm AIO radiator to laptop, cuts temps to below 40 degrees
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