Hailing from Taipei, Taiwan, Sunbeamtech has consistently provided computing enthusiasts with high quality and high performing products for nearly a decade. Sunbeamtech’s mission is to develop computer accessory solutions that are both revolutionary and innovative in every respect. With an eye towards providing enthusiasts with the computer accessories and products that they demand, Sunbeamtech has quickly become a major player in the computer enthusiast industry.

Today, Notebook-Cooling has the opportunity to take a closer look at Sunbeamtech’s answer to rising temperatures in laptops: memory modules. Their newest addition to their accessory lineup is their notebook memory heat spreaders. Boasting all copper construction, Sunbeamtech is looking to win enthusiast favor by catering to those concerned with prolonging the life of their laptop. Will Sunbeamtech’s new memory heat spreaders do the trick? Read on as Notebook-Cooling prepares to find out!

Opening the package reveals the heat spreaders in their entirety. I mention entirety because the package contains enough heat spreaders for only one memory SODIMM. Suffice to say, the packaging is a bit odd in that it appears that you would be greeted with two sets of heat spreaders, which would be consistent with the number of memory sticks that can be installed in today’s laptops. However, this is not the case, and I’m very curious as to why Sunbeamtech didn’t include two sets of heat spreaders to begin with.

Each heat spreader is made of pure, highly polished copper and is compatible with all DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 SODIMMs. Inside each heat spreader is a strip of 3M VHB double sided tape. This tape acts as the bonding agent between the heat spreader and your memory SODIMM. For those not familiar with VHB, it is a type of durable, acrylic foam tape which absorbs energy and is noted for its exceptionally strong bonding properties. Unfortunately, I have no method of testing how efficient VHB transfers heat so I am unable to benchmark how effectively these heat spreaders perform in real-world applications.

Before we can install the heat spreaders, we’ll need to remove the memory SODIMMs from our laptop first. Since every notebook manufacturer has a different way of accessing the compartment where your notebook memory is installed, it is beyond the scope of this review to address every instance. With that said, please refer to the manual that came with your notebook, or visit the manufacturer’s website where your laptop was made or purchased for further information on how to locate and remove your memory SODIMMs.

My current notebook test system is an HP Pavilion dv6500t. Turning the notebook over and removing the appropriate compartment cover reveals a 4GB kit of OCZ DDR2-800 PC2 6400 memory (2 x 2GB). Starting with the top memory module, use a small screwdriver or a fingernail to push away the retaining clips on either side of the SODIMM (see circled red areas). The SODIMM should automatically pop upwards once released from the clips.

Next, simply grasp the memory module and gently pull it straight out, ensuring that you keep the SODIMM in a straight line with respect to its upward angle while doing so. You will perform this same procedure for the second SODIMM which is located beneath the first.

While performing maintenance on my notebooks, I always like to take the time to inspect the compartments I work in for any loose wiring, obvious signs of overheating, or anything else out of the ordinary. I also like to clean the area with a can of compressed air, ensuring that any dust and debris that has built up is removed so that the notebook can operate at maximum efficiency without dust increasing its operating temperatures.

The installation of the heat spreaders is quite simple. Before removing the protective covering on the two sided tape, Sunbeamtech recommends that you first prepare the surface of your memory SODIMM by cleaning it, and as well you should. Any type of foreign debris can have an immediate and long lasting impact on the heat spreader’s ability to conduct heat away from your memory stick. This is no different when applying thermal compound to today’s CPUs, as they too must be thoroughly cleaned first. Even something as innocent as a fingerprint on a CPU integrated heat spreader (IHS) can be detrimental in transferring heat away from the processor.

To prepare your memory SODIMM for cleaning, obtain a couple of Q-Tips (or coffee filters if you prefer), a can of compressed air, and Isopropyl-Alcohol (ISA). Ensure that the ISA has a purity of 90% or better so that it evaporates cleanly and does not leave residue behind. Using a Q-Tip (or coffee filter) that has been dampened with ISA, gently scrub the top of each IC. Once each side of the SODIMM has been cleaned, use the can of compressed air to ensure that all ISA has been evaporated and that the SODIMM is completely dry.

Next, remove the 3M VHB protective covering from the copper heat spreader and position your memory SODIMM so that it lines up neatly with it. Firmly press down for several seconds to ensure that the bond between the memory SODIMM and the two sided tape on the heat spreader is secure. Perform the same procedure when installing the second heat spreader on the other side of your memory SODIMM.

With the heat spreaders installed on a memory stick, you can now re-install your SODIMM in your notebook. Take note of the notch on the SODIMM (where the gold contact points are) and line it up with the notch on the memory slot. At the same upward angle that you removed the SODIMM at, you will gently insert the module into the slot until you can barely see the gold contact pins on the memory stick.

Next, carefully push down on the SODIMM until the retaining clips automatically engage the two cutouts on either side of the memory module. You should hear a “click” when the clips fully engage. It is important to note that it is normal for the clips to lightly grind against the sides of the memory SODIMM as you push down on it to secure it in place.

With the memory now modified with the heat spreaders, the installation of the memory SODIMM in my laptop was not without its problems. I was skeptical that the extra thickness of the heat spreader added to the memory would prevent me from installing a second SODIMM that also had a heat spreader applied to it. In this respect, I found that I was partially correct.

While the bottom SODIMM with the heat spreader went in without a problem, the second SODIMM was an extremely tight fit. So much so, in fact, that the second SODIMM heat spreader was in direct contact with the heat spreader beneath it. Investigating further, I verified this as I realized that the two heat spreaders were fully and firmly contacting each other.

The premise of heat spreaders on a SODIMM is to conduct heat away from the ICs of the memory module. This is accomplished in an effort to reduce operating temperatures and allow the memory to operate at maximum efficiency. However, with heat spreaders in direct contact with other heat spreaders, the heat transferring properties of these products are almost entirely negated.

Essentially, the question remains as to how a memory module can operate efficiently when the heat spreader meant to reduce its heat signature has no way of effectively transferring that heat away? Looking at the memory module and heat spreader configuration that Sunbeamtech proposes, I find it to be a veritable McDonald’s Big Mac: heat spreaders as the buns and SODIMMs as the meat. Except in this case, there’s no secret sauce to rid this heat spreader burger of excess heat.

The problem with this heat spreader design is only compounded further by the space restrictions that are inherent in nearly all notebook systems. With the heat spreaders installed on one memory SODIMM, there is very little, if any, room to install a second set of heat spreaders on the second SODIMM. This can prove to be a problem for some enthusiasts with intentions of buying two heat spreader kits for their notebook and discovering that only one will fit.

With that last thought in mind, where does this leave Sunbeamtech’s heat spreaders at? Can this product be a valuable investment for those enthusiasts concerned about ridding their laptops (and memory specifically) of excessive heat? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”, but as with anything, there are caveats to this.

For instance, heat spreaders need room to “breathe” in order to function properly and this was not evident during testing. True, an enthusiast with two SODIMMs could install just one set of heat spreaders and be done with it, but why install one set and not two? Why force an enthusiast to choose between sticks of notebook memory and decide which one is worth cooling more?

True, this issue will not affect people with one stick of SODIMM installed in their laptop or laptops which contain one SODIMM memory slot. However, in these types of situations, this is fast becoming more of an exception than the rule, netbooks notwithstanding. This is why I feel that these heat spreaders are meant more for netbook applications than full sized notebooks, due to the inability to stack more than one heat spreader on multiple SODIMMs in nearly all cases.

Essentially, the idea of an effective heat spreader system on SODIMMs in a laptop is not barred because of cost, as nearly everything else is, but because of space limitations. Simply stated, I love the direction that Sunbeamtech is going in with their heat spreaders for notebook memory. But the drawbacks of this product limit its potential to but a very few enthusiasts lucky to have a notebook that can overcome them, or enthusiasts who own netbooks with single memory slots.