Laptop Cooling Pad

[jonathanasdf]

I'm looking for a cooling pad for my laptop, and was wondering if people had any recommendations.

It's 16.4". Nothing too hardcore please, I don't really play any intensive games.

Thanks in advance!

[ainsoph9]

Could you give some more specs please? Things like acoustic noise, weight, and power ratings can affect the performance of your laptop as well as your experience using it. For starters though, Newegg has quite the selection.

[jonathanasdf]

actually i don't want one anymore. Can someone please delete this thread?

[Naeko]

There are all kinds of laptop cooling pads but not all of them are good or effective. The ones that have the best airflow are flow-through types where the air is sucked from the bottom of the pad and pushed out the top onto the bottom of the laptop. There is one that sucks air from the bottom of the laptop and blows the warm air out the bottom, but that one didn't seem effective when I observed it at a comparison display in the Fry's retail store.

If your laptop is completely plastic bottomed and smooth, a cooling pad has little effect. If the laptop's bottom has metal plates where heat is conducted, then that is a much better candidate for cooling. My Dell laptop exposes the hardware tray, memory hatch, and the wi-fi hatch to the cooling air. It's too bad the graphics card is inside and inaccessible, but that is why there is a separate cooling fan for the graphics card (thank you Dell). Not many laptops seem to have multiple cooling fans.

There are laptop coolers that can be used on soft surfaces like a bed, carpet, or sofa. These don't suck air from the bottom since that is covered up by the soft material the laptop is resting on. Instead, air is sucked inwards from openings in the edges of the pad and then blown against the bottom of the laptop.

If you buy online, newegg is not the only place. There's buy.com and frys.com and of course amazon.com for different types and thicknesses. The one I use is a thin rectangular plate with two fans and a built-in 4-port USB 2.0 hub if I choose to use it. The fan speed can be set to 2 different speeds but even the fast one is fairly quiet. The cooler can be powered by either the laptop (usb cord supplied) or by an external power supply. I usually use the external power supply even though it means I have to carry the little wall-wart in the laptop carrying bag. I got the thin flat type because I wanted to be able to put it in the laptop bag. Some of those "stylish" curvy ones waste too much space. But if you are a guy that uses makeup, paints his fingernails, and uses rouge and mascara, then those stylish laptop coolers would suit you.

If you don't want to buy a cooler, you can simply save up the childproof lids from pill bottles and use those on the bottom feet of the laptop to give a bigger airspace underneath. Air convection will do the rest. That method works best if you have a separate keyboard since you are using only the laptop's display while typing on an external USB keyboard. That's also what I do at home since an external keyboard is much better for touch typing.

[Mystes]

Somehow, my Acer computer don't need one. It is quite cool even though I use it a lot.

[YoakeNoHikari]

actually i don't want one anymore. Can someone please delete this thread?

[Rajikai]

Somehow, my Acer computer don't need one. It is quite cool even though I use it a lot.

I assume that some computers generate more heat than others. I think it's the processor or such. Also, it depends on where you place it while using it.

Hello Hikari.

[ainsoph9]

actually i don't want one anymore. Can someone please delete this thread?

Come on, guys. Can you not take a hint? *facepalm to sigh*

[Rajikai]

Come on, guys. Can you not take a hint? *facepalm to sigh*

I could take the hint that He doesn't need it, but it doesn't change the fact that I explained to Quira why his computer doesn't heat up while others require the cooling pad.

[Mystes]

I assume that some computers generate more heat than others. I think it's the processor or such. Also, it depends on where you place it while using it.

Do you know which computers need more cooling pads?

(BTW, any mod should move it to the computing section.)

[Rajikai]

I would think that larger laptops and newer ones tend to overheat more often than older ones and smaller ones. Also gaming laptops, I think, will easily overheat. From what I gather, since it's a small area, with lots of stuff going full and generating heat, the laptop would overheat. There really isn't a brand really. Everything heats ups. Example, my cellphone starts burning up after I use it for over an hour while charging.

Computers generally shouldn't require cooling pads (I'd assume), because they have large fans, and plenty of space to get rid of the heat. Some Graffix cards even come with little fans.

So basically the more you use, the more likely to overheat.

[Naeko]

Some people whose laptop's cooling fan has a high-pitched whine may opt for using a laptop cooler pad just to have the notebook fan run less often.

[Darklor]

(BTW, any mod should move it to the computing section.)

*done*

Also I bought for my old laptop (15'') this coolpad http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=127 because I had it that the laptop got sometimes so hot that it did freeze... my new one (17'') hadnt that problem yet...