Laptop Coolers

[Rons]

Is anyone here using a lapop cooler? Any recommendations as to which brand is best? I need one that fits a 15.4 widescreen Gateway.TIA

[Jeber]

I have both an aluminum one with three fans built in and a laptop desk with slots under the laptop. Both seem to keep my laptop at around 120°. The one with fans has to sit on a desk, so it's not truely portable. I leave it at work. The laptop desk, since it uses passive cooling, can be folded up and stored in my bag.I never park my machine directly on my lap anymore.

[ross549]

I put a pen underneath my battery, which just happens to be under my screen. It keeps the back of the laptop elevated, and therefore I hear the fan spinning up less.Of course, the laptop is a bit more unstable, and occasionally moves around, but since I don't move it much, it's not a big deal.:)Adam

[Rons]

I have both an aluminum one with three fans built in and a laptop desk with slots under the laptop. Both seem to keep my laptop at around 120°. The one with fans has to sit on a desk, so it's not truely portable. I leave it at work. The laptop desk, since it uses passive cooling, can be folded up and stored in my bag.I never park my machine directly on my lap anymore.

Jeber - what is the make and would you recommend it? TIA

[zlim]

I didn't want to tie up a USB port by plugging something with fans in so I use this acrylic product. $10, it isn't very portable but I use it on a table or on my lap.

[Rons]

I didn't want to tie up a USB port by plugging something with fans in so I use this acrylic product. $10, it isn't very portable but I use it on a table or on my lap.

Thanks zlim.

[longgone]

Well... this might sound a bit strange but why not use the pad your dish drain sets on ... it's ribbed so the laptop would not be sitting flat ... it is a bit elevated back to front .. if you want an angle .. and you cn get it in colors ..... food for thought ..

[b2cm]

My desknote sits on two paperback copies of Berger's "Sacred Canopy" and is cooled by a small deskfan.

[teacher]

i have this one and it does the job - no bells or whistles.....

[GolfProRM]

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=PA243UThis is what I have... It does the job, and it's nice when I want it to have the extra width for a mouse.I mainly use it folded up, and it does allow you to use it flat or with a tilt. It's not the highest quality plastic, but it's held up well for the past 6 months. I used to have the one Liz has (the clear one), but it wasn't as wide as my laptop, and the plastic risers kept snapping off and I'd have to re-glue them.

[Jeber]

Jeber - what is the make and would you recommend it? TIA

It made by Vetac and is sold at a variety of outlets like Fry's and CompUSA. I actually like the looks of the one made by Antec better, but it was more expensive and had one less fan. I'd recommend either one. They do what they're meant to do. They are, however, not intended to actually be used in your lap. They only work well when placed on a desktop or table.I also just got one of these. This is geekiness at its best;

Unlike other computer bags, this revolutionary, award-winning computer bag opens up to provide a completely portable and compact office environment while on-the-go. When you open it, the sides fold over your lap providing a stable work surface while your laptop stays fully protected within the case. Bag features heat dissipating laptop surface, two side pockets 11 ½†x 7†x 1†to hold larger accessories such as power supplies, external drives, etc. Outside document pocket conveniently organizes your files and papers. Comfortable contoured shoulder strap. Fits most 14†and 15†laptop computers measuring up to 14 ½ " x 11 ½ " x 2". Bag exterior dimensions are 15" x 12" x 3 ¾ " and weighs 2 ½ pounds. Waterproof black denier nylon with royal blue trim.

Very cool (pun intended).

[Marsden11]

I use these plastic feet that attach to the bottom rear of laptop. They have two swing down tabs for 2 separate heights. In expensive and they have stayed on for over a year now.Props the back of the laptop up very nicely. Can't think of the name of these things at the moment.

[hkspike]

I like Adam's approach - good to see innovation is alive and well!While we're on this subject, can anybody recommend a good desktop applet to extract CPU temp and fan speed that will work on any mobo? I've tried a few but they seem incompatible with my Dell 5100.Andy

[ThunderRiver]

hkspike, with Dell 5100, you should also look into the Fan Control utility. http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html I had a Dell Inspiron 8100 back in 2001, and it was burning hot until I used that Fan Control utility.I don't really recommend any cooling pad because one cooling pad doesn't fit all laptops. Most laptops have vent at bottom, so you may have conter-effect once you put a cooling pad under it. Also, some cooling pads are soo badly constructed that it vibrates, certainly can cause hard drive to crash sooner. My recommendation is that do some research with the next laptop you are going to purchase. Make sure it is Intel Duo Core or Core 2 Duo or Pentium M wll defnitely produce less heat. My HP DV2000t has Core 2 Duo with nVidia Geforce 7200 Go. Both are warm, but not extremely hot at all. But if you have Pentium 4 mobile, yeah you definitely need a cooling pad that fits your laptop and that doesn't vibrate. Do more research on your own and actually try it out..and don't just rely on other's accounts unless they have the same model and same make of laptop as yours.

[Marsden11]

Internal design is very important. A few months ago I spilled some plain water on my Compaq Presario. I took it completely apart in search on any stray water. What I found was very surprising. The cooling design has a serious flaw. It draws cool air in and then blows it across the heat-sink.The flaw is the physical design of the heat-sink. It has tiny fins that trap dust. Bingo! These fins are covered by the fan covers. If you don't look ... you would never see it and sooner than later you would have overheating issues.Check you cooling fans regularly... a laptop cooler is meaningless if your laptop cooling is flawed by design.

[ross549]

Those small fins are not a flaw in the design... they are why the laptop is able to run cool in the first place, since they have a large surface area, it is much easier and faster to draw heat off the components they cool.

[Marsden11]

And when clog up... air does not move...What happens when air does not move???

[ross549]

Every grill or set of fins will eventually clog. It does not matter wether it is a laptop or PC. That's why it is recommeded to periodically check your fans in the computer, wether it is a PC or laptop.It is not a flaw in the design... it is simply a well-known limitation of this current design. We have to have fins. They increase surface area, otherwise, You would need a leaf blower or hair dryer to move enough air across the CPU to keep it cool.

[ThunderRiver]

The hardest part is that it is a laptop. Unless manufacturer provides instructions, it is better not to open up the machine at all. Even if you have the instructions, you still have to be quite careful because you can easily and accidentally break off some parts.Even if it is a Thinkpad, I don't think I would really want to open it up. You can risk void your warranty, especially for Apple MacBook.

[Marsden11]

The avarage user is not going to tear their laptop apart to find clogged cooling fins hiding under fan covers.

[Rons]

Well I ended up getting the Antec cooler. Circuit City had them on sale for $29 with a $15 rebate. It has two fan speeds and is very quiet. Using Speed Fan temps have dropped by about 15 degrees for both hard disk and case interior.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Rons