Laptop cooling

[user_of_gnomes]

More of a generic hardware question but do any of you have any experience with those laptop cooling mats? What do you need to look out for when buying 'm and what brands are decent?

[ahallubuntu]

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[2F4U]

Not sure if that also fits your question, but I once had a laptop cooling stand made of plastic with a hole and a fan in the middle of the plate. The fan could be either connected to a USB port on the laptop or to a dedicated power supply (comes in handy when all USB ports are used). It was from Belkin, if I remember correctly and it did its job quite nice, i. e. helping to cool the machine.
I think what you should be asking yourself is:
- do I want to type laptop while it is on the cooling stand (then the cooling stand shouldn't be that high)
- what is the additional noise level produced
- price range
- aestetics (mine was white plastic, so not very aestetically pleasing)
- additional features of the device such as a USB hub

[user_of_gnomes]

I have never used one and never needed a laptop cooling pad. If your laptop is well designed, it should not need one. If it is overheating, check the CPU heat sink and fan area for dirt and dust, and make sure the fan is working properly.

Unfortunately, many laptops have a design that does not cool the hard drive actively which means that during the summer season, they can become unacceptably warm even when used indoors. 40 to 55 degrees Celsius is too hot in my opinion, 35 would be acceptable.

do I want to type laptop while it is on the cooling stand (then the cooling stand shouldn't be that high)
- what is the additional noise level produced
- price range
- aestetics (mine was white plastic, so not very aestetically pleasing)
- additional features of the device such as a USB hub

I was wondering what people's experiences were with a more passive variant:

Typically, a conductive cooling pad allows for the cooling of a laptop without using any power. These "Pads" are normally filled with an organic salt compound that allows them to absorb the heat from the laptop. They are good for a limited amount of time from around 6–8 hours of cooling.

And what brands I could look out for. I can't think of any companies that make a product like that but then again, I haven't searched yet. (I was waiting on a recommendation, really)

[ahallubuntu]

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