Laptop Cooling Pads - Are They Any Good?

M

margetti

Member
Hi, bought a couple of Optimus 13.3" laptops for my two sons at Christmas. Both are working just great but they sure do chuck out a lot of heat. No obvious problems so far but my eldest son (who uses his quite intensively) has had a couple of crashes which I suspect are due to over-heating.

I have done a little research into cooling pads but, as all things internet, there's such a range of differing opinions as to whether they make any difference at all. Some say they do, others say that if you are experiencing problems just cut the frame rate down (which won't go down well with my 13 yr old son).

Or do I just maintain faith in the laptop's ability to shut things down if things get too hot...

Any advice greatly received, and if you do recommend their use, then would appreciate brand recommendations. One caveat though - any pad would have to be light-weight and portable as the laptops are constantly on the move on public transport...

Many thanks in advance :)
 
I

izzyy

Active member
the Zalman cooling pads are quite good.

I also recommend (if you are using the I7) install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility and Under core Undervolt Dynamic Core Voltage by -80mv and apply. That should be a stable amount and should also reduce some of the temps. Undervolting wont kill anything and if it isnt stable the computer will failsafe back to stock values.

Until then make sure you have some lift on the laptop and maybe lower your rooms ambient temperatures, also leave it in balanced power mode Performance is barely an increase at all and will keep your CPU stuck at max speeds
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
The key thing with all laptops is to have a not just a good airflow but a flow of cool air. Most laptops used on a desk have such a small space underneath that the air under the laptop is hot, this is the air that's being sucked in to cool everything and hot air doesn't cool as well as cool air of course.

A fan-assisted laptop cooler solves this problem in two ways. Firstly it creates a larger air gap under the laptop so that the hot air there can escape, when the laptop fan runs it's then sucking in cooler air and it's more effective at cooling things down. Secondly it blows this cool air on the underside of the laptop helping to keep the whole thing cooler, so the laptop fan doesn't need to come on as often.

I use my Optimus IV on my yacht in Greece, in the summer the air temperature can reach 40deg C, with my Optimus on a fan-assisted laptop cooling stand I see standard usage temperatures (i.e. not gaming) in the low to mid 60's C. Without the cooling stand I wouldn't dare use it!

You don't need to spend a lot of money on a stand either, mine is a fairly cheap model, it is made of aluminium though. Metal stands retain residual heat much less than plastic ones. If I were buying a plastic stand I'd want a big fan.

I hope that helps?
 
S

sirbb

Active member
I use a Cooler Master NotePal U3 (£15 from Ebay) with my 17" Optimus IV and it idles very happily at 30C (raising to 35C in the heat of the summer). For longevity of life for your laptop and for very little outlay I cannot recommend a cooling pad higher.
 
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