Laptop coolers

[RandomFool]

My IBM Thinkpad doesn't like it when I play games for awhile. After about 3 hours it just shuts down on me. It's heat related I'm sure. I've got it in a docking station and configured to run fan at 100% all the time but apparently that isn't enough. Is it worth getting a notebook cooler? They don't seem like they'd do much but I'm really getting sick of losing my progress when the computer shuts down.

 

[VinDSL]

Okay, here's my considered opinion, based on real life experience... take it as gospel! 😀

Notebook coolers do V little at cooling your laptop - if you're lucky, your lappy will see a 1-3 C difference... maybe!

Why? Because (generally speaking) the fan on a lappy only turns on when the mobo reaches a certain temp... to save battery power.

Put another way, your lappy is going to be x-degrees no matter what you do - period. The internal fan might run less, but that's it!

What they DO is keep your lap cool, e.g. your nuts, by circulating air between your laptop and your crotch.

Otherwise, they're useless... and you can take that to the (sperm) bank!

However, that alone is worth the price of admission... unless you want to be sterile, no? 😉

 

[VinDSL]

BTW, I like your sig!

Did you hear the one about the dyslexic guy that walked into a bra?

How about the guy that walked into a seafood place...and pulled a mussel?

LoL!

I went to buy some camouflage pants the other day, but couldn't find any!

You know what you call fish with no eyes? fsh 😀

Anyway, a $20 cooler isn't gonna do squat for you... save your money and buy a laptop made for gaming (usually $2K-$4K)!

 

[Old Hippie]

Notebook cooling systems are small and easily clogged.

Depending upon it's age, maybe yours could use a nice cleaning. A can of compressed air sometimes does wonders.

I used a Vantec lapcool and it lowered my temps by @ 2C. Not much!

I'll leave the gonad comments to somebody that's had experience with that type of thing. :laugh:

 

[TheStu]

Honestly, I have seen the most heat improvements come from the following things;
Keeping the air intakes clear. On most laptops these are located on the bottom and therefore become easily clogged
ReApply thermal paste to the processor and other chips. On my friend's MacBook Pro, this dropped his temps about 5C
Get an application to control the fans. Lower the heat threshold for when the fans kick on, or simply tell them to run all the time.

 

[hnzw rui]

I have a laptop cooler mostly because I don't want to burn my legs and it also does dual duty as a USB hub. Lowered CPU temps by ~1-2C. Also noticed the fan inside the laptop has to dispel less heat than without the cooler (air moving out of the grills are noticeably cooler).

A more effective method of cooling the laptop, though, is lowering ambient temps. Had an electric fan blowing at me, ergo the laptop and temps lowered by at least 5C.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
I used a Vantec lapcool and it lowered my temps by @ 2C. Not much!

Hey! We're cousins... 😀

Here's my Vantec lapcool

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
I'll leave the gonad comments to somebody that's had experience with that type of thing. :laugh:

In case you guys think hnzw rui and me are being silly...

Originally posted by: hnzw rui
I have a laptop cooler mostly because I don't want to burn my legs...

Witness this...

Originally posted on: Vantec USA Web Site
Super slim and lightweight, the Vantec LapCool 3 is perfect for the laptop user on the go. Featuring dual silent fans with a rear exhaust prevents any intake or exhaust interference when used on a lap or flat surfaces. The LapCool 3 is powered completely by USB and is very compact which makes carrying a breeze. Keep your lap cool with the LapCool 3.

Any ancillary laptop cooling effect (typically 1-3 C) that takes place is a fluke...