laptop cooling pad?

[thundermax]

Does anyone have any experience with Laptop cooling pads?

I want to buy one for my wife's laptop. I went to Fry's and there were way too many to choose from.

[Jim_C]

I have one. Seems to do what it should. Hot air is blown out the sides.
At times I use my laptop to capture DV for hours on end and it was locking up. (Not that high powered of a machine) The cooler seems to have stopped it although I have not tested extensively.

It does raise it off of the table(or lap) some so depending on your laptop and typing style it might become awkward.

Look for one with usb and AC power. Mine only came with usb power which is a pain at times. Depending on my set up at the time I may be out of usb ports and have to get out the usb hub.

[thundermax]

good point.

Actually, I would prefer the USB power because the laptop battery only lasts 10 minutes and it would cost too much to replace it. We just carry the power cord around and an extra cord added to that would be a nuisance. We only use the usb when plugging into the printer, so that won't be an issue.

[neil378654]

It depends on the type of battery you have. A good battery should have no problem powering any USB device, although a cooler uses up a bit more. I think one with both power options is best, as it gives you more choices. There's some useful buying tips here http://www.pickyguide.com/computers_...ads_guide.html

[thundermax]

I just ended up buying the only one they had at OfficeMax, it is USB powered. She has used it once since Christmas. Oh well.

It actually makes my lap cold, so i use it without plugging it in to keep the heat off my lap.

[ClamsTheCat]

Use a bag of frozen peas! What do these pads do? Are they just fans, or are they actually refrigeration of some kind?

[thundermax]

mine is simply a hollow plastic case with two fans inside that vent out the back. and some non-slip pads.

just having the plastic between the laptop and my lap is all that is needed for me. some people need to also cool the cpu of their laptop. I used to work with a guy who had an annoying habit of spraying compressed air into his laptop because he overclocked it and it would shut down if he didn't spray cold air on it thoughout the day.