A Women's RV Forum run by Women RVer's!

Alight, inquisitive minds wants to know, well, mine does! Mitch introduced me to the world of laptop cooling pads, thanks to her flying little fingers doing searches for me and I wondered if any of you used them. The Tech that Dell sent out today to change my hard drive in my 5+- month old XPS M1530 said he recommended them to people simply because it kept the air circulating better regardless of whether you used it on a desk/table or on your lap. Also, I was surprised to find that they weren't that expensive, but I'm wondering what your experiences are and how do they attach to the bottom of your laptop,,,, or does it just sit on top of the pad, what about slip/sliding off, that kind of thing.

here's an interesting discusson on consumer reports board......
http://forums.consumerreports.org/n/pfx ... 03&tid=588
I like the idea of buying the wire file tray and flipping it upside. $6 at Staples

here's another one I found interesting
http://techonabudget.com/blog/2008/07/1 ... oling-pad/
basically the guy thought it did a good job but was a little flimsy and thought
he would have to replace it after about a year of use.

Thanks Ava, now I'm more confused and really anxious as to what the others will say in their way of experience. Thanks for looking it up for me

I "elevate" my laptop by putting it on a placemat made up of wooden circles so air can get to the bottom of the computer. Think I bought the mat at Walmart. Also could buy little wooden half-balls and glue them to the bottom of the laptop to let air circulate. I did buy one "cooler" but it didn't even last 3 months before the fans quit working.

I actually type with my laptop on my lap.....to keep cool I use on of those lap desks that have a bean bag bottom and plastic top.
Probably not what you are looking for, but thought I would mention it anyway!

I was a systems analyst for several years and have had several laptops. A laptop is designed to be used on a flat hard surface with no problem, never ever nested in bed covers or on a persons lap for long. If it's a good laptop there should never be a overheat problem as long as air can circulate under and around the edges. I presently hava a Tosiba and a HP and have used them this way for the last 3 years without a problem. I use a serving tray with handles in my lap all the time in my recliner and it doubles as a eating tray when not using my laptop or a surface for writing etc. The laptop trays are nice but are limited use compaired to a common lap/serving tray. The cooling pads especially if they run pluging into your USB port can actually make your laptop run hotter by demanding more resources from your laptop power supply. The cooling pads that run on batteries are just more batteries to buy. The cooling pads that plug into the wall 110V is just another chord to fool with. If you are having heat problems with your laptop try to get it up higher to get more air under and around it and consider on made by a different manufacturer next time you buy one. Check you intake cooling vent to be sure it not full of lint. Your fan blades may need cleaning, these things really suck in the dust, or your fan may not be turning the proper RPM's to move enough air. A good tech should be able to tell if your power supply is overheating which they some time do, but the heat output is usually uncomfortably noticable. It's all about good engineering and proper use. Good luck.

thank you mrssissy for that great info, and welcome to our group

Thanks for the invite; I don’t say much unless I think I can actually contribute. I think it was Plato who said (not implying I fit into either category): Fools speak to say something, wise men speak when they have something to say.

I HAVE to use a cooling pad with my current laptop. If I don't, it gets too hot and shuts off. Never needed one with any previous laptop - but do with this one. So no matter if they should need it or not - it's saved this laptop from a possible early grave. That said, I've bought 3 of them now - and the first was my favorite and I'd purchase it again - quiet and did the job. Would still have it if the way I toss it around when on the road hadn't caused the connector to fray. All my fault. I can look up the name if you'd like. The one I'm currently using is cheaper - does the job just fine - but if you weren't hard of hearing like me, you'd notice the sound of it all the time.

Now, if your laptop doesn't need the cooling pad, I wouldn't bother getting one - but if your laptop shuts off just once because of overheating - I'd use it all the time. Had a computer tech tell me that I'm running my hard drive HARD - and that's part of the reason. Plan to add another hard drive and see about replacing the one I currently have soon. Might not need the pad then - but since this laptop performs so much better with it - I probably will not take chances until I replace the entire laptop.