How to choose one? One central large fan, 2 side by side fans, 3 in a triangle formation? Should I only look at reputed brands, such as Microsoft, Logitech, and Targus?

Any recommendations will be appreciated, up to $30, unless you have one that is above that limit but way awesome as well.

7/14/2014 6:32:53 AM

I got this one for my 15'' MB Pro. Fits perfectly. I don't know how it would fit a larger laptop, I guess it would, but the edges would be hanging off. Fans are on the low-power side, but on the other hand, they are very quiet. Nice clothing material on the bottom that works well on the desk and on the lap. Collapses small enough to fit into my laptop bag. What I really like about it is the ability to stuff a USB hub and some portable hard drives inside of it, as I almost always work on video projects off an external hard drive and I often have some other USB things hooked up such as the mouse receiver, the CF card reader, and the cooling pad itself. Stuffing all the accessories inside the pad allows me to have all a few USB accessories connected and carry the whole thing together from the desk to the couch to the bar as one cohesive unit, so I can change my working position often.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084V5FOI/

7/15/2014 4:46:12 AM

7/15/2014 8:58:33 AM

^^^ don't you have a brand new laptop? why do you need a cooling pad?

7/15/2014 8:59:16 AM

Even new laptops get hot on your lap if you do anything intensive with them for any meaningful amount of time. Hell, the new ones probably transfer the heat to your lap faster because many of them now have alloy bodies (as opposed to plastic). On a desk, in addition to keeping the internal temp 10-15 degrees lower, the chill pad elevates the screen so you can sit up more straight. If you spill anything on a table next to your laptop, the liquid won't get sucked into the cooling fans. There are quite a few of benefits, actually.

7/15/2014 10:44:20 AM

Yeah like looking like a nerd.

7/15/2014 3:02:46 PM

... says a totally hip guy that goes by neodata686 on teh interwebs and runs Microsoft Office on this super casual computer setup




[Edited on July 15, 2014 at 3:41 PM. Reason : MOAR PIC]

7/15/2014 3:38:06 PM

haha I'm glad you dug up that photo. That was from almost 2 years ago when I was a business analyst. Unfortunately they all use Microsoft Office. I pretty much code now so no more Office. Woohoo!

Having multiple monitors is cool. A laptop cooling pad is just nerdy.

7/15/2014 4:50:25 PM

A business analist, eh? That's so dope! Did you had to wear a suit and a tie, too? Or were you so fresh that you actually wore a bowtie? You must have been the illest pimp on your cubicle block! /sarcasm

Look, you are a grown ass person that still post on a college message board in a tach talk section. That's makes you quite a bit nerdier than anyone that bought a laptop cooling pad on some gift rack in Macy's. And that's Ok cause everyone who posts in this section is a bit of a nerd. Laptop stand can be just as functional (and nerdy) as a three (!) monitor setup for reasons I explained earlier. Luckily no one is judging me in my home, and when I take my MB Pro to the coffee shop all teh panties drop when they see dat 15 inch retina display and some local band stickers. Analize that, Neo.

7/15/2014 7:23:54 PM

just because i was interested, i used photoshop for 2 hours on my laptop (an ideapad ultrabook with aluminum chassis and running a 4th gen i5 with 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and 500GB "regular" HDD)...it did not become uncomfortably warm on my lap (and i'm only wearing boxers)

that's the most intense thing i'll probably ever do on my laptop for any stretch of time, so i guess i don't need a cooling pad

(i'm not posting for or against them, i was just curious whether or not my computer would get hot with the kind of use i could expect)

7/15/2014 8:57:03 PM

^^I'm a total nerd. I was being sarcastic. Yes I had to wear a suit and tie four days a week for more than a year. It sucked. Now I wear whatever I want. Small software companies rock.

7/16/2014 12:34:42 AM

1) Igor, thank you for your detailed post. It looks good, I just hope it isn't too thick, as I will be taking it to class daily.

2) dtown, yes I do have a new laptop. Wait, are you saying there is no need to use one for a new laptop? I thought using one would keep a laptop cooler and so extend its working life. I hardly ever use it on my lap actually, so I am not getting a pad to cool it because it bothers me or something, I want to get it to to cool the laptop to keep it working better and hence, longer, in the long run.

3) neodata, no need to stir the nest here... you have advised me before in another thread, and that has been appreciated. I don't care what I look like and what other people think I look like; I am not 27 anymore, let alone 17. I want to do what's good for my [expensive] laptop.


Anybody have any other recommendations?

7/18/2014 1:27:37 AM

you don't need one

7/18/2014 8:21:19 AM

^^A cheap poorly designed laptop might need additional cooling. You should NOT need any type of cooling pad for a modern expensive laptop.

7/18/2014 11:05:30 AM

I have to say, if you will be using your laptop in class mostly to take notes, you probably won't need to take it with you. Your laptop won't need additional cooling at that load, and it won't be sitting in your lap, where you that extra layer comes in really handy.

7/18/2014 11:53:03 AM

Well, I have got other stuff running all the time aside from just MS Office, such as SAS Enterprise Miner (or Enterprise Guide), Chrome with 30 tabs, trading platform, and sometimes WMP or Real Player. It doesn't really heat up, though. I think I will buy one and use it at home.

Thank you all.

7/19/2014 1:29:08 AM

I have a laptop cooling pad you can have. Pm me.

8/18/2014 10:59:42 PM