Do Laptop Cooling Pads Really Work?

Laptops are notorious for overheating, so you might find yourself looking for laptop cooling pads and wondering if they actually work. The first time your laptop overheats and shuts down on you, you can consider yourself in the market for a cooling system that prevents it from happening again. But do these contraptions actually work, or will you just be wasting your money on something that only seems like it would work?

Overview
For whatever reason, computer manufacturers just haven’t figured out how to keep these devices from getting too hot. Whether it’s because there’s just not enough room in such tight quarters to include fans to keep things ventilated properly, or if we just install too many different programs, or run too many tabs on our Internet browsers, sooner or later it turns out that your laptop just can’t keep up with the heat.

The Claim
The claim by all of the laptop cooling pads out there is that they’ll help to bring the core temperature of your laptop back down, so it won’t overheat, and you won’t have to listen to the annoying fans run on high speed trying to keep things from total meltdown. Each manufacturer makes their own claims as to what their specific models can do so you have to use your own judgment on whether or not you think their claims are valid or not.

The Idea
The thought here is that by assisting your laptop in pulling the hot air out of your laptop, you’ll be keeping things nice and cool on the inside. The goal here is not to blow air into your computer, but just to assist the fans, or in the case of a broken fan, replace the fans that came with your laptop. Different paths use different technologies, some incorporate a fan system, others lose the fans and just use a special gel that keeps things cool. It’s really up to you and your own preference as to which kind of system you go with.

The Cost
Prices for laptop cooling pads vary greatly. Some have lots of bells and whistles and can be nearly $100. Others are pretty bare bones and you can pick them up for around $20. For a well-reviewed middle of the range pad you can look to spend about $30. This might seem like a lot to spend for a peripheral device for your laptop, especially if you didn’t pay too much for your computer. However, when compared to replacing your laptop if your motherboard fries from overheating, this is actually a much less expensive solution.

The Commitment
All that’s required is to place the pad under your laptop, plug it in, and it should do the rest on its own. There may be an adjustment period, as you get used to having this under your notebook. It will probably cause your laptop to be higher than you’re used to, which can effect the way that you type, and also how you use the mouse, but other than that, it’s pretty effortless to start using laptop cooling pads.

Evaluation
There

are several things that you should consider when buying laptop cooling pads. The first is how well they do the job of cooling the computer down. Some of them use more sophisticated systems than others, but the whole point is to keep your computer from overheating, so you want a system that delivers in this area. Make sure that they have enough cooling power to get the job done.

Next, you’ll have to consider the price. Technically speaking, you shouldn’t even have to buy laptop cooling pads, because computer manufacturers should be able to make a cooling system that prevents them from getting too hot. Since they don’t, you’ll need to choose carefully and find a pad that doesn’t cost too much but still works well.

Another major consideration is the design of the laptop cooling pads. You have to make sure that it is compatible with your computer, so that it stands the best chance at fixing your problem. You also have to kind of size it up in your own imagination before you purchase it, and determine whether or not it will fit and work with your unit.

Our Recommendations
Based on our evaluations, we’re able to recommend the following systems as being able to solve your overheating problem without breaking the budget, and lasting a long time.

Thermapak Laptop Cooling Heatshift Pad
This is really the best of all worlds, because it comes in at a nice price, and works really well, according to those that have tried it out. This is a pretty innovate solution, as it goes against the other pads on the market, and doesn’t use fans, and doesn’t need to be plugged in to a USB. It’s able to cool the entire base of the laptop, not just certain parts, so it really does a good job.

The reason this gets our highest recommendation is that for the price, it’s the best out there. Also, some of the other pads out there cause just as many problems as they solve. By plugging into your laptop, the other models use up energy, and make your laptop run hotter. This product by Thermapak requires no electricity to run, and it’s not like you have to put it in the fridge or freezer in order to cool it down, it just stays cool by itself.

Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700
This is the most expensive unit we’re recommending, but it’s not just a laptop cooling system but also a speaker set, and this dual function does come in handy. The speakers will most likely sound better than the factory installed ones on your laptop, and the cooling system works well at keeping your laptop from constantly running its fans in vain. It is also quiet, so you can enjoy nice quiet computing again without trying to work with the sound of a constantly running fan going.

Cooler Master Notepal
This company makes several different models, and no matter which one you go with, you’ll get good value for your money in the world of laptop cooling pads. They clock in at a very reasonable price, and they definitely have the right design to get the job done. Most people that have tried it, say that it works like a charm and that they are happy with their purchase.

Logitech Portable Lapdesk N315
Laptops are meant to go with you where you go, so this is our portable recommendation, since most of the time you are using your laptop in random places, not just at your computer desk. This is designed to fit neatly into your backpack or computer case, and to travel with your notebook, while still working at keeping the temperature down.

Final Laptop Cooling Pads Review

It happens to most of us sooner or later, where our laptop that was once able to cool itself either breaks a fan, or we add to many programs to it that it just can’t stay cool. When this happens to you, just realize that the fix isn’t too expensive, and usually works like a charm after you have it set up.

There’s not too much else that can be done when it comes to an overheating laptop. It’s just something that comes with the territory, and until computer manufacturers find a solution to it, we have to come up with our own solution in the form of laptop cooling pads, and other devices.

What do you think? Do Laptop Cooling Pads work or not?