Laptop Cooling Pad

Do any of you use a laptop cooling pad?

my new toy doesn't run hot, I was just wondering if there is any benifits in using one?

they're not a bad idea if you're going to be using it on your lap for extended periods

the heat sinks on the bottom of your toy can get blocked very easily by clothing in it sits on your lap for extended periods resulting in overheating that could damage the components. Also if it sits directly on your lap they will pick up more dust and fibers.

If cleaned regulary and used on a desk for the most part the heat sinks on your unit should be more than adequate to keep it cool.

there is no way this will actually be in my lap, they can start fires and kill people

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/08/26/bc-overheating-laptop-fire-death-vancouver.html?ref=rss

But thank you for your input. I haven't decided on getting one yet

They aren't a bad thing, but I personally wouldn't use one.

If you're using it, depending where, a lap desk can work nicely. It's hard and lets the vents do their work. If you're going away for a bit keep it on a hard surface or turn it off.

I would say that given how quickly they boot up from full shutdown or sleep, they should be off when not in use. If it's on 24/7, invest in a proper desktop where cooling isn't as much of an issue.

there is no way this will actually be in my lap, they can start fires and kill people

 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/08/26/bc-overheating-laptop-fire-death-vancouver.html?ref=rss

 

But thank you for your input. I haven't decided on getting one yet

LOL.. if it was heating up to that point on your lap you would remove it from your lap way ahead of time. Laptops (the good ones anyway) shut down like all computers these days when they overheat.

You know I find the converter on the power cord of my HP laptop gets wicked hot... I could see it starting a fire!

The laptop does get to the point that I can't have it on my leg any more too after about 30 minutes too ... I find it awkward typing that way anyway so I usually go to a table.

A lap table may be a good idea for someone who needs to work with the lap top actually on their lap ... The cooling laptop tables have fans in them... are they battery powered or USB? I would suspect USB would KILL your laptop battery... also I would imagine these would be noisy unless you went with a high end one. Cheap fans are not quiet fans.. but I am just guessing as I have never used one (and oddly enough I don't know anyone off hand who has one)

As Mod said, if the laptop was getting too hot (ready to burst into flames) I would remove it from my lap. The linked story had the laptop on fabric. I suggest it was the fabric and not the laptop battery that started burning.

The other bit about fabric getting caught up in the machine seems to make sense. The fabric might get pulled in due to the action of the internal fan blowing hot air out.

I now have a mini (computer not car, not other "friend"). The heat off of one of these is negligible.

The laptops bust into flames when the battery ruptures and the Li is exposed to air. The moisture in air reacts with the Lithium and produces Hydrogen gas and heat. Result is a good old fashion fire. It was a problem a few years ago with Dell and Sony batteries, due to an over charge problem. The scary thing is it doesn't necessarily have to get all that hot to rupture, you just need a faulty battery. Fortunately there is extensive testing on battery safety, and these problems are very very rare.

Thank-you for the clarification. That means a fast fire, independent of the amount of heat felt on the lap. So no laptop use makes sense.

Gateway Laptop catches on fire... what do you know!

http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=17670

Gateway Laptop catches on fire... what do you know!

http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=17670

noooooo :lol:

I use a cooling pad on my acer one laptop (seems like those lil laptops heat up way quicker than my other laptops) probably didnt need it, but i was curious to how well they worked so i bought one (plus it was during a heatwave so i was being extra cautious about my laptops anyway) works like a charm too.

I dont know if ppl just dont read the instruction manuals to their laptops when buying them... but i always considered it a ''no brainer'' to not leave it on your bed turned on for longer than 2 minuites or on your lap when falling asleep since the air vents are located underneath. Then again, i wouldn't even leave a calculator turned on sitting on my bed unattended. Its just something about electronics that i turn most of them off when not in use no matter what it is. (alarm clocks and cell charger excluded)

Owned laptops since around 2001 and never had a problem concerning fires.

I have a Lenovo (IBM) R61i Think Pad and it feels only slightly warm on the bottom. So far, no problems encoutered with it in the heat department.

For business I have a thinkpad t61 (Ibm/lenovo), minimal heat, compared to my earlier thinkpad t43 and Acer, Toshiba, Dell offerings. Recently helped a friend set up a new HP (Dv5..multimedia) it also ran quite cool, similar to a more recent Apple. It is possible that some of the more recent laptops have better heat management and are less of a hazard than others. The real issue is the chemical properties of the of the lithium-ion technolgy-fast charging and high power density. I have never used a cooling pad over 10 + years of laptop use, certainly gamers laptop do run quite hot and need to breath.