What laptop cooler to buy

lonestarfan

I've decided to buy a laptop cooler. I know that reviews are mixed about whether they work or not but I'm going to try it to see if it helps my laptop keep cool. (i've cleaned the fan out).
I'm not sure if I can buy a notebook cooler or a laptop cooler - they might be the same thing.
I've got a laptop - its a Toshiba A210 model PSAFHE-00800PEN.
TIA.

117John117

Here You have a passive alternative cooler (no noise) .amazon.com/ThermaPAK-HS15A-HeatShift-Laptop-Laptops/dp/B001CBFTFM/ref=pd_sim_e_1

And here You have a fan alternative .amazon.com/Cooler-Master-NotePal-Cooling-R9-NBC-4WAK-GP/dp/B002MU1ZRS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1349266564&sr=1-1&keywords=cooling+pad

Sorry for cut up url's, i'm new and i can't post full links

Cisco001

I have no idea which is best, but do you want cooling pad or those with fans?

zulugula

Get Zalman's cooler pad.

I strongly recommend them. You have 15.4' laptop so it will cost around £40..it is a lot as for cooler pad but this is worth indeed.

closed

Unless you are playing 3D games continually or blocking up vents/resticting airflow, laptops shouldn't get hot and shouldn't need coolers.

Assuming the fan is coming on, try it without the battery in, if it's still got the original in, lift it away from the desk if it has vents underneath, and if the cpu is getting hammered, look what is running in task manager.

Which cpu and graphics card has it got, what are you doing when it gets hot, how hot is hot.

lonestarfan

Thnx everyone. I didn't realise there was a difference between a laptop cooler and a fan thing. It cuts out when it gets too hot. I've put a new battery in it, I've cleaned all the fans. We leave it hanging over the edge of the table as the vent is on a corner. That's not safe so we need something to lift it off the table and cool it so I'm going to try a laptop fan thing.

grumpycrab

Get one with two fans rather than one central one. Much better cooling ability. I'll have a look...

Notmyrealname

lonestarfan wrote: »

I've decided to buy a laptop cooler. I know that reviews are mixed about whether they work or not but I'm going to try it to see if it helps my laptop keep cool. (i've cleaned the fan out).
I'm not sure if I can buy a notebook cooler or a laptop cooler - they might be the same thing.
I've got a laptop - its a Toshiba A210 model PSAFHE-00800PEN.
TIA.

Completely pointless and a waste of money. As long as the heatsink is cleared out and the fan is working then all is OK.

Remember, silicon components don't experience damage until they go above 70 degrees and even though your laptop base may feel hot to touch, it is nowhere near 70 degrees in there.

It cuts out when it gets too hot. I've put a new battery in it, I've cleaned all the fans

So you haven't cleaned it out properly. To test whether you have do the following:

1) Get a torch and shine it through the fan intake on the base of the laptop.
2) Whilst doing that, look through the vent on the side of the laptop. If you cannot see light through the whole of the vent from top to bottom and left to right or can only see through it partially, then it is blocked.

When we say the fan is blocked, we don't mean the fan itself rather the gap between it and the heatsink radiator.


As you can see in the above picture, the fan is clear but the heatsink is blocked up so no air the fan is moving can go over the heatsink and therefore no cooling occurs.

On most laptops, you need to take the bottom off and the fan out to clean it properly.

A._Badger

The above, while generally true, isn't exclusively so. My Z61m Thinkpad has had overheating 'issues' from new (and yes it has been back to IBM/Lenovo).

Some laptops are poorly designed (the Z61 is an example, IMNSHO) and a laptop cooler can be of use if you've sunk a pile of money into a machine that overheats and don't feel like replacing it.

It's a minority case, I admit, but there are always exceptions.

dude0nvacation

If you are using your laptop on a 5hour or so basis (daily), I suggest that you remove your battery (this kind of practice can practically save your laptop battery and the battery will or can even last longer than expected) laptop batteries should not be charged too often. As for the fan, I suggest that you get 1 with 2 or 3 fans in it like this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CRYSTAL-Fans-Cooler-Laptop-Notebook/dp/B003LLADCA/ref=tag_stp_s2_edpp_url

It's always good to keep you laptop well ventilated on the inside to prevent over heating.

jamespir

i brought one from poundland is really good