External Cooling System for Laptop Computer [Help me buy]

[RED_RAIN]

I'm looking to get the best cooling system I can for my laptop.

I don't think/want to spend through the roof for it but I do want one that works than one that is cheap.

I'm looking for one with good performance, as little noise as possible (still willing to give this up within reason for performance), not too huge, don't care if it has extra things (USB ports, card readers, peformance is key, but extra USB ports would be nice).

I'm interested not in what people have heard, but either have or worked with. Thanks!

[jdl22]

Look down a few threads, n00b!!!

edit: I just noticed you posted in that thread now I'm confused, perhaps I'm the noob /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[RED_RAIN]

I'm actually part of that thread, more in this thread, I just want make and models. Not discussion on cooling in general.

[dfscott]

As I mentioned in the other thread, I got a lapinator (http://www.lapinator.com) to cool my lap/laptop. As promised, here's my review.

The nice thing about the lapinator is that it's very light, it doesn't have any cords (since it doesn't use power), and it's very stable. When I got it, I thought it looked very cheap, but I think that's because it feels so light. It has a small pigtail-like velcro strip that secures any cords to the pad. I thought it was kind of dumb at first, but it saved me when I tried to move too far from my power source -- instead of the laptop sliding off onto the floor and me left holding the lapinator, it just caught and pulled the plug out of the power strip. There are two small rubber feet that can be used to elevate the laptop off the surface of the lapinator. I decided to try it first sans rubber feet.

My first use was, of course, a poker session. I sat down on my couch, put it in my lap, plopped my laptop on top, and I was off. For the record, I have a Dell 600m (1.6Mhz P4). The first thing I noticed was that it seemed a little narrow. In fact, very narrow. My laptop is only about a foot wide, and it took up the whole surface. Like many males, I like to spread my feet apart a bit (50cm or so) when I sit (particularly when I have a hot laptop on my lap). In a comfortable position, it wasn't really resting on my lap anymore -- it was almost wedged between my thighs. Not painful or uncomfortable or anything, but it caused it to ride a little low and just didn't seem as stable. So I changed to my other working position: legs straight out in front and propped up a stool. This worked like a charm.

After a while, the laptop heated up a bit. While it was not uncomfortable, I was definitely aware of it. Discounting the heat issue, it was very comfortable -- the weight was distributed well. Still, I was able to play an entire 3-4 hour session without having to shift around a lot.

My second run was with the rubber feet attached. When I looked at them, they looked kinda cheap and I wasn't convinced that they would stay stuck in place. I put there about 5 cm in from the corners and set the laptop on it. It seemed kind of high, but in use, it was very stable and didn't seem at all unusual. However, the different in heat dissapation was striking. It now got only slightly warm on the bottom, not even enough to notice. I could sit there practically indefinitely without any discomfort due to heat.

For my final test, I decide to really heat it up. I stuck Max Payne 2 in and cranked it up -- it really taxes this laptop. After about 5 minutes I heard the CPU fans come on full blast, so I knew it was really warm. Picking it up and feeling the underside, it was very hot. However, my lap was comfortable. After about an hour and a bunch of dead bad guys later, I was still comfortable.

Pros: Light, inexpensive, no power requirement, no cords to deal with, manages heat well
Cons: Stupid name, not quite wide enough, unsure of durability
Overall: 7 out of 10

After about 2 weeks of use, I must say I'm fairly happy, but not quite enough to stop looking for something better. I'll continue to use it for sure, but I think if it was a bit wider, I'd be completely satisfied. Being able to spread my legs a bit would probably be just enough to compensate for the tiny amount of heat that does build up (probably due to my own body heat as much as the laptop). If I was testing it thoroughly, I'd do some stress testing on the material to see how well it holds up over time (as well as the rubber feet), but since no ones paying me for this, I'm not willing to spend the $$ for a replacement.