In need of one as the base of my lappy gets quite hot after a period of time. It is on a flat surface, and my cooling vent is on the side. Any preferable brands to look for which are not too noisy.

Cheers

Notepal by Cooler Master........about RMB100 as far as I remember.

If you really want to go cheap and improve airflow, get a hard bound book about 200 pages, put it under the rear side of the laptop in such a way, that the rear is raised but the front is on the table.

I used to face really bad heating problems on my 5 year old lappy, but once I started using Bart Simpson's guide to life as a stand, it started working much better.

The physics is very simple : More space around the fan/blower, better the circulation. If you keep the fan covered by always using it on your lap or keeping it on the bed, the vents get blocked. Air doesn't get sucked in and heat doesn't get thrown out. As a result, dust accumulates on the blades of the fan and then cyclically, causes the blades to spin less rapidly than they should, further slowing down the cooling process which is quite a vicious cycle.

If possible, get your lappy cleaned. take it to someone trustworthy who can clean out the insides... you'll be surprised at how much dust can accumulate in so small a space.

I bought one at Ikea (around rmb 140) and use it for my lap. When I have my laptop on the coffee table, I just put any book that is smaller than the laptop under it and it keeps it from overheating itself and the table.

yleo wrote:If you really want to go cheap and improve airflow, get a hard bound book about 200 pages, put it under the rear side of the laptop in such a way, that the rear is raised but the front is on the table.

I used to face really bad heating problems on my 5 year old lappy, but once I started using Bart Simpson's guide to life as a stand, it started working much better.

The physics is very simple : More space around the fan/blower, better the circulation. If you keep the fan covered by always using it on your lap or keeping it on the bed, the vents get blocked. Air doesn't get sucked in and heat doesn't get thrown out. As a result, dust accumulates on the blades of the fan and then cyclically, causes the blades to spin less rapidly than they should, further slowing down the cooling process which is quite a vicious cycle.

If possible, get your lappy cleaned. take it to someone trustworthy who can clean out the insides... you'll be surprised at how much dust can accumulate in so small a space.

This doesn't add airflow, it just help the current cooling system, an additional cooler will help the laptop in general, mine got hot to the point I couldn't hold it (around 55°c) ... even with the rear raised.

Now with the cooler the temps don't rise above 42°c and the laptop body itself is at room temperature, lot better.

As for the cooler itself I got one (Chinese brand) for 80RMB (had to deal the price, it was at 120RMB) in Xujiahui, plus it has a USB hub which is quite useful!

@ Dazza - you might need to get your heat-exchanger fan and filter cleaned. I recently had an overheating problem with my lappy and had a Dell rep come out and crack the casing, disassemble everything, clean everything and then reassemble (free under warranty). Been running like a champ ever since without the continuous fan running and overheating.

Just a thought.