Laptop cooling pads are widely used for their advertised purpose of cooling down laptop computers. One major question you may have is, “do these cooling pads actually work? “
Some say the cooling pad will help you, while others may say it is a waste of money.
Keep reading for more information about which side might be right.
Table of Contents
Do laptop cooling pads work?
I’ve run a series of test using my old Toshiba laptop and run several heavy apps including a heat monitoring app and made a comparison.
I made sure that I am giving the processor as much stress as possible to achieve the peak temperature of my laptop, which is around 90-100 degrees. For a device with a small chassis, this is really hot and I can really feel the hot air blowing under and when I tried to touch the desk.
In this test, I used the havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad for 15.6-17 Inch Laptop and a cheap generic cooling pad I bought for 8$.
So, I monitored the difference between my laptop placed on the 2 different cooling pads and my laptop placed on my regular wooden desk and this is what I’ve found out.
My conclusion:
Laptop cooling pads do work and is an effective way to cool your laptop. Laptop cooling pads will be able to cool down a hot laptop by a few degrees. On average, a good laptop cooler can drop the temperature from 14 to 30 degrees, but a cheap generic cooling pad will only drop it by a degree or two.
How Do Laptop Cooling Pads Work?
Laptops tend to get hot when running demanding applications or gaming, especially if you’ve got them set up in a position where they don’t receive much airflow.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that most notebooks aren’t designed to dissipate excess heat efficiently, meaning that overheating becomes increasingly likely over time. This means that you risk damaging your hardware and you may lose important work.
That’s why having a laptop cooling mat under your computer helps keep things running smoothly by keeping your system nice and cool.
These cooling pads usually feature two large fans that blow warm air away from your laptop, allowing it to stay much cooler during use. They also allow you to place your laptop anywhere without worrying about overheating.
What Happens If Your Laptop To Becomes Too Hot
So what exactly happens?
The first thing that happens is that the heat generated by the CPU causes the surrounding area to become warmer. As the surface heats up, so does the electronics inside the case.
If there isn’t enough ventilation, then the internal temperatures rise even further until eventually the whole machine shuts itself off.
Lastly, too much heat on your laptop will degrade its electronics and reduce your laptop’s lifespan. It’s best to avoid letting your laptop run at high temperatures because doing so will shorten its life span.
How Do Laptops Cool Themselves?
So how do laptops cool themselves?
Well, the answer lies within the design of their chassis. Most modern laptops come equipped with vents at various points along the sides of the casing.
When the fans kick in, they suck out any heated air through these holes. But because the amount of space available for venting is limited, the best solution is to create additional channels for air flow.
That’s why many people opt for laptop cooling mats instead.
How effective are laptop cooling pads?
A lot of people have been asking me whether laptop cooling pads really work. The short answer is yes! There are plenty of studies showing that using a laptop cooling pad reduces the overall temperature of your notebook by several degrees Celsius.
However, just like other gadgets, there are certain factors that affect the effectiveness of a laptop cooling pad. These include:
- How big is your laptop?
- What kind of processor do you have?
- Where do you plan to put your laptop?
- Is your laptop placed near windows or doors?
- Are you planning to play games while working?
- Does your laptop have a built-in fan?
- Has your laptop had problems due to overheating?
- How often do you use your laptop?
- Which brand/model of laptop do you own?
All these factors affect how effective a laptop cooling pad will be. So make sure you consider all of them when making your purchase decision.
How hot is too hot for a laptop?
According to most experts, the ideal operating temperature for a laptop should range between 50°C – 95°C. Anything higher than that can cause damage to your device.
But keep in mind that every computer has different specifications. Some models may require lower temperatures to operate smoothly and efficiently. That means that you might need to buy a bigger laptop cooling mat.
In addition, don’t forget that the hotter your laptop gets, the faster it ages. And since aging computers tend to break down sooner, it makes sense to invest in a good quality laptop cooling pad.
How can I cool down my laptop without a cooling pad?
I’m sure that by now most people know about the dangers of overheating laptops and what can happen if it happens.
One thing that’s very important for us to keep in mind when working with our computers is not to overheat them. If they get too hot, then all sorts of problems could occur, such as
- The hard drive will stop functioning properly
- Your computer may even shut itself off automatically
- You’ll experience slower performance
But there are some things we can do to prevent or at least reduce the damage caused by overheating even without a cooling pad.
Put on a desk or flat surface
The first thing we need to do when our laptops start getting hot is put it in the right place so it doesn’t overheat.
If you have a desk, then putting it there would be perfect because it won’t take much room and it has enough ventilation.
Do not place your laptop on your bed or a dusty surface, as this will add more heat to your laptop.
Clean the air vent
If you’re having problems keeping your laptop cool while playing games or watching videos, cleaning the vents might be one of the first thing you need to check and do,
There are many ways to clean these vents, such as blowing air into the vents or opening the back of your laptop and clean it manually. However, some people prefer to use compressed air directly into the vents because they think it works faster.
Inspect the laptop fan
The fan should be spinning constantly while running any task. If it stops, then something might be wrong with it. Also, you will notice some weird sounds near the fan, which means there is a bad issue.
Make sure that the fan isn’t blocked by dirt or other stuff inside the vents. Also try turning it upside-down to see if it spins faster.
You can check the fan speed by using a software called SpeedFan Open Hardware Monitor.
If you think the fan is broken, then you might need to consult an expert technician to fix this.
Stop running applications in the background
When you’re running some programs or services on your laptop, they might be consuming too many resources, causing overheating issues.
To avoid these problems, terminate all unnecessary applications before starting any other task.
For example: You are playing a game while watching Netflix, when you stop playing the game and watch Netflix, everything will go smoothly because the GPU won’t need to process anymore data.
Put your game settings too low
This might be an obvious tip, but lowering the graphics quality of games will help lower the amount of energy consumed by the GPU while playing those games. However, don’t expect miracles from doing this, since most games aren’t designed to run under low graphic settings.
Are laptop cooling pads worth it?
Should you buy a cooling pad for your laptop?
Laptop cooling pads are great if your laptop overheats. They keep your laptop from getting too hot and prevent damage to your computer. Ergonomic benefits can also be gained from raising up the display using cooling pads. It can improve posture and decrease neck pain by getting your monitor closer to eye level.
If you are a frequent traveler or someone who spends most of their time on the road, then it is important to have an effective cooling pad for your laptop.
These days laptops come with built-in fans that can be turned off when not needed. However, this does not always work well as there may still be some heat buildup inside the computer which will cause damage to the internal components.
This is where external cooling devices like laptop cooling pads come into play. They provide additional airflow through the vents in order to keep the temperature down. Moreover, they allow users to control the speed of the fans so that they can choose how fast they want them to spin at. This way, they can save battery life without sacrificing performance.
Do laptop cooling pads work for gaming?
Yes! Laptops usually get very warm during intense gameplay sessions. If you do not use a laptop cooling pad, chances are high that your laptop’s CPU will reach temperatures higher than 100 degrees Celsius.
The reason why this happens is due to the fact that CPUs require more power to operate efficiently. When the processor gets hotter, its efficiency decreases, resulting in slower processing speeds.
A good cooling pad should be able to cool your laptop effectively even after prolonged usage. Therefore, make sure that you buy a laptop cooling pad that has been tested thoroughly and proven to perform well.
Choosing Cooling Pad For Your Laptop
When shopping around for a cooling pad, there is no doubt that price plays a big role in determining which product suits you best.
However, before making up your mind about what kind of cooling pad you want to buy, make sure that you consider these factors:
Portability
Laptops are portable devices; therefore, one needs to carry their laptop everywhere. If you need to take your laptop anywhere, then you must look for a cooling pad which is lightweight and easy to carry around. You will find many coolers on Amazon, but if you go through reviews, you will get to know about the quality of those products.
Extensibility
If you plan on using your laptop at home or office, then extensibility is an essential factor. You will find many coolers having holes through which you can attach cables and wires. This feature helps you connect external devices such as speakers, mouse and keyboard.
Quality
Quality matters when we talk about buying anything from anywhere. The same applies here too. You need to check whether the product has been manufactured by using quality material or not? Is it durable enough to last long time? Do they provide a good airflow for your laptop? Does it provide good value for money? If yes, then go ahead otherwise stay away from such products.
Adaptability
The main thing that matters when buying a cooling pad is adaptability. You should check whether the cooling pad fits on your laptop perfectly. If it does not fit, then you need to get another one. The size also plays a vital role here because if the cooling pad is too small, then it will be unable to cool down your laptop properly. On the contrary, if the cooling pad is large enough, then it may cause damage to your laptop.
