Introduction
Laptop cooler or chill mat can be defined as an accessory that is used to reduce the temperature of a laptop during any operation. When the laptop fails to cool itself sufficiently then laptop cooling pad becomes necessary to reduce the operating temperature of notebook/laptop.
The size of laptops has been decreased dramatically and the hardware has been put into a tiny little package. Consequently, the heat problems can be unavoidable when you stuff so much powerful hardware into a tiny little package. Some notebooks get hotter to the extreme level when an unrealistic load is put on them. In the old days, the chill mat was only needed to prevent your laptop from catching fire and the situation is totally different now. Now many manufacturers are implementing a lot of features dedicated to cooling such as turbofan mode, vapor chambers and even dedicated heat pipes for CPU and GPU.
But the question that comes to mind is that whether these things are effective or is a bunch of marketing none sense. I also used to have this type of mindset. But my mindset changed when my laptop was near to catch fire. The fan of my laptop was unable to cool the laptop and began to spark, consequently, one of its wire burnt. However, I replaced the fan but from then I am using laptop cooling pad.
Table of Contents
- Do you really need a cooling pad?
- Things to Consider.
- Simple Ways to Reduce Fan Noise.
- Types of Laptop Coolers.
Do you really need a Laptop Cooler?
This is an important question which you should ask yourself first. The way you keep your laptop will determine that whether a cooling pad is necessary or not.
While working at home many people are used to putting their laptop on the bed. In such cases, the air flow under the laptop is not enough to keep the laptop cool. Usually, all the laptops contain a built-in cooling system to prevent the laptop from heating. As the hot air is emitted from the bottom in most of the laptops. Now if the laptop is kept in such a way that hot air is not allowed to flow freely then this type of situation can damage the system. Therefore, you should go for an external cooling system for your notebook.
If you only use your notebook to perform simple tasks and your laptop never gets hotter at times then buying a cooler for your laptop/notebook would be a pure waste of money. But, if your system reaches the top level of heat then in such a situation using a cooler would be a wise decision just to take the step before seeing your system damaged.
With that said, it depends upon your need, whether you just want a laptop cooler or a laptop table with cooler or a table to keep your laptop with cooler on it. The ultimate decision will be yours in this regard.
Pros
- Prevents the laptop from overheating.
- Increases the lifespan of a laptop.
- Boost the efficiency.
- A perfect gift for your techie friend.
Cons
- Some coolers don’t blow sufficient air towards the system.
- Some coolers lack USB ports.
- There are some coolers that break up easily due to increase in temperature.
- The bad ones make much noise.
Things to Consider When Buying a Cooling Pad
If you really need a cooling pad then there are different things that must be considered or remembered before buying the above-said gadget. Keeping in view these factors will help you to identify your need and will help you to decide that what sort of laptop cooler would fit best to your working environment.
Noise
Most of the coolers make much noise which creates an annoying effect for most of the users. If you want to work in a calm environment then you must avoid such a cooling pad that makes much noise. Such jobs (like programming) that require a high level of concentration demands a very calm environment to work. Some cooling pads are so calm that you will not even notice that while it’s working or it’s out of order.
While editing videos or images using software, playing games and opening several tabs at a time make the CPU and GPU become hotter than usual. Consequently, your laptop’s fan makes much noise than usual or it begins to run faster then it means there is a heavy load on the system. You can take some steps to relieve your system from the load.
Simple Ways to Reduce Laptop Fan Noise
1. Terminate Your Processes
Usually, the fan moves faster when there is more load on the processor. It might be due to the processes running in the background. Most of the processes are unwanted and you should terminate them to give your notebook a comfort station. You can use any software to tell you that which processes are necessary at a time and which aren’t. For example, you can use a software like Soluto that improves the boot of your system.
2. Remove Dust
You should remove the dust that you can easily. The dust decreases the efficiency of the system and you should remove it frequently to improve the working of the system. I also do it frequently and recommend you too.
You can grab any air blower or take some kind of compressed air can. Don’t forget to cover your nose before doing so, otherwise, you would be sneezing all the day. After removing the dust you will notice increased speed of the fan and less noise than before.
3. Speed Controller Software
Some fans increase or decrease their speed automatically to counter the heat produced by the system and some works on a constant speed irrespective of the heat produced. With that said, if the fan moves with constant speed and you are fed up of the noise it produces then you should go for a software that controls the fan speed according to the requirement. Therefore, it will be good for your ears to hear less noise.
Number of Fans
Apparently, a number of fans seem to provide more air flow to the system than a cooler with a single fan. But, it’s not true in every case, because every cooler is different from the other i.e one cooler may provide better air flow with one fan than the other with more than one fan. It depends upon the design of the pad to a great extent.
A cooler with a single fan having longer blades and less RPM may provide more air flow than the cooler with more fans. The air of more than one fans may overlap and brings the effect of air to zero. While choosing a cooling pad keep in mind the ergonomic design of the cooler.
Portability
Portability is one of the salient features of a laptop cooling pad. If you are fond of traveling then you must keep in mind the portability of the stuff you own. If you own a laptop and a cooler then keep in mind that the chill mat must be light in weight and small in size so making it easy to carry with you.
Power Supply
In the past, most of the notebook cooling pads came with an adapter to receive power supply. But it’s opposite nowadays. Now approximately every cooler comes with several USB ports and they receive power from one of the laptop’s USB port. Some chill mats include LED lights too and they look attractive as well. While starting your laptop never forget to give power to the gadget under your system that increases your notebook’s life.
Weight
I used to keep my laptop on my thighs and you would also be doing the same if you belong to the same group. Don’t just keep in mind the weight of cooling pad your laptop will also add more weight to it. So, never exceed the weight limit that you can afford on your thighs for a prolonged time. Therefore, try to keep the gadget as lighter as possible and go for a cooling mat that contains a blend of simplicity with functionality.
Price Tag
If you like your laptop and want give more life to it then never compromise over price while purchasing a good cooling mat for it. A cheaper cooling mat would burn itself first and then your laptop. But, if your notebook is not facing a problem of heat and you are just taking a precautionary measure to save it from over-heating then you can go for a cheaper one.
Moving forward there are different types of Laptop Coolers that you can choose from. Some types are widely used and others are less common. If you want to keep your laptop with grace and increase its life too then a laptop with a chill mat is a perfect combination.
Types of Laptop Coolers
1. Active Coolers
The cooling pads have been classified into different types, however, the purpose of every cooler is to cool down the laptop. Active coolers are the most widely used form of cooling pad since a long time. These type of pads usually have small fans that provide increased airflow to the system. The number of fans is not fixed, however, most of the cooling pads have 1 – 6 fans.
Further there are two types of active coolers. One type provides airflow towards the system and the other one removes the air from the bottom meanwhile creating a vaccum under the laptop, though the purpose is same.
When talking about the power supply, most of the pads take power through USB port of the laptop. On the other side some coolers come with a dedicated adapter to provide the power supply. There are some pads that come with a regulator to increase or decrease the speed of fans as required. It’s good that you don’t have to bother to give power supply to those coolers that come with an option to take power from a laptop’s USB port but some gadgets pull more power than the capacity of a USB port, consequently, damaging the USB port.
To address the issue of power take a precautionary measure and don’t judge the gadget just at looking the image of what is inside. But, before buying you should bother to read the details on package and match the power required by it with the power that a USB port can provide easily.
2. Passive Coolers
The next type of coolers is passive coolers which don’t contain fans and as a result, they don’t require power supply rather they are of conductive nature and are filled with organic salt thus to absorb the heat from the laptop. They are not recommended for a prolonged use of laptop which exceeds 6 – 8 hours. They are good to absorb the heat for a short span of time.
Wait, before buying a passive cooler just look under your laptop and determine whether the fan vents are in the bottom of your laptop or not. The reason behind it is that passive coolers block the vents of fans and decrease the airflow causing the system to overheat before time. However, there are some types that provide a gap between the laptop and pad providing more airflow.
Regardless of the benefit of passive coolers that they run without any power supply I wouldn’t like to recommend it to you because of its nature which will not allow you to work for hours without any interruption.
3. Multi-Surface Coolers
As evident from the name this type of coolers contain more than one surface i.e. one for the laptop and the other one for the user’s lap. This type of coolers blow air between the bottom of laptop and base of the cooler, also, between the user’s lap and base of the cooler.
These type of coolers are not very common, though, they are used by some folks.
4. Multipurpose Coolers
Multipurpose cooling pads have summed up different features or necessities at one place. If you are one the folks that want to work most of the time on their bed or couch then the multipurpose cooler is a good start. Basically, it’s is a table cum cooling pad as it has both the features of a table and cooler as well.
Mostly fans are installed in the base of the table and table is above the surface of a bed or couch. It provides more flexibility to you giving you a comfort station and providing a respectable place to your laptop as well. The issue with this type of coolers is that they are not easily portable. You can’t carry them easily with you while travelling.
The good thing about this type of cooling pad is that it keeps your laptop above or say in the line of sight i.e. you don’t have to bend down to gaze at the screen rather it keeps your notebook/laptop in the level of your eyes. If you want to grab a multi-functional gadget then you should definitely give it a chance to sit on your bed.
Conclusion
Alright, folks that was a basic guide to give you know how about laptop coolers i.e. why you should buy a laptop cooler and what’s it’s importance. We went through different things that should be kept in mind, ways to reduce noise made by fans of cooler and at the last we named some types of laptop cooling pads. Guys don’t waste your money on buying a laptop cooler if your laptop/notebook isn’t facing a problem of overheating. But the ultimate decision will be yours that it is worth buying or not.
Do you thing Laptop Coolers are necessary to prevent the system from burning out or buying a one is a pure waste of money?
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