Can you recommend me a laptop cooler?

Hey I am receiving a new laptop in the mail..it is being shipped now and I want to get a decent cooler for my new laptop. However I do not not what would be better..a fan based cooler or one of those pads that require no power and cool off the laptop by absorbing the heat.

The problem is I do not know if the heat absorbing pads would be effiecent since my laptop is going to have a 12cell battery that sticks out making the laptop angled.

What would you guys recommend for this laptop its a 14' laptop with a 12cell battery. And I will be using it for long hours of internet and typing for school and long gaming sessions.

I would like to only spend $20-$30 I have looked around and found this...

http://www.target.com/Targus-Heat-Defense-Pad-AWE45US1/dp/B003E1XI42/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=targus%20laptop&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-6&qid=1287253217&rh=&searchRank=target104545&id=Targus%20Heat%20Defense%20Pad%20AWE45US1&node=1038576|1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=1&searchNodeID=1038576|1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin,price,target_com_primary_color-bin,target_com_size-bin,target_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0

 

Post a pic of the bottom of your laptop please. Also those heat absorbing pads do more harm then good. They block your ventilation system and only last for half an hour or so.

 

Well the laptop is being delivered will arrive Monday.. But I'll post pics when it arrives. Thanks . I read your post about coolers but I'm looking for something cheaper

 

I'm a huge fan of the CoolerMaster Notepal U2, linked in my signature. It's light and portable. Also, the fans can be located most anywhere on the bottom and are SUPER SILENT.

 

I would keep away from pads of any kind. They could cover up intakes and don't hold a shape (if for instance you need to use the notebook in your lap).


I've had the Thermaltake T300 aluminum slab for a while and it has served me very well with several notebooks.
Here is a review of it: REVIEW
Don't expect this to really cool an overheated notebook but rather to prevent a notebook from becoming overheated, supporting the laptop's cooling system.

Now that we've established you may need an active cooler as opposed to a passive one, my recommendation would be for a larger fan with lower rpm's than a smaller fan with higher rpm's, because of the lower noise emission of the former.

I had the Thermaltake Massive 23st and it was very quiet while moving vast amounts of air from under my Asus G51jx and later my G73jh, although it was a tad too small for the latter.


I've had a few other coolers in the past, all with 1, 2, or 3 smaller fans and they were all too loud for my liking.

 

Agreed. I don't like that pads cover the intakes either.

The fans on the coolermaster are completely silent. Like I can hear them only when I put my ear within 5" of it, and then I only hear the whoosh of air.