Cooler for Dell Studio 15

I'm not sure whether I need a passive or fan type notebook cooler but I need something to use with my Studio 15 that will be used exclusively on my lap, any suggestions? The Studio 15 was reviewed here so I won't post dimensions but it is a 15.4.

It doesn't need to be portable just something that I can put between my lap and laptop, fairly comfortable, something that wouldn't let the laptop slide around and hopefully some cooling properties. Thanks!

 

Do you really think you need one? I use mine on my bed all day (what should make it run super hot) and it is barely even warm! I have never seen a laptop with cooling like this.

 

Enermax Aeolus CP001

 

which GPU did u go with? what kind of conditions are u gonna be usin yur laptop in? heavy gaming? movies? general use?

ok, u can stop with that now...

 

Basically the standard setup that came with the Studio 15 - T5750, Radeon 3450, 250HD, 3GB Ram, etc.

Just for general use, mainly web browsing since I have a desktop that doesn't all the heavy computing. I just need something to separate the computer from my lap while being comfortable and at the same time not blocking the vents.

Even if it is a passive cooler surely there are some which can achieve a cooling effect for the laptop and at the same time isolate the laptop heat from your legs?

 

for general use, a passive cooler should be fine. there's a few things u should look out for in a passive cooler.

- insulation - how well the pad keeps the heat from conductin to yur lap.
- tilt - raises the rear of the laptop; improves typin comfort and screen-level.
- surface material - make sure the material used isn't too soft (notebook will sink) or slippery (notebook will slide around).

i use the targus x-stand when my notebook isn't on my cryo LX. its a very simple, portable product that is very affective.

i'm about to order the Lapinator w/ Mousitizer Mouse Pad to use on my lap.

nice lapinator/lapinator plus/mousitizer mouse pad review can be found here.

 

You no like the Aeolus?

 

With my Studio 15 I don't feel like I need to have a cooler. However, if I did get one it would be the Zalman NC-2000.

 

Thanks houstoned I had been looking at the Lapinator and while it generally gets good reviews some have complained about it not being very sturdy, it's top surface is too slick, the rubber bumpers won't stay on, it doesn't dissipate heat very well and tends to warp, plus it's a little expensive for what you get.

That being said surely it's positives outweigh it's negitives because I am considering it. I do think the Lapinator Plus being larger than the regular Lapinator might be nice even with a 15.4 laptop, what do you think?

 

it just gets annoyin when u come into every cooler thread, for every notebook and leave a 3 word reply.

i'm goin with the lapinator plus w/ mouse attatchment. i actually prefer my cooler to be bigger than my laptop. gives u ample room for adjustments cuz every laptop will sit a bit differently on every cooler. i use a NZXT Cryo LX (supports up to 19"+) for my m1530 (15.4").

could u link me to the negative reviews? i've only read about the rubber pieces comin off, but that can be remedied with some super glue. i also read alot of reviews that stated the surface holding up very well. i've also seen people order extra rubber pieces and stack them on top of each other. the extra rubber pieces raise the rear up even higher.

 

It's fair to say the Lapinator gets plenty of good reviews but when you hear certain things it still makes you think, Amazon is where I've read some negative reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0002Z2R0E/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?_encoding=UTF8&

I'd be interested in your experience with the Mousitizer Mouse Pad should you get one.

 

give me about 2 weeks. i'm in the process of replacing my linksys WRT-350n with a d-link dir-655, so i'll probably order the lapinator after that.

i'm gonna go with the lapinator plus + mousitizer mouse pad + extra rubber feet to raise the rear up more. i do game once in a while so the extra rubber feet will help comfort and thermal control even more

thx for the link.

 

houstoned just thought I'd let you know I emailed Lapinator this morning with my concerns and got this response 30 minutes later:

I'm seriously considering your Lapinator plus which generally gets good reviews but there are some negatives I can't discount. Some of them are:
1. Isn't very sturdy
2. It's top surface is too slick so your laptop slides down
3. The rubber bumpers won't stay on
4. It doesn't dissipate heat very well
5. It tends to warp

Anyway can you address some of these concerns? Do you plan on a Lapinator II to further address any negitives?

I would use this with a new Dell Studio 15 which has the bottom fan in the top right corner and vents out the back below the screen. I mainly use this laptop for web browsing.

How well does the Mousitizer stay attached to the Lapinator? Thanks! Mike


Mike,

What I can tell you is our return rate is about 1 in 300.

The "isn't very sturdy" argument occasionally comes up because both versions of the Lapnator are so light. Sturdy = heavy! The core of the Lapinator is corrugated plastic which is virtually indestructible. With alot of effort you could bend a Lapinator in half, but it would just go back to it's original shape.

In 5 years we've had 4 returned for the warranty. 2 had been damaged by a sharp object at the post office, 1 had a stitching issue and 1 had a problem with the surface plastic. That's over the course of 20,000 orders.

The surface. We call the surface slip resistant. If your notebook does not have the little rubber feet on the bottom it will slide around. If you add the self-adhesive bumpers, then it becomes completely skid proof. As the inventor I wanted to give users both options.

The rubber bumpers. There are some notebooks that get really hot and they can melt the adhesive. For that reason, we'll send any customer another set of bumpers upon request. I might send out 2 extra sets per month for this reason so it's still a minority of customers that have that problem.

As far as dissipating heat, don't take our word for it, 2 separate reviews came up with the same conclusions:

http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/lapinator_laptop_desk_review and

http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/clickchick_article/playing_it_cool_with_lapinator/

With all the notebook configurations out there we can't be perfect, but it does say something when 2 separate reviewers agree!

Yes! The Lapinator will warp during use. That shows it's dissipating the heat. With rare exceptions, like my wife's Lapinator has for 6 years, it returns to its original shape as it cools. This is why we include 3 bumpers to help control the warping for the really hot notebooks.

You can see how the Mousitizer attaches to either version of the Lapinator here:

http://www.ttlstudios.com/gallery/lapinator/mousitizer/

We've never had a complaint about how the units attach.

As far as a new version of the Lapinator we're always looking to improve the product. Currently we're trying to solve the customization issue. I would like to find taller bumpers and a means to glue the surface to the corrugated plastic that can withstand the heat, but unfortunately we're not close to either right now.

Thank you for your interest in the Lapinator!

Jeff

So I'm going to go ahead and order the Lapinator Plus for now but I'll wait to see how you like the Mousitizer. Thanks for the help!

 

thanks for lettin me know about the email. its nice to know that the person that actually developed the product, still has lots of hands on experience when it comes to simple customer questions.

+1