Cooling pad or riser stand for 17" notebook

I have been searching for a riser for my E1705 and have not found one that suits the 17 inchers. I do not use an external monitor or keyboard. APC makes some good ones but they are best suited to smaller sized notebooks. Some claim they work on the 17 inch laptops but I want the 4 rubber feet on the the bottom corners of the laptop to touch the riser. I like the added height and the cooling aspect as my non air conditioned apartment is usually always in the 80's (and warmer) in the summer.

 

Have you checked out the Vantec Piano laptop cooler?

 

That looks pretty nice! I think my notebook would still be to wide.

 

I made one out of a cardboard box. HD temps are down 3C and CPU down 7C. Also it doesnt reach these temps for twice as long.

Took about 10 minutes to make, and the laptop is suprisingly stable on it, no wobble at all. Basically you just cut the corner from a box at an angle and then tip it over and put the laptop on it. That tilts it, then you just cut out the middle and there's much better airflow. My fan is rarely on now. It sounds dumb but it actually works

 

kuksul08:

What a neat idea...really it is a wonderfully simple and inexpensive solution. Heck get a smallish fan and poke some holes in the cardboard and you could actually cool down the heat rising up through the keyboard. It's the heat that rises up through the keyboard which is the biggest problem for me. It aggravates my RA in my hands. Seriously I just love your solution a really sturdy one could be made from the special 1" thick cardboard they use to ship refridgerators and large appliances. You can often find that board out back behind places like Sears or any appliance store they usually throw out lots of it...the darned stuff costs like $60+ for a 4'x8' sheet if you buy it...

I use a combo of stands. I have a cooler pad that I never use because, well, it's a PITA. On my desk I use an el cheapo (about $17) (but amazingly sturdy) wire mesh metal frame laptop stand made by Rubbermaid that I found at WallyWorld. I combine this with a cool trendy Zippi Desk Fan from Vornado. Any small 6" fan that cost almost nothing would do...but when using the laptop on my desk I just set it on the stand and point the fan at the laptop from behind. Often though I have an extra capacity 2nd battery installed which actually tilts the laptop just the right amount so I omit using the stand.

I have tried any number of stands and trays over the years...I have yet to find one I really like. One nice thing about a 17" system is you can stop worrying about actually using it in your lap. But that is a task I have never been able to master with any laptop I ever used...

 

Cool feet
http://www.cableyoyo.com/coolfeethome.html

 

Great ideas here. I may make one like the "cardboard tech" and maybe add a fan. I'm also gonna check out the "cool feet" Thanks for all the great suggestions.

 

grumpy3b, try posting a picture??

It seems interesting. I was in the market for a Zalman ZM-NC1000 Ultra-Quiet Notebook Cooler, since they look really effective.

 

mjay:

sure...I am out the door in a bit but will try and post one in a day or two...here is the part number for the stand ROL82410

And here is a link to the stand at Office Depot:

http://www.office-supplies.us.com/product_100481_detailed.htm

Here is the Zippi Fan:

http://www.vornado.com/research/zippi.htm

BTW, I really LIKE that Zalman setup but have never wamred up (please for give the pun) to the laptop coolers in general though I really should...

You should be able to get an idea of how it works from the individual pics...

I just saw that Vornado is coming out with a cool clip on desk fan that might be interesting too...hmmmmmmm, toys!!