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    Thinking of getting a cooling pad

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by SmoothTofu, Nov 25, 2007.

  1. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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  2. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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    Bump

    Any suggestions?
     
  3. ajfink

    ajfink Notebook Deity

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    I just picked up an Antec aluminum / plastic cooling pad (not sure of the model number or anything) at Circuit City (Black Friday) for just under $20. My notebook CPU temps were lowered by over 10C. Of the two you have linked, I'd get the Vantec.
     
  4. usapatriot

    usapatriot Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I recommend one of the aluminum ones over the cheap plastic ones, they are sturdier and seem to work better.
     
  5. Skibums

    Skibums Notebook Evangelist

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    You can always check ebay, I got mine there for about $16 with S&H. But as usapatriot says, go for an aluminum one. I've see the plastic ones and they are very cheap.
     
  6. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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    How about the Antec Notebook Cooler? It's plastic, but people have written good reviews on it.
     
  7. playnine9

    playnine9 Notebook Guru

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    it really depends on your preference.

    heavy vs lightweight...sturdy vs flimsy..etc.

    i would go with the vantec personally. it's cheaper and will do the job you want it to without looking tacky as hell...the clear one looks way too annoying.

    here is another one:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998314

    its $15 after mail in rebate and is getting great reviews
     
  8. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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    ^^ Above link I get a bad request :(
     
  9. playnine9

    playnine9 Notebook Guru

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    should be working now..newegg was down for a second i think.
     
  10. Amol

    Amol APH! NBR Reviewer

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    I personally have used a Vantec Lapcool 2 [Or was it 3? I don't remember lol]. It lasted a while for me before I got too lazy to use it. Vantec products are usually satisfying in quality for me.

    [Oh lawd what's up with Newegg being terribly slow?]
     
  11. onion

    onion Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    Its unfortunate most people do not understand that these "cooling pads" are simple marketing gimmicks developed to suck as much money out of the uninformed/uneducated consumer.

    NO, Your laptop does not need this nor will this extend the life span of your unit. Companies developed these products to capitalize on fear of the people that believe heat shortens the life span of laptops when this is simple NOT true. Your laptops internal fan keeps it MORE than cool enough. One has to remember 99% of the general public has NO sense of temperature. What feels "hot" to many is actually perfectly NORMAL temps and FAR below anything that would cause damage or shorten lifespan.

    YES heat kills laptops and the only time it does is when people dont blow out the dust that gets stuck in the heatsink fins. When this happens no laptop cooler will save you.

    Blow out the dust from the heatsink every 6 months and your laptop will last forever unless you drop it.....
     
  12. Skibums

    Skibums Notebook Evangelist

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    Not always true...my "blast furnance" of a laptop (Acer 5672) would easily surpass +90C and shutdown while gaming. The cooler is the only thing that keeps the temp down. I do agree that, if you are using the laptop for normal everyday stuff, a cooler should not be necessary. But you have to remember not all laptop cooling systems are the same and not everyone uses their laptop the same way.