best/cheapest cooler pad for NP9150

hi guys!
i've got the NP9150 with 7970m and it's running quit hot. i'm not able to check the temps of the GPU because for some weird reason, it will not display the temps no matter what software i use (msi afterburner, GPU-z, HWiM monitor and so). the reason think it's running hot is because it shuts down during load and it's performance isn't what it used to be (at least as far as i recall), which makes a lot of sense since i bought it in winter time and now it's summer like a motherf*cker (30-40c).
i want something that is compact, durable and small (not bigger than 15'6"). i travel a lot and my bag gets jammed-packed sometimes. it also needs to be cheap: not higher than 30$ unless there's a sale or it's cheaper in ebay (lol).
i was looking at the Cooler Master Notepal U2, and the Rosewill RLCP-11003B and i'm leaning towards the notepal because it's very portable (sorta hugs your laptop)
thanks guys! have a good day

 

Nothing wrong with getting a cooler, but you probably need to clean/repaste the system from the sounds of it. Better to treat the actual problem rather than patch it up. Doing a repaste and getting that dust out of there will do wonders.

 

The cheapest "pad" are bottle cars under the rear feet lol.

 

ok i've sent my laptop to a lab and they say it's clean and that there's nothing wrong with the fans. but again, how are the 2 coolers i've mentioned? also what about this one Cooler Master NotePal X-Slim Ultra Slim Laptop Notebook Cooling Pad, up to 17" (160mm Fan) - Newegg.com
is it better than the others? thanks

 

Pads won't have much of an impact on this system. I would inspect the heatsinks yourself.

 

i don't know how to inspect them, or clean/repaste and as i've said before, thanks to some weird bug i can't check the temps. i've sent it to a lab to get it closely inspected and they've said that everything was fine and nothing even close to dusty. they've checked it running BL2 (although the games that causes most problems are splinter cell blacklist and BF4) and i have no other idea about fixing it otherwise. if it helps, i touched the bottom of my laptop and my desk one time after it shut down and it was very very hot, like a burn-level hot. all i want is a recommendation on a certain cooling pad because i've been having this problem for a long time and i still can't find a way to fix it. thanks.

 

Remove the bottom cover, unscrew the fans (they are separate from the heatsinks, three screws each if i remember correctly) and physically inspect the heatsink.

 

It is possible to monitor the GPU temperature. You just have to run an application which uses the ATI 7970M. You can't monitor it when the 7970M is turned off because the Intel GPU is running (I'm not sure why it works that way).

 

Yes if you get a program like GPU-Z and add it to the dedicated only list in the catalyst control centre it should start up the GPU and monitor, just be aware while it's on the dGPU will be forced on.

 

i have tried that as well and it still doesn't work, i've been trying that method for a long time with other softwares, i've even re-installed windows.

 

A cooling pad may help a bit, but if this is an overheating issue, that is attributed to something being wrong internally with the cooling system. Chances are that the laptop will still have thermal issues even with a good cooling pad.

If you're still interested in one, the Notepals get high marks and Cooler Master is a trustworthy manufacturer.

 

thanks for the tips! so as you guys said, i've opened my laptop as you said. the problem is, i don't know what to look for. both of the fans where in place and and not dusty in the slightest. the problem is, i have no idea what i'm doing! i'm afraid to touch anything or do something that might damage my PC, i don't want to repaste the fans because i don't have any thermal paste and i don't know what to look for or how to spot a problem. as i said before, i've sent it to a lab and they've found to problems in te fans. what i do think however, is that the rubber bottoms got worn up and the laptop became lower, which makes it harder for it to suck in cool air. of course there's no way of checking that. i did improvise a sort of "stand". basically i've found to objects and are about the same height and put them on both sides of the laptop. so far, it didn't shut down but i'm gonna need more time to test things out. thanks for the replies and sorry it took me so long to reply!