A laptop's portability is one of its greatest assets, but with the compact form factor come some trade-offs. The cooling in laptops is generally not as robust as desktop PCs, unless you've got a beefy gaming laptop, and the tight confines inside a laptop don't take as much dust and hair getting before performance can really start to decline. A laptop cooling pad is a helpful way to handle a device that's getting uncomfortably warm.
In general, laptop cooling pads will help ensure your device gets good airflow. Throwing your laptop onto a pillow or blanket can smother its air intakes, but a laptop cooling pad won't. Many also include fans to blow additional air through your laptop, which can aid in cooling the internals and chassis. That extra cooling can also help keep your laptop more comfortable to the touch. These pads can be especially handy for keeping your legs comfortable, as they act as a buffer between your warm laptop and your skin.
Fans: 1 x 200mm ● Size: 18.54” x 13.96” x 1.83"
Your laptop likely has some little fans inside spinning as fast as they can to keep your system cool. And that’s assuming it’s not passively cooled, in which case there would be no fans at all. There’s not much you can do to increase that cooling potential for your laptop on its own, but the Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB offers a way to push a bunch of that hot air away from your laptop so it can stay cooler while it works and so your lap can stay cooler as well.
The Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB delivers its cooling with a mesh top and a single 200mm fan. That may not sound like much compared to coolers that pack in a ton of small fans, but a big fan has the advantage of moving plenty of air while spinning slower to keep extra silent. Thermaltake also lets you adjust the speed of the fan in case you want to keep it as quiet as possible or go for max cooling. As the name suggests, this cooling pad also comes with a stylish taste of RGB lighting all around the edge of the pad.
IGN Picks: Best Laptop Deals
Fans: 1 x 200mm ● Size: 16.73" x 12.4" x 1.69"
If you’re not after subtlety, then the Klim Ultimate is the cooler for you. This laptop cooling pad is made to be flashy with its extensive RGB light strip that wraps around the entire circumference of the device. It supports seven different colors and has five different lighting effects. Of course, it also has to cool. So, the Klim Ultimate comes ready for the cooling needs of your gaming laptop with a 200mm fan that can run quiet at 750RPM while still providing plenty of airflow. The stand can even elevate your laptop display for easier viewing.
IGN Picks: Best Laptop Deals
Fans: 5 ● Size: 14.57" x 11.8" x 1.4"
Need a ton of airflow? Then you’ll need a ton of fans. The TopMate C5 laptop cooler packs in a 140mm fan at the center and surrounds it with four 70mm fans. The combination of five fans all running at the same time will send a ton of cool air past the base of your laptop to help keep thermals in check. Some of that air might even help keep your palms cool in the heat of gameplay. The stand supports several cooling modes to fit your needs, so you don’t have to have all five fans running at max speed when you might prefer silence. You’ll even get a bit of lighting with blue LEDs built into the fans and at the front of the stand.
Fans: 2 ● Size: 15" x 11.75" x 1"
We had the Targus Lap Chill Mat keeping out laptops cool over a decade ago, and it’s just as capable now as it was then. The Targus Lap Chill Mat is a straightforward cooler. It provides a sizable stand for laptops big and small, and there’s a hollow chamber in the middle that lets fresh air enter from beneath the laptop. The pad has a pair of fans built in that pump up fresh air near the back edge of the laptop, where the CPU and GPU are generally located — thus the hotter parts of the machine. The Chill Mat also has a material finish on the bottom for comfort and provides rubber grips on the top to keep your laptop from sliding around.
Fans: 4 x 120mm ● Size: 15.79" x 10.71" x 1.22"
The Klim Wind is built to give your laptop a ton of fresh air so it can keep running cool, and it does it at a low price. The Klim Wind has four 120mm fans that run at up to 1,200 RPM, pushing plenty of air past every corner of your laptop. Those fans are covered by a simple grille, so that air can really flow. The stand will raise your laptop up slightly for better posture, and it has two holders to keep your laptop from sliding off. If you’re into the gamer aesthetic, you’ll also be able to enjoy the colorful LED lights built into the fans.
Fans: 1 ● Size: 6.7" x 3.4" x 1.9"
If you want a smaller, more portable option to keep your laptop cool on the go, you can go for the Klim Cool+. This device is built to boost the cooling capabilities of your laptop by attaching to its exhaust port and pulling even more air through. This will likely only work with laptops that have side exhaust vents where the Klim Cool+ can easily attach, but for compatible laptops, it can give the built-in cooling an upgrade. It even has different operating modes that let it run silently for light cooling or kick into high gear for some serious gaming.
Fans: 4 ● Size: 16.06" x 11.3" x 1.34"
Sometimes a little bit of RGB lighting isn't enough. Your gaming laptop might already have a lit-up keyboard, but the Havit RGB laptop cooling pad can give you even more. This cooling pad will support up to 17-inch laptops, making it a strong fit for gaming laptops, which tend to be on the larger side. At its base, it has an RGB light strip that goes all the way around.
You can set the RGB light strip to flow through all of its available colors or pick a color for it to stay on with a breathing effect. The cooler also features four internal fans with lights, though they will always be blue, reminding you of what their job is: cooling your laptop down.
Fans: 2 ● Size: 16.5" x 10" x 18.9"
A lot of cooling pads will do a great job if your aim is to use your laptop on your lap or low on a desk. Sometimes that's not what you're after though, and that's where the Miggoing laptop table comes in. This stand has adjustable legs with several long segments, allowing you to keep the stand low or raise it up to 18.9 inches high.
The stand can serve just as well for use on couches, in bed, or at a desk. There's even a removable mousepad attachment. And, of course, it wouldn't be much of a laptop cooling stand if it wasn't doing some cooling. In the laptop tray, there are two cooling fans to help keep cool air blowing past your computer.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
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In general, laptop cooling pads will help ensure your device gets good airflow. Throwing your laptop onto a pillow or blanket can smother its air intakes, but a laptop cooling pad won't. Many also include fans to blow additional air through your laptop, which can aid in cooling the internals and chassis. That extra cooling can also help keep your laptop more comfortable to the touch. These pads can be especially handy for keeping your legs comfortable, as they act as a buffer between your warm laptop and your skin.
TL;DR – These are the Best Laptop Cooling Pads:
- Klim Ultimate
- TopMate C5 Laptop Cooler
- Targus Lap Chill Mat
- Klim Wind
- Klim Cool+
- Havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
- Miggoing Laptop Table
1. Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB
Best Laptop Cooling Pad
Fans: 1 x 200mm ● Size: 18.54” x 13.96” x 1.83"
Your laptop likely has some little fans inside spinning as fast as they can to keep your system cool. And that’s assuming it’s not passively cooled, in which case there would be no fans at all. There’s not much you can do to increase that cooling potential for your laptop on its own, but the Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB offers a way to push a bunch of that hot air away from your laptop so it can stay cooler while it works and so your lap can stay cooler as well.
The Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB delivers its cooling with a mesh top and a single 200mm fan. That may not sound like much compared to coolers that pack in a ton of small fans, but a big fan has the advantage of moving plenty of air while spinning slower to keep extra silent. Thermaltake also lets you adjust the speed of the fan in case you want to keep it as quiet as possible or go for max cooling. As the name suggests, this cooling pad also comes with a stylish taste of RGB lighting all around the edge of the pad.
IGN Picks: Best Laptop Deals
2. Klim Ultimate
Best Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad
Fans: 1 x 200mm ● Size: 16.73" x 12.4" x 1.69"
If you’re not after subtlety, then the Klim Ultimate is the cooler for you. This laptop cooling pad is made to be flashy with its extensive RGB light strip that wraps around the entire circumference of the device. It supports seven different colors and has five different lighting effects. Of course, it also has to cool. So, the Klim Ultimate comes ready for the cooling needs of your gaming laptop with a 200mm fan that can run quiet at 750RPM while still providing plenty of airflow. The stand can even elevate your laptop display for easier viewing.
IGN Picks: Best Laptop Deals
3. TopMate C5 Laptop Cooler
Best High-Airflow Laptop Cooling Pad
Fans: 5 ● Size: 14.57" x 11.8" x 1.4"
Need a ton of airflow? Then you’ll need a ton of fans. The TopMate C5 laptop cooler packs in a 140mm fan at the center and surrounds it with four 70mm fans. The combination of five fans all running at the same time will send a ton of cool air past the base of your laptop to help keep thermals in check. Some of that air might even help keep your palms cool in the heat of gameplay. The stand supports several cooling modes to fit your needs, so you don’t have to have all five fans running at max speed when you might prefer silence. You’ll even get a bit of lighting with blue LEDs built into the fans and at the front of the stand.
4. Targus Lap Chill Mat
Best Laptop Cooling Pad for Your Lap
Fans: 2 ● Size: 15" x 11.75" x 1"
We had the Targus Lap Chill Mat keeping out laptops cool over a decade ago, and it’s just as capable now as it was then. The Targus Lap Chill Mat is a straightforward cooler. It provides a sizable stand for laptops big and small, and there’s a hollow chamber in the middle that lets fresh air enter from beneath the laptop. The pad has a pair of fans built in that pump up fresh air near the back edge of the laptop, where the CPU and GPU are generally located — thus the hotter parts of the machine. The Chill Mat also has a material finish on the bottom for comfort and provides rubber grips on the top to keep your laptop from sliding around.
5. Klim Wind
Best Budget Laptop Cooling Pad
Fans: 4 x 120mm ● Size: 15.79" x 10.71" x 1.22"
The Klim Wind is built to give your laptop a ton of fresh air so it can keep running cool, and it does it at a low price. The Klim Wind has four 120mm fans that run at up to 1,200 RPM, pushing plenty of air past every corner of your laptop. Those fans are covered by a simple grille, so that air can really flow. The stand will raise your laptop up slightly for better posture, and it has two holders to keep your laptop from sliding off. If you’re into the gamer aesthetic, you’ll also be able to enjoy the colorful LED lights built into the fans.
6. Klim Cool+
Best Portable Laptop Cooler
Fans: 1 ● Size: 6.7" x 3.4" x 1.9"
If you want a smaller, more portable option to keep your laptop cool on the go, you can go for the Klim Cool+. This device is built to boost the cooling capabilities of your laptop by attaching to its exhaust port and pulling even more air through. This will likely only work with laptops that have side exhaust vents where the Klim Cool+ can easily attach, but for compatible laptops, it can give the built-in cooling an upgrade. It even has different operating modes that let it run silently for light cooling or kick into high gear for some serious gaming.
7. Havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
Best RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
Fans: 4 ● Size: 16.06" x 11.3" x 1.34"
Sometimes a little bit of RGB lighting isn't enough. Your gaming laptop might already have a lit-up keyboard, but the Havit RGB laptop cooling pad can give you even more. This cooling pad will support up to 17-inch laptops, making it a strong fit for gaming laptops, which tend to be on the larger side. At its base, it has an RGB light strip that goes all the way around.
You can set the RGB light strip to flow through all of its available colors or pick a color for it to stay on with a breathing effect. The cooler also features four internal fans with lights, though they will always be blue, reminding you of what their job is: cooling your laptop down.
8. Miggoing Laptop Table
Best Laptop Cooling Stand
Fans: 2 ● Size: 16.5" x 10" x 18.9"
A lot of cooling pads will do a great job if your aim is to use your laptop on your lap or low on a desk. Sometimes that's not what you're after though, and that's where the Miggoing laptop table comes in. This stand has adjustable legs with several long segments, allowing you to keep the stand low or raise it up to 18.9 inches high.
The stand can serve just as well for use on couches, in bed, or at a desk. There's even a removable mousepad attachment. And, of course, it wouldn't be much of a laptop cooling stand if it wasn't doing some cooling. In the laptop tray, there are two cooling fans to help keep cool air blowing past your computer.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
Continue reading...
