Heat is the archenemy of
all kinds of electronics, and is the number one cause of damage over time. And
if we mean computers specifically, they include many electronic components such
as the processor, hard disk, RAM, and power supply, and thus produce great heat
during operation.
Therefore, an excellent
cooling system must be available to work on exhausting this heat, ensuring that
these components will perform their functions properly on the one hand, and
maintain their life for the most extended period on the other hand.
For desktop computers,
there is greater control over the cooling system, so the user can completely
change the cooling system and move to a more efficient system such as watercooling, or add more heat-dispersing fans inside the case other things.
In the case of laptops,
the cooling system is very static and complex—due to the compact design. So
these devices have to work hard to keep their internal components from
overheating.
But sometimes things get
out of control of the cooling system and the temperature rises excessively,
especially when running games or editing programs. This is where external
solutions come in. If your laptop gets hot with daily use, consider buying a
cooling pad.
And before I tell you why? Let me first explain how it works.
Basically, laptop
cooling pads are divided into two types: Active (positive) and Passive
(passive). The first type is a board that contains a large fan or several small
powered fans, the purpose of which is to transfer hot air out of the laptop and
make the internal cooling system more efficient when performing tasks that
require high consumption of resources. This is by far the most common type, and
you'll see variations of it in marketplaces or online stores.
As for the Passive
cooling plates, they reduce the temperature of the laptop by
"dissipating" the heat. Or more specifically, these panels are highly
efficient thermal conduction and thus allow heat to be absorbed by the laptop
and then dissipate in the air.
The idea isn't much
different from the way processor cooling fans work, with the board radiating
heat into the air and away from sensitive components.
Active cooling panels
are cost-effective, and they are very cheap. But on the other hand, the
internal cooling fan(s) may be relatively loud and need external power or
source to operate, and this will often sacrifice one of the USB ports in the
laptop.
As for the Passive
cooling panels, they work in complete silence, they are just a piece of metal
that does not contain any mechanical components, and it is the best in terms of
design and cooling efficiency. However, this is the most expensive type.
Why might you need to buy a laptop cooling pad?
Airflow and heat
dissipation are among the factors that manufacturers put first when designing
laptop computers. However, there are some very expensive laptops that have heat
issues.
If the laptop slows down
after using it for a long time, if the device overheats or the performance
drops suddenly at times, then the main reason is likely to be overheating. Old
and cheap laptops are more likely to encounter these problems than others.
However, even the latest
laptops, including gaming laptops, are not immune to heat issues.
Perhaps the reason is
the nature of the compact design of these devices, as placing a large number of
electronic chips within a small space always leads to the emergence of heat
dissipation challenges, which are not solved properly by the manufacturers.
Given the difficulty of disassembling the laptop to check for a heat issue, the
best solution is definitely to place and use the laptop on a cooling pad.
Keep in mind that
overheating can cause strange problems that, at first glance, may seem
completely unrelated to heat. For example, there have been many reports that
the sudden loss of Wi-Fi connection on recent Sony VIAO laptops is caused by
the overall temperature inside the device.
As it turns out, Apple
has designed MacBook Pro devices to automatically reduce their performance
significantly when the temperature rises, in an attempt to protect those devices
as much as possible.
You may also notice
performance degradation when playing video on cheap Ultrabooks or Netbooks when
the heat is high. Generally speaking, if a problem arises after a certain
amount of use, you may need to use a cooling pad as a solution.
What Cooling Pad Should I Buy?
The most cost-effective
laptop cooling panels will always be the Active Panels. On this basis, you
should choose one that has multiple cooling fans, preferably three or more.
However, consider the
noise caused by these fans working together before settling on this type of
cooling pad. If the fans are made of inferior materials, expect noise to
interfere with the sound when watching a video or playing a game, giving a poor
impression and experience.
And if noise is a concern
and you prefer to work in silence, or your laptop's heat issue is minor,
Passive cooling pads are a good option.
And here you should buy
panels made of materials that conduct heat with high efficiencies, such as
aluminum. Since the cooling process is done by increasing the airflow, the
board should leave a lot of empty space under the laptop; Try to avoid panels
that stick to the base of the device, but rather choose those that provide
greater height.
Since the cooling pads
are placed directly under the laptop, be sure to get one about the size of your
laptop, not smaller. Tilted cooling plates are generally more comfortable than
flat ones, but make sure there are some pieces that prevent the laptop from
sliding while it's being used in this tilted position.
In conclusion, if your
laptop has heat-related issues that can be clearly noticed during daily use,
then cooling pads are a practical, effective, and also cheap way to solve this
problem. It's not the ultimate solution, but it will at least bring your device
back to work — without having to buy a new laptop.
But if you find that the
cooling panels are making your laptop experience inconvenient, you can stick to
trying some effective tips to reduce laptop overheating.