Guide to Buying a Laptop Cooler

Ten years ago laptop computers were big, clunky and slow. You didn't have to worry much about heat buildup. They tended to self regulate their own heat.

Today, however, it is completely different. The laptop manufacturers keep putting more and more into less space. If you buy a new high powered laptop you almost have to get a separate notebook cooler to help it stay cool.

But which one should you get? There are literally 100's of models out there and not all of them work equally well in all situations. Hopefully, this short guide will help you get on the right path to buying a cooler that will do the job.

1. Plastic versus Aluminum: The housing for inexpensive notebook coolers is almost always made out of plastic. Plastic is not a very good conductor of heat. So the fans do all the cooling with plastic coolers. They won't get much help, if any, from the rest of the cooler housing.

Good coolers are almost always made out of aluminum. Aluminum does a much better job of pulling heat away. Plus the aluminum housing will probably last 10 times longer than a plastic housing.

For my money, spending a little more to get an aluminum laptop cooler is the way to go.

2. Angled Top: Some coolers are completely flat, top to bottom. Others have an angled top. In other words, the keyboard on your laptop will slope down toward you if you put it on a cooler that is angled.

Whether you get a flat or angled cooler depends on how you use your laptop. If it is always on a desk when you use it than a sloped top cooler is the way to go.

The slope itself will help carry heat away. Plus your hands will line up more naturally with the keyboard on your laptop.

3. Air Up, Air Down: Some coolers blow air up at the bottom of your laptop. Others suck the air down and out the bottom or back of the cooler. Some coolers allow you the option of flipping the fans over and reversing the airflow.

Which you should get depends, in part, on how your laptop is set up. If there are vent ducts on the bottom of your laptop that suck air in you really don't want your cooler pulling air down and away from those vent ducts. You could actually make your laptop hotter that way.

4. Removable Fans: Pretty much the first thing that will go bad on a laptop cooler is the fans. So get a cooler where it is easy to remove and replace the fans.

For most people, it makes more sense to replace a bad fan than buy a whole new cooler. Also it makes it easier to flip the fans over if you need to reverse the airflow.

If you look at the bottom of the cooler it is nice if you can see the fan mounting screws right out there in the open.

5. Power Used: Virtually all laptop coolers plug into a USB port on your laptop. This means you can run the cooler anywhere you take your laptop. The bad part is it will drain your laptop batteries a little bit faster. Not much, but it is a factor.

Another potential problem is the limitation imposed by the USB port. Only a small amount of power can go through a USB port. This is why laptop cooler fans tend to be rather small.

If you get a high-powered laptop cooler make sure your USB ports can handle the power.

6. Fan Noise: All fans make noise, including the ones on your laptop cooler. All of us are different when it comes to noise sensitivity but try to make sure the sound coming from the cooler isn't going to drive you crazy.

Most manufacturers will list the decibel reading from their fans. This gives you a good idea what the noise level will be. Also customer reviews on the Internet can help with this.

7. Add Ons: Because laptop coolers use up a USB port many coolers provide an extra port on the cooler itself. Some even have a hub of several USB ports. If you need the extra USB ports make sure the cooler doesn't leave you one short.

What you get for a cooler is, of course, up to you. But one thing is sure. Heat build up and computers are mortal enemies. If you get a high-end laptop and skimp on the cooler don't be surprised if it gives you problems.