im thinking of buying a cooling device for my laptop as it keeps overheating when im playing games. but are they really worth buying?? i cant see how something that sits underneath the laptop can possibly cool down the inside of it. any help would be great ;)

The cooling device works on the principle that conduction of heat is nore efficient than convection or radiation. Have you ever used one of those can or bottle coolers that you keep in the freezer and then slip over your can or bottle? They work really fast. The cooling device works on the same principle. It can suck the heat out of the laptop faster than the surrounding air or the internal fan can. Two things to beware of, though: 1. Once the laptop cooler itself heats up, it stops working, so you can't use it all day, only for a couple of hours tops. 2. If your laptop has a fan inlet on the bottom (like mine has) then you can't use it at all. HTH cursum perficio

Aside from what Roy wrote above, THIS one claims that Xpad will provide you a better Laptop experience, such as: 1) Don't let your Laptop get hot - keep it cool for better performance. Laptop heat build-up can shorten battery life, shorten performance, and turn on noisy fans. Xpad will keep your Laptop performing well by keeping your Laptop cooler both on your desk and on your lap. Personally speaking I don't know if the above is true. 2) Don't let your Laptop burn you - protect yourself. Your Laptop can get very hot on your lap - sometimes hot enough to burn you! Protect yourself from Laptop heat with the Xpad. Xpad heat shield design uses 3 layers of thermal insulation for maximum protection against laptop heat. 3) Keep good balance with your Laptop - don't let it slip and slide on you. Your Laptop can be hard to balance - it can slip and slide on your lap, and you can accidentally drop it. You want a stable platform for your Laptop so you can use it comfortably on your lap without constantly trying to balance it. That's why you need the Xpad. Xpad's unique design employs non-slip interfaces to secure your laptop and provide a comfortable padding for your lap. i_XpUser

Laptop fins are pretty fine and plug with dust easily which of course leads to overheating. Keep the fins clean and you shouldn't need other things. My laptop top runs pretty much 24/7 and I notice the secondary fan starts kicking in pretty seriously after about 2 months of run time, indicating that the primary fan is plugging up. In other words, I clean my machine about once every 2 months and I don't have any overheating problems... and I work it pretty hard.

thats what I use for my dell laptop..pretty good....helps it cool down much faster.. :) also its the health factor o fhaving a laptop on your lap....reduces your semen count and all the radiation!

ahhh thanx 4 the tips, but ive tried taking a vacuum cleaner to the fan outlets like so many people have told me but it hasnt made any difference! :( also, i dunno whether it would be a good idea for me to take it apart and clean it that way cos i wouldn't really know wot i was doing!

oh yea i 4got to mention. i think the fan inlet is on the back of it, but im not totally sure. there are some small holes on the bottom but nothing in the manual is said about them. i think i might go for a cooling pad!