Laptop Coolers - Which to Use and Why

My current computer is a Macbook Pro 2.33 GHz Core2Duo, with 3GB Ram and a 200GB HD. There is little I would change about my laptop, other than it tends to get very warm when used on my lap, even if for just a short period. I looked into a few different solutions to remedy this problem and found two basic types of “lap coolers” that are designed to lessen the heat transferred from the laptop to your lap.

The first type is a passive (no fan) cooler like the iLap made by Rain Design. These are generally very lightweight and basically give the computer a way to make its own internal fans more efficient by allowing better airflow underneath and around the computer.

The second type has an active cooling design. This means it has built in fans that can either pull the warm air from the bottom of the computer, or push room temperature air up to the computer. The active cooler I tested was a SwissGear Glacier notebook cooler. Either active or passive, the cooler sits between you and the computer and attempts to keep the machine cool, and the internal fans quiet.


I did a bit of testing to see how effective each type of cooler can be. I also used my computer directly on my lap as a control - to see how effective a cooler is in the first place. I did each test in the same room with the same external temperature (~72ºF) and used iStat pro to measure the temperatures and fan speeds during each test.

First, I ran my computer directly on my lap with an iTunes visualizer in a window with iChat, Mail, and Safari running under normal use. The fans in my machine quickly spun up from the "idle" 2000 RPM to 6000 RPM (the maximum, and a very loud speed) and my CPU settled out between 149ºF-153ºF within about five minutes. This made for a very loud computer under a relatively light load and the computer got uncomfortably warm on my lap after only a few more minutes of this.

I allowed the computer to cool back down and let the fans rest at 2000 RPM for five minutes before I tested the machine with the SwissGear notebook cooler ($35).

This is an active cooler with built in fans that pull warm air away from the bottom of the machine. During my testing with this cooler, the internal fans in my MacBook spun up to about 3800-4200 RPM (significantly less noisy than the full 6000 RPM) and the CPU settled a bit lower than it had without the cooler at 147º. The cooler definitely cut down on overall noise, even though its fans are spinning constantly. There are a couple downsides to this solution. First is that the fans on the SwissGear still put a bit of heat on my lap, but not nearly as much as the notebook was when it was directly on my lap. Second is that the fans in the cooler require the use of a USB port to work which is not only annoying to have to plug in, but also drains the battery in your notebook that much more quickly.



I again let the computer rest and cool back down to normal temperatures before beginning testing with the RainDesign iLap ($50).

The iLap is a passive cooler that elevates the computer and keeps the heat off your lap entirely, but has no fans to aid the internal fans in cooling the computer. Under the same conditions, the machine stopped at the highest temperature of the three tests at 153º-156º. The fans stayed around 4100 RPM, but fluctuated up to 4400 RPM at times. The fan speeds were higher than they were with the SwissGear cooler, but because there aren't any additional fans on the iLap, it actually ended up being quieter overall. In addition to it being less noisy than the other two options, the iLap successfully keeps all of the computer's heat off my lap and has built in pads to make it even more comfortable to use over long periods.


Conclusion: If keeping your computer's temperature low is your highest priority, the SwissGear or another active cooler with built in fans will do the best job, albeit at the cost of a slightly more noisy machine with one less USB port. If comfort and noise reduction is most important, a simple passive cooler like the iLap will provide the best solution.

Do you have a favorite notebook cooler or do you just plop the laptop right into your lap? Post in the comments!

The Return to The Big Screen

Over Christmas break last semester, my room was broken into and my 23" Apple Cinema Display was stolen along with my roommate, Kent's, Nintendo wii, a DVD player, a Luna iPod speaker system, and a sublime poster. The entirety of my second semester and up until about a week ago, I was using the 15" screen on my MacBook Pro, most of the time propped up on my lap with an iLap notebook stand. This allowed me to relax and sit back in my chair while surfing around and reading blogs, but was a big switch from the 23". With so much less screen real estate, features like Leopard's spaces can really be fully utilized, but at the same time it's nice to be able to visually see more items at a time which can only be accomplished with a larger screen with a higher resolution.



I just got a new 23" ACD just like my previous one, and I found that I actually have come to enjoy the MacBook Pro's screen, not for its size, but for its ability to be in my lap (I know, big surprise that a laptop can go in your lap, but bear with me.) With the 23", I find myself leaning forward in my chair which can get very uncomfortable for my back after a day of leaning over the computers I repair at work. On top of the back issue, my arms have much less support as well because they're unable to rest while I'm going from the keyboard to the mouse and back - an issue non existent on a notebook with the keyboard and trackpad so close together. This has led me to two conclusions. First, a corner desk (which I used from my 6th grade year until just last year before going to college) offers much more arm support. A straight desk can work if the keyboard tray and arms on the chair are both at the exact same height, but otherwise my arms tend to get tired quickly. Second, a notebook with a small barrier or stand between you and the computer makes for a much more comfortable way to use the computer for extended periods of time.

I have also just begun using a swiss gear lap cooler with two USB-powered fans because I've loaned my dad my iLap to see if he agrees on the increased comfort of using a notebook instead of a desk system. I'll post a more detailed comparison between the two laptop cooling solutions when I've had more opportunity to compare them.

As somebody who is on my computer for hours upon hours each day, it is important to find a comfortable and supportive position to use these machines. If you have found a more comfortable position to use your computer, post in the comments.

P.S. After a full month of getting settled in, hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this blog on a more regular basis. I have a list of ideas to write about, and now that I'm fully moved in and have a regular job schedule, I should be able to find time to devote to this blog again!

Stuff I Use: YouControl

There's a great menubar program for mac called YouControl ($30, free 30 day demo), and among many other useful features, there is a pasteboard that creates a menubar menu which allows you to see and select any of the past 5, 10, or however many past clipboard entries you've copied.  After you have selected the one you want to paste, there is another menu that pops out that gives the date, time, and application you copied from, and gives you the option to paste in the style it was copied in, or to paste with unformatted text. This is infinitely useful for me because it not only allows me to paste things that have been written over in the current clipboard, but also allows me to paste following the same style I'm already using in a document without having to reformat the style.

The program is a bit resource hungry, and at a price of $30 this may not be the most elegant solution if you only get the pasteboard out of it. However, the other functions of the program are very useful - the ones I use include an iTunes controller, weather forcast, address book, and an enhanced date/time in the menubar.

First Thoughts: Valentine One Radar Detector

Up until recently, I thought radar detectors would only serve to guarantee you a ticket when you got pulled over.  I had read multiple articles about how they aren't really that effective, and if you had one mounted to your windshield, a police officer would be almost guaranteed to write you a ticket (as opposed to a warning) if pulled over.  

However, after using a Valentine One radar detector, I can honestly say that this is a huge improvement over the next best competitor.  As I drove down the highway coming back to school after purchasing one of these units, the detector produced no false alarms, and gave me a good 20-30 seconds of warning if there was a speed trap ahead.  This gave me adequate time to double check my speed and ensure I was safe from, as the V1 website calls them, "bogies."  While I realize that speed limits are put into place as protection against ourselves, I think speeding within reasonable limits is acceptable.  This device helps to be better aware of what is around, while allowing me to concentrate more on driving, rather than trying to search out the next uniform hiding under the bridge.

On top of the highly selective detection hardware that filters out false alarms, the Valentine has one feature that no other offers - arrows.  Arrows might not seem very logical for a radar detector, but the device interprets the radar it detects and gives you the direction, strength, and number of radar streams it detects.  For example, if you get four simultaneous signals from in front, behind, and to the sides, you can be almost fully assured that you're picking up microwave signals from a grocery store door system or the like.  On the other hand, if you get one slowly building signal from ahead, you can be almost guaranteed that you're approaching a speed trap.  The inventor of this system has written many articles on the V1 website as to how these signals can be interpreted and what each most likely means.

Overall, the V1 has saved me me from a speed trap on almost every highway trip I've taken since I started using it.  If you're one to speed, this is the detector to get, and while the price is steep at an MSRP of $399, used units can be had for around $250 on ebay.  The V1 website does a superb job of explaining the unit and how it can be best utilized.  Check it out.  Here's a link to their store.

Stuff I Use: Caffeine

I'm not usually one to start my day with a coffee or espresso, but from time to time it can help. Now my mac, on the other hand, seems to get a bit tired and dim the screen after a few minutes of idle time. This is a feature created to save battery life in notebooks and while this aspect is useful at times, the feature becomes very annoying if I'm watching a movie or at work trying to follow a long document. I could go into the preferences and change the settings every time, but it would be simpler if there was, say, a button in my menu bar that I could just click and have my mac stay awake for longer than the 10 minutes it is set to stay awake.

Meet Caffeine, not for you, but for your mac. This bit of freeware by lighthead software is extremely useful for day to day video watching and for extended reading where moving the mouse around every 5 minutes isn't convenient. The most recent update has added a timer so that you can set it to keep your mac awake for anywhere from five minutes to two hours before returning to its normal settings.

If you have a notebook mac and find this useful, you can download your free copy here

Stuff I Use: Mail Appetizer

As a compulsive email checker, I tend to have my email client open at all times.  Each time it chimes with new mail, I switch over to Apple Mail.app to read whatever I've just received.  Unfortunately, half the time the chime ends up being junk mail and I've just stopped whatever I was in the middle of and interrupted my train of thought just to figure that out.  The solution for this should be for me to just turn off Mail.app aside from when I'm specifically checking email, but I wanted something more convenient that still fueled my email addiction.  I wanted something that would instantly display a small preview of the sender, subject, and content of an email as an "on top" message window.  Mail.appetizer is an Mail.app plug-in that does exactly that.  The plug-in creates an instant preview of incoming mail after rules (such as the junk mail filter) have been applied.  This allows me to ignore spam messages entirely and at the same time fits into my workflow allowing me to see new mail without having to switch from what I'm doing every ten minutes.  Regardless of the application I'm in, I'm presented with new mail and given the options to ignore the message for now, mark it as read, or delete it on the spot - all without switching to Mail.app.

This was one of the primary plug-ins that I'd been missing since my switch to Mac OS X 10.5, but a recent upgrade by the developers has enabled Leopard use and my productivity has increased as a result.  If you use Apple Mail, give it a try!

Bronson Beta

My Other Blog

I like to share interesting stuff I find online with friends and family and usually do so by email.  This works for most items because certain things pertain to certain people where others probably wouldn't be the least bit interested.  However, there are other things that I feel like sending out a mass email about, but considering I highly dislike receiving mass emails myself, it would be rather hypocritical for me to send out mass emails to others.  Tonight, I found a really interesting article that I wanted to share with everyone, so I'm starting a blog just for my random thoughts and tidbits I find online.

Link