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Advice wanted: MacBook cooling solutions

Let's Sekuhara!

Let's Sekuhara!

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 30, 2008
357
1
日本
I am itching to get a new MacBook but there is only one reservation I have: my apartment gets really hot in the summer and I'm afraid the environment may hurt my poor new machine.

Can anyone recommend a good cooling pad for notebooks?
I'm ideally envisioning a mini refridgerator for the bottom of my computer, but I guess most of the designs out there are fan-based?

I want to be cool :cool: ...all suggestions welcome.
 
My apartment is hot - damn hot - outside is 40 degrees celsius (104 degrees fahrenheit) and its not an especially hot day here. My Macbook does get warm but seems quite happy.

Fans come on when I play Halo or use Skype but otherwise it seems quite happy and hasn't burst into flames yet. I use my Mac for about 8 hours everyday

I don't use anything to help keep it cool.

Hope this helps
 
Thanks for the ideas.

@ vchalupa: that is an unbeatable deal. I wish I could determine the dimensions of it - I wonder if it fits a MacBook well. I suppose I can call to find out. I like how the USB power cord is Y-split.
 
Let's Sekuhara! said:
=I wish I could determine the dimensions of it - I wonder if it fits a MacBook well. I suppose I can call to find out. I like how the USB power cord is Y-split.
Click to expand...

I looked up the dimensions for the product on a different website and this is what I found:

338mm x 260mm x 2mm


Hope it helps! :)
 
Thanks for those dimensions! That does help.
The cooler is 33.8cm x 26cm
MacBook is 32.5 x 22.7cm
So it is somewhat larger than a MacBook.
I just wrote them to ask if they have anything smaller.

I'm also looking at this thing called XPad that doesn't use fans, but redirects heat instead. It too is larger than a 13.3" MacBook, but if I decide that's not an issue I may go that route.

This one seems to be the best for the MacBook though. It's funny, I found it by Googling "macbook cooler" and found myself in another MacRumors thread.
http://www.koolsink.com
Like the XPad, it works by dissipating the heat, but there's a model built specifically for the MacBook! I'm still reading up on it, but I think we have a winner. (Yes, there are models for MacBook Pros available too)
 
update

I bought the KoolSink. They have a black one that will compliment my new black MacBook.

I'll warn you though, it can be significantly more expensive than the other options we discussed here. One reason for this is that they are based in Canada and I am in the U.S. so even the cheapest shipping method adds $22 to the purchase. (I searched for the product on Amazon.com too, but to no avail.)

Nonetheless, it's made specifically for my machine, seems effective, and looks good. I payed the extra for the peace of mind, I suppose. I will write a brief review once I receive it and try it out.
 
Conclusion:

I'm happy with my KoolSink.

Although I've been too busy to do any thorough analysis of the difference in temperature with and without, it does help significantly in keeping my MacBook cool. It looks good (although the logo is a bit large), it doesn't make any noise like a fan would, it's easy to transport, and is the perfect size for my machine. I recommend it.
 
disable Dashboard?

I just disabled Dashboard on my spanking new MacBook Air. That in and of itself seems to have lowered running temps--and allowed my battery to go for longer unplugged. On my MBA I downloaded and used Onyx to have an easy toggle for Dashboard. On my iMac I use MainMenu. Either one of those works great. There's also a command line for Terminal that folks have posted, if you want to look into that.
 
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