I'm looking to purchase a laptop cooler for my MBP that is preferably light, portable, sleek and has a quiet, not-too-noisy fan. Any recommendations?
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MBP cooler
- Thread starter csucollegian
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Hmmm... interesting. I have been using a textbook too but it can add to the weight if you are carrying your laptop around. I figured a cooler would somehow cool the MBP down a little bit with a fan instead of using just a hard surface without any kind of ventilation. Any thoughts?
Thats cool too. But then, it could be a problem when you have the MBP on your lap
You can get Rain Design's iLap, but in all honesty, I find it hard to use on a lap.
Downloading something like SMC fan control and keeping your not covered are key.
What tasks do you do that your MBP becomes that hot you cant stand it on top of your lap? I use coolbook to set Vcore to its functional minimum and use the 1/2 bus speed feature to set down Clock speed to 1,3 GHz while using battery. I still can use Flash and all other Office tools without bigger sacrifices. Core temps never get over 40°C. Math tools take twice as long and heavy multitasking for sure becomes a pain in the ass but I don't use my MBP that way on the go.
Edit: I use coolbook with SMCFanControl. While the power adapter is connected my Fans spin at 2300RPM. Its hardly noticeable except your room is totally silent. Charging is 2500RPM. Then I have 3000RPM, 4000RPM, and 6200RPM as presets I use when it realy coemes to heavy tasks. 2000 (=Default) I only use while runing on Battery.
Some say coolbook is a useless tool (its worth its 8us$) but I think it is great to undervolt your MBP and to set up a max Clockspeed for Battery use.
and heavy multitasking for sure becomes a pain in the ass but I don't use my MBP that way on the go.Edit: I use coolbook with SMCFanControl. While the power adapter is connected my Fans spin at 2300RPM. Its hardly noticeable except your room is totally silent. Charging is 2500RPM. Then I have 3000RPM, 4000RPM, and 6200RPM as presets I use when it realy coemes to heavy tasks. 2000 (=Default) I only use while runing on Battery.
Some say coolbook is a useless tool (its worth its 8us$) but I think it is great to undervolt your MBP and to set up a max Clockspeed for Battery use.
And keeping your....heat vent not covered?
If you want something for a desk, just use a package of post-it notes or something. If you want something "for the road" for your lap, use your sweater. Heat isn't going to damage the components anyways.
Rain Design's iLap works like a charm for me. I'm not sure if it would be considered portable by everyone - depending on the size of the bag / backpack you use.
Thanks miles, although your sweater? From what I have experienced placing any sort of thick fabric seems to be the easiest culprit.
That's not portable for a lot of people, nor would it solve the lap problem. Their iLap seems more plausible, but it really did nothing when it came to the heat for me.
The MBP is the one I use the most although I have another older PC. As for tasks, I use Firefox, Word, Excel and Mail. I also leave iTunes running on occasion and sometimes have Fusion open for tasks that require me to run on Windows and Internet Explorer (I know that is part of the problem but I cant help it and that is why I need a cooler). I also have a USB Flash drive plugged in sometimes. I am convinced that I could use my MBP to iron my clothes without using an iron after getting some work done
Its a pain in the ass to multitask but as long as you're getting work done is all that matters
Hence, that is one of the many reasons I got a MBPIf it matters, below is a hardware overview just incase anyone is wondering...
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
OS: Snow Leopard
Good call but wouldn't a sweater or any kind of soft clothing surface absorb the heat and warm the MBP even more??
My experience has been that putting my MacBook Pro on a blanket on my lap has increased heat quicker then anything else.
True. I am using Speck Product case to protect my MBP in general but it still doesn't help with the heat. Also, there was an ad on this thread regarding about the subject from Xpad and was wondering if anyone has tried it. Any thoughts?
It will make it heat up faster, sure- but it won't make it any warmer than it would get up to after 5 more minutes of intense CPU activity anyways.
For what it's worth, I have just recently purchased an Antec 200 (one big 200mm x 30mm fan) usb powered fan. It is pricey (about $90CDN after shipping, taxes, etc. from Amazon) but if you're going to buy a powered cooler then why try to cut corners, just buy some feet if you're worried about money.
It is VERY quiet, I can barely hear it over my MBP when it is on 'HI', and as far as looks go it is definitely one of the nicer-looking models out there (full review here) And, most importantly, it cools very well. While multitasking (HandBrake with 5 items in queue, web-browsing, and editing a word document) I can get my average temps down (the one shown on smcFan Control) by 10-12C. If it is only light processes running then I've had my average temps drop by 15-18C (sorry it's not F).
ope that helps!
It is VERY quiet, I can barely hear it over my MBP when it is on 'HI', and as far as looks go it is definitely one of the nicer-looking models out there (full review here) And, most importantly, it cools very well. While multitasking (HandBrake with 5 items in queue, web-browsing, and editing a word document) I can get my average temps down (the one shown on smcFan Control) by 10-12C. If it is only light processes running then I've had my average temps drop by 15-18C (sorry it's not F).
ope that helps!