A laptop likes to overheat during demanding work or gaming, and when it overheats it automatically lowers performance and gets noisy. A cooling pad helps it breathe. Let us explain how it works, how to choose the right one and why you can even print a simple pad on a 3D printer, so you do not have to go to a shop for it.

Why a laptop suffers from heat

A laptop has all its power crammed into a thin body, where there is little room for airflow. When the processor and graphics heat up, the laptop protects itself by lowering performance (so-called throttling), so it suddenly slows down. Long-term overheating also shortens the life of the components. Many laptops draw air from below, so when they lie on a desk or a blanket, they cover their own air intake.

What a cooling pad does

A cooling pad solves exactly this. It raises the laptop and improves airflow underneath it, or actively blows air at it with fans. The result is lower temperatures, less performance throttling and often a more comfortable angle for typing.

Active versus passive

  • An active pad has fans powered from USB that drive air to the underside of the laptop. It cools most effectively and suits gaming and demanding work.
  • A passive pad has no fans, it just raises the laptop and improves natural airflow. It is quiet, light and needs no power.

What to look at when choosing

  • Size according to the laptop’s diagonal, so it sits on it stably.
  • Fan placement so they blow where the laptop draws air (usually from below).
  • Noise, especially with active pads. Large slower fans tend to be quieter.
  • USB power and ideally a pass-through port, so the pad does not take a USB from you.
  • Angle and ergonomics, non-slip stops so the laptop does not slide.

You can print one on a 3D printer

Here is a pleasant fact: you can print a simple passive pad or stand on a 3D printer and do not have to go to a shop for it at all. All you need is a model that raises the laptop and lets the air flow, and you can tailor it exactly to your desk and laptop size. If you do not have a 3D printer, we will design and print custom 3D prints for you to measure.

A practical tip

The cheapest improvement is simply to raise the laptop (so it gets air from below) and regularly clean off the dust, because a dusty cooler heats up the most. We write about proper cleaning in the article computers are not vacuumed but blown out. An active pad makes the most sense for gaming and long demanding work.

Dealing with an overheating laptop? Get in touch, we will advise and, if needed, also clean the laptop and re-paste it.