A laptop's portability is one of its greatest assets, but with the compact form factor comes some trade-offs. The cooling in laptops is generally not as robust as desktop PCs, where you can tinker around adding in CPU coolers. Laptops often only have tiny internal fans or rely on being passively cooled. Thus heat dissipation can become a problem in these compact machines, causing a noticeable decline in performance. A laptop cooling pad is a helpful way to handle a device that's getting uncomfortably warm, and even your beefy gaming laptop can benefit.
In general, laptop cooling pads help ensure your device gets better airflow. Throwing your laptop onto a pillow or blanket can smother its air intakes and cause it to overheat quickly, but a laptop cooling pad prevents this. Most even include fans to blow additional air through your laptop, which can aid in cooling the internals and chassis. That extra cooling can help keep your device more comfortable to the touch. And, some pads can be especially handy for keeping your legs comfortable, as they offer cushioning and act as a buffer between your warm laptop and your skin.
There are a variety of laptop cooling pads on the market all meant to target specific needs. Some will rest comfortably on your lap for hours while others are super portable or come toting fun RGB lighting. If this is a purchase you've been considering, we've concocted a list of our favorite laptop cooling pads to make the decision easier. Take a look at our favorites below.
TL;DR – These are the Best Laptop Cooling Pads:
- Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB
- Klim Ultimate
- TopMate C5 Laptop Cooler
- Targus Lap Chill Mat
- Klim Wind
- Klim Cool+
- Havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
- Miggoing Laptop Table
1. Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB
Best Laptop Cooling Pad
Your laptop likely has some little fans inside spinning as fast as they can to keep your system cool. And that’s assuming it’s not passively cooled, in which case there would be no fans at all. There’s not much you can do to increase that cooling potential for your laptop on its own, but the Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB offers a way to push a bunch of that hot air away from your laptop. This ensures the device (and you can) continue to chug along by staying cooler.
The Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB delivers its cooling with a mesh top and a single 200mm fan. That may not sound like much compared to coolers that pack in a ton of small fans, but a big fan has the advantage of moving plenty of air while spinning slower to keep extra silent. Thermaltake also lets you adjust the speed of the fan in case you want to keep it as quiet as possible or go for max cooling. As the name suggests, this cooling pad also comes with a stylish taste of RGB lighting all around the edge of the pad. And if you're wondering about its ergonomics, you can adjust the height to three different levels for the ultimate viewing angle.
2. Klim Ultimate
Best Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad
If you've just grabbed a new gaming laptop and found it gets a bit hotter than you'd like, then the Klim Ultimate is the cooler for you. It comes ready for all your gaming needs with a 200mm fan that can run at a quiet 750RPM, and that still provides plenty of airflow. This pad is designed for laptops up to 17", but even your 19" device will rest comfortably. Plus, you can elevate your setup to four different angles for easier viewing.
On top of being a practical heat dissipation solution, the Klim Ultimate will really amp up your portable gaming setup. This cooling pad is made to be flashy with its extensive RGB light strip that wraps around the entire circumference of the device. It even manages to support seven different colors and has five different lighting effects. You'll definitely stand out from the crowd with this pick.
3. TopMate C5 Laptop Cooler
Best High-Airflow Laptop Cooling Pad
Need tons of airflow? Then you need a whole bunch of fans. The TopMate C5 laptop cooler packs in a 140mm fan at the center and surrounds it with four 70mm fans. The combination of five fans all running at the same time will send loads of cool air past the base of your laptop to help keep thermals in check. Some of that air might even help keep your palms cool in the heat of gameplay. There are several cooling modes on board to fit your needs, so you won't need to have all five fans running at max speed when you might prefer silence.
Aside from the insane cooling power of the TopMate C5, you also get a few extras. Some cool and classy lighting is available with blue LEDs built into the fans and at the front of the stand. A tiny LCD screen is even available, so you can see the wind speeds of the fans. And if you want to put less strain on your neck or back, there are five height adjustments to get your best angle.
4. Targus Lap Chill Mat
Best Laptop Cooling Pad for Your Lap
We had the Targus Lap Chill Mat keeping our laptops and laps cool over a decade ago, and it’s just as capable now as it was then. This is a straightforward cooler and provides a sizable stand for laptops big and small. It will rest comfortably on your lap for hours thanks to the pad's lightweight and the neoprene material on the bottom that acts as cushioning. And, if you're worried about your laptop sliding all around, a rubberized grip on the stand's surface ensures it stays in place.
As far as heat dissipation goes, the Targus Lap Chill Mat delivers. There’s a hollow chamber in the middle of the mat that lets fresh air enter from beneath the laptop. Plus, a pair of fans are built in to pump up fresh air near the back edge of the laptop, where the CPU and GPU are generally located — thus the hotter parts of the machine. And those fans are powered by a USB-A connection, so you can plug the mat directly into your laptop.
5. Klim Wind
Best Budget Laptop Cooling Pad
Keeping cool doesn't always mean spending big. The Klim Wind is built to give your laptop a ton of fresh air so it can continue running cool, and it does it at an affordable price. There are an impressive four 120mm fans that run at up to 1,200 RPM, pushing plenty of air past every corner of your laptop. Those fans are covered by a simple grille, so that air can really flow.
You're not just getting fans at this low cost. The stand will raise your laptop up slightly for better posture, and it has two holders to keep your laptop from sliding off. It's also more than likely able to fit your machine, as it's made for laptops up to 16", but compatible up to 19". You can even toss your Xbox One or PS4 on it. And if you’re into the gamer aesthetic, you’ll also be able to enjoy the colorful LED lights built into the fans.
6. Klim Cool+
Best Portable Laptop Cooler
If you want a smaller, more portable option to keep your laptop cool on the go, you can go for the Klim Cool+. This nifty little device is built to boost the cooling capabilities of your laptop by attaching to its exhaust port and pulling even more air through. This will likely only work with laptops that have side exhaust vents where the Klim Cool+ can easily attach, but for compatible laptops, it can give the built-in cooling an upgrade.
The Klim Cool+ has different operating modes that let it run silently for light cooling or kick into high gear for some serious gaming. The fan even manages to get up to an impressive 3,500 RPM. Also, the device's metal structure acts as a heatsink taking the heat away from your laptop's precious internals. It is important to note that the manufacturer suggests only using this laptop cooler on a flat surface.
7. Havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
Best RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
Sometimes you really want to stand out from the crowd with some wild RGB lighting. Your gaming laptop might already have a lit-up keyboard, but the Havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad gives you even more. This cooling pad will support up to 17-inch laptops, making it a strong fit for gaming laptops, which tend to be on the larger side. At its base, it has an RGB light strip that goes all the way around. You can set the RGB light strip to flow through all of its available colors or pick a color for it to stay on with a breathing effect.
Of course, the Havit RGB Laptop Cooling Pad also comes packing some fans. There are four internal fans with lights, though they will always be blue, reminding you of what their job is: cooling your laptop down. Those fans also manage to run super quietly and have adjustable speeds. And, there will be loads of airflow thanks to the metal mesh surface of the stand.
8. Miggoing Laptop Table
Best Laptop Cooling Stand
A lot of cooling pads will do a great job if your aim is to use your laptop on your lap or low on a desk. Sometimes that's not what you're after though, and that's where the Miggoing Laptop Table comes in. This stand has adjustable legs with several long segments, allowing you to keep the stand low or raise it up to 18.9 inches high.
The Miggoing Laptop Table can serve great for use on couches and in bed. There's even a removable mousepad attachment. Heck, you can place it on top of your current desk and effectively turn it into a standing desk. And, of course, it wouldn't be much of a laptop cooling stand if it wasn't doing some cooling. In the laptop tray, there are two cooling fans to help keep air blowing past your computer.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
