Do you own a MacBook? If you are a tech-fanatic, you would know how MacBooks are getting compact and slimmer with every new model. While this is an excellent thing for convenience, we can’t help but wonder whether the laptops have enough space to accommodate fans within the casing.
Without a proper cooling system, your laptop doesn’t get enough space to release the heat produced. As a result, it can overheat your machine and affect its performance.
Moreover, laptop cooling is essential to prevent any damage to the internal hardware. With a flawed internal system, your laptop goes into stress and gradually becomes ineffective. So, considering all these factors, it is vital to own a MacBook cooling pad and save your unit from any irreversible damage.
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What Are Laptop Cooling Pads?
Simply Put: Laptop cooling pads serve as external fans. These are cooling systems that prevent any internal overheating issues. Moreover, they provide an environment with optimal temperature to assist with the average performance of your MacBook or any other laptop.
There are two kinds of cooling pads available these days.
- Laptop cooling pads with fans are the most common. They come with inbuilt fans to produce maximum airflow for your device. However, they are noisy at times.
- Cooling pads without fans use heat-resistant materials. They usually have an aluminum body that prevents your machine from being over-heated. While these cooling pads are not noisy, they aren’t as effective as the pads with fans.
Do Laptop Cooling Pads Work?
So far, these magical cooling pads look pretty promising. But do they work?
Every laptop, including the MacBook Pro, has two main components, CPU and GPU. When your machine gets overheated, these parts are the first few to slow down. Unfortunately, the temperature also rises with extensive load and gaming.
While every laptop comes with an internal cooling system, it isn’t always effective in controlling high temperatures. And as a result, your machine suffers. A cooling pad is often a porous surface that provides constant airflow and releases any trapped heat.
Moreover, it helps to maintain an excellent cool atmosphere around the laptop to prevent any heating-related damage. Therefore, a cooling pad is more beneficial for people who spend long hours on their units and are involved in gaming, editing, and programming.
Why Are Cooling Pads Better than Other Measures?
Why do you have to buy a cooling pad for your laptop when you can quickly get an external GPU or increase its RAM capacity? While there many other ways to control your MacBook’s temperature and improve performance, nothing is as convenient as buying a cooling pad.
A laptop cooling pad is an accessory that is :
- Affordable to buy
- Effective with your laptop’s thermal performance
- Risk-free. It doesn’t harm your machine in any way.
- Hassle-free. You don’t have to open your unit or involve in any time-consuming amendments.
Does MacBook Need Cooling Pad?
MacBook is a powerful machine, but it tends to overheat quite often. It is because this laptop contains impressive hardware squeezed in a compact body.
A slim laptop with high specs is worthy of every consumer’s attention. However, the trouble starts when this tiny body fails to cope with the over-heated hardware running at its maximum capacity. So, while the MacBook Pro is a beautiful invention, it needs a pad to keep its cool.
If you aren’t a MacBook user but have an old laptop that you aren’t ready to discard anytime soon, you may also require a cooling pad. Machines with old designs do not have effective laptop cooling systems. However, if your device is facing slow performance issues, a cooling surface may benefit it.
Moreover, if you plan to overclock your unit, extra cooling will only help. With overclocking, your laptop’s hardware consumption goes beyond its limits, and a cooling surface only comes as a savior.
How to Choose the Best Cooling Pad for Your MacBook?
Now that you know how fantastic this product is, it’s time to save your MacBook from being over-dramatic and provide it with a surface it needs to cool down. To choose the best cooling pad for your machine, many factors require your attention. Take a look at a few:
Cooling Capacity
Before you invest in a pad, make sure you are aware of its cooling capacity. You should know how many fans it has and what is its rotation rate. A higher maximum speed means the pad has good cooling power.
Adaptability
Can you use your MacBook comfortably with a cooling surface at its bottom? Your chosen cooling pad should be portable and allow comfortable use of your laptop. In addition, the best cooling surface has an ergonomic design and perfectly accompanies the size of your unit.
Quality
You shouldn’t ever compromise on the quality of the cooling pad. Its material and making are a reflection of the pad’s overall performance.
Does the cooling pad has enough fans, and can they regulate according to the machine’s needs? Is the product’s material long-lasting? Does the pad make unbearable noise?
These questions will help you decide whether your chosen item is worth your money or not.
Extensibility
Our laptops come with many USB ports but having a cooling pad takes away one port. However, some surfaces come with USB ports that help to connect other devices with the laptop. Therefore, the extensible use of these pads plays a significant role in their functioning.
Additional Features
If you want to invest in a cooling pad, you may want it to have some additional features with a long life. For example, some high-grade surfaces have sensors that display the temperature of your laptop. Some cooling pads also come with extendable legs to increase their usability.
However, the best pads are those that live up to their expectations and price. You may find many fancy-looking cooling surfaces which are poor-performing accessories.
Price
Just because a MacBook cooling pad is expensive doesn’t mean it has to be the best product ever. To decide whether a model is perfect for purchasing, make sure its attributes match its price tag.
There are several laptop cooling pads readily available in the market that are affordable yet super-efficient. To find them, it’s essential to do thorough research and test them for their performance.
However, with us on board, you don’t have to worry about that. We have done our homework and have come up with some great cooling pads for your system. If you are ready to dig in, let’s review them all.
Best MacBook Cooling Pads
Here’s is the list of best cooling pads for your MacBook. All these options meet the above criteria and are available at reasonable prices.
Targus Cooling Pad
Targus Cooling Pad is a user-friendly cooling surface with unique details and the perfect size. These characteristics make this pad appropriate for all 17 inches and smaller laptops.
It comes with an angled design and two cooling fans to accommodate your over-heated machine. The fans use a USB connection for power. Moreover, the product connects to your laptop through a USB cable as provided.
With a sleek and lightweight body, this cooling surface looks highly stylish and makes a valuable accessory. However, its unfoldable design doesn’t make it travel-friendly. Besides, it can’t accommodate bigger laptops.
Targus Cooling Pad is available at a price of only $39.14 on Amazon. Although reasonably cheap, this is a high-performing pad to own.
Pros
- Angled design for better support
- Accommodate 17-inch laptops
- Sleek and lightweight
Cons
- Unfoldable design restricts its use
KLIM Bamboo Laptop Cooling Pad
KLIM bamboo laptop is a unique cooling pad with a modern design and function. Moreover, this eco-friendly surface will elevate your MacBook and style together. It is a 16 inches pad and can easily accommodate a MacBook pro or similar-sized laptops.
Moreover, the KLIM bamboo stand comes with two cooling fans. The maximum RPM of each fan is 1300, and this airflow is perfect for cooling your over-heated machine at all times. So whether you use your laptop for gaming or extensive programming, this bamboo stand will support your system without breaking down.
The KLIM Bamboo Cooling Pad is available for $23 price at Amazon. While its price is appropriate for all users, you may find it lacking a few essential features available in expensive pads. However, this stand does its job perfectly.
Pros
- Eco-friendly stand
- Durable
- Reasonable price
- Great RPM
Cons
- Heavy
- Not very portable
Havit RGB
If you are into frequent traveling and like taking your laptop along, the Havit RGB cooling pad may strike your fancy. With a slim profile and three quiet cooling fans, this accessory can become your favorite travel companion.
The minimalistic design and great portability of this adjustable pad will help you use your 17-inch laptops anywhere you are. Moreover, it is available for $35 from Amazon. It is a reasonable price tag as opposed to the various features this product offers.
However, don’t expect this laptop cooling pad to be very durable. It is sturdy but not as strong as other expensive pads.
Pros
- Reasonable Priced
- Stylish
- It comes with powerful fans
- Travel-friendly
Cons
- Not very durable
Tree New Bee Cooling Pad
It is another one of the best cooling pads for MacBook and other laptop models. It comes with four fans, so you can be at ease when it comes to cooling down your machine. Besides, all these cooling fans run at a speed of 1200 RPM.
Moreover, this surface comes with adjustable features. The legs help to prop this pad and make it look like a stand. It also has extra USB ports to make up for the one sacrificed.
Tree New Bee Pad has inbuilt LED lights that look pretty cool when on. Moreover, this accessory remains quiet even on full power.
However, it weighs a lot and has a boring design. If you are into stylish accessories, you may want to consider something else in the market.
Pros
- Four fans with great rotational speed
- Adjustable features
- Blue LED light looks cool
Cons
- Old design
- Heavy
Kootek Cooling Pad
The best cooling pads are those that offer an anti-slip surface for laptops. Kootek cooling pad provides just that and more. Moreover, this model has a variety of new and compatible features.
The Kooteck Cooling Pad has two USB ports and five in-built fans. Moreover, it can conveniently accommodate 12 to 17 inches of laptops.
You can use this pad for long gaming sessions or extensive university projects. The high rotational airspeed of fans prevents your machine from overheating.
However, irrespective of its excellent design and functions, Kooteck Cooling Pad is a heavy accessory. It weighs almost two pounds, and you may only be able to place it on your working desk.
Pros
- Anti-slip surface
- Five fans and perfect size
- Affordable
Cons
- Heavy
Thermaltake Massive Notebook Pad
This laptop cooling pad is perfect for keeping your notebook cool for hours. This product ticks all the right boxes of every notebook user with a portable design and adjustable features.
Thermaltake cooling pad comes with two fans and a total of four heat sensors. These features help to distribute the cool temperature evenly and prevent a particular part from overheating. Moreover, this product has retractable feet that help to adjust your laptop at every angle.
While the fans are not as quiet as you expect them to be, they are pretty great with their job. They use a USB cable to work and are energy-efficient.
The Massive TM pad comes with an attractive LED display. It is a unique feature to keep you updated regarding the temperature of your machine. However, this product is a little pricier than other cooling pads on the list.
Pros
- Portable and Adjustable design
- Fans and heat sensors for outstanding performance
- Perfect for notebooks and other laptops
- LED display
Cons
- Expensive
- Fans create noise
How Do I Keep My MacBook Pro Cool? Other Methods
While owning a cooling pad is the best thing you can do for your machine, you can also use other ways to prevent your laptop from overheating.
- Clean your laptop for any accumulated dust now and then. It is vital to keep your unit’s internal system tidy and run.
- Avoid placing your laptop on your lap or over pillows while you work. To enable good airflow, keep your machines on a desk or flat surface.
- Terminate useless tasks if everything else is perfect. A cooling pad may help you lower down the temperature, but it can’t affect the power consumption of your CPU.
- If you use your laptop for gaming, your machine has a bright chance of experiencing high temperatures every day. To reduce power consumption, disable a few irrelevant game settings that you may not require. Moreover, delete extra games that you don’t play anymore.
The Bottom Line
A cooling pad for your MacBook or any other laptop is an essential accessory to own. While it keeps your machine’s temperature regular, this product also helps give a supportive surface and a stylish look.
The best MacBook pad offers a great price, is adjustable, and has efficient fans to prevent overheating. Moreover, having additional features is a bonus.
If you are looking for a compatible pad for your laptop, go through the suggestions above. It may help you to start your research on the best cooling accessory.
