Expert Consulted: Adrian Gardiner. Years of experience buying both computers and computer parts for my own new customer builds has given me a keen eye for spotting great deals when shopping. In this article, I’ll be sharing my knowledge and tips with you to find the best laptop cooling pads.
Despite the progress of technology, laptops still get hot, especially in hot climates or from just running them too hard in summer, wherever you are.
With the laptop fan seemingly running itself into oblivion and sounding like it’s about to take off, the built-in cooling never seems to be quite enough. It’s clear that we need additional help on how to cool down our laptop.
Apart from sitting directly underneath an aircon unit, moving to a colder country (a bit excessive), or just simply turning off your laptop so it can cool down, it seems there aren’t many options to resolve this problem.
Of course, your laptop cooling fan could also be blocked up with dust and fluff, so a clean could definitely help.
However, you can also purchase a very useful gadget called a Laptop Cooling Pad. This device is basically an angled stand for your laptop that has one or more cooling fans built in to assist with laptop cooling.
Angling the laptop away from whatever surface you’re using, with a stand, will help with airflow, but adding cooling fans will help a lot more.
I’ve therefore researched and found 5 of the best laptop cooling pads currently available.
This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read our affiliate policy.
Best Laptop Cooling Pads – 5 Great Options to Keep Your Laptop Cool
The 5 best laptop cooling pads reviewed have been selected based on their cooling abilities, build quality, low noise levels from the fan(s), and positive reviews from other users.
Options include the Best Premium, Best Portable, Best for Larger Laptops, Best Design, and Best Budget selection, hopefully something for all users, accommodating different budgets and requirements.
Product Overview Table
The following table provides a quick overview of all cooling pads reviewed.
1 | 
| BEST PREMIUM Thermaltake Massive TM | |
2 | 
| BEST PORTABLE Cooler Master NotePal X-Slim II | |
3 | 
| BEST FOR LARGER LAPTOPS Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB | |
4 | 
| BEST DESIGN IETS GT300 Cooling Pad | |
5 | 
| BEST VALUE KLIM Wind Laptop Cooling Pad |
The Best Laptop Cooling Pads Reviewed
The following sections cover the individual reviews for each laptop cooling pad, highlighting their key attributes and what to watch out for. The star ratings increase in line with their specifications and capabilities.
On to the reviews:
1: Thermaltake Massive TM Cooling Pad
|
Best Premium | Thermaltake Massive TM Cooling Pad
| See full review below |
The Thermaltake Massive TM Notebook Cooler is a highly efficient cooling solution designed to cater to laptops ranging from 10″ to 17″.
Featuring a sleek aluminum mesh panel, this lightweight pad integrates dual 120mm fans with adjustable speed controls that can be manually or automatically set.
Its unique selling point is the adjustable temperature sensor that monitors four areas, ensuring optimal thermal performance.
The ergonomic design promotes comfortable viewing and usage angles. The smart display control panel enhances the user experience by simplifying adjustments and highlighting temperatures.
Thermaltake offers a solid 3-year warranty for parts and labor, showing confidence in the reliability of their product.
With its ability to quietly manage heat via superior airflow, this cooler is an excellent choice for gamers and professionals.
Some laptops, depending on the type of rubber feet used on the base, might find the aluminum surface a bit slippery, causing your laptop to move about.
2: Cooler Master NotePal X-Slim II Cooling Pad
|
Best Portable | Cooler Master NotePal X-Slim II Cooling Pad
| See full review below |
The Cooler Master NotePal X-Slim II is a slim, lightweight laptop cooling pad designed for laptops up to 15.6″.
It comes with a quiet running 200mm fan (21 dBA) that provides efficient cooling without the noise, making it ideal for quiet environments, like traveling on a crowded train, for example.
The ergonomic design offers an optimal viewing and typing angle, enhancing user comfort during prolonged use.
A simple integrated cable management system helps maintain a clean workspace. With its mesh, plastic, and rubber construction, it promises durability while maintaining a light profile at just over 1 lb.
Operating at a modest 900 RPM, it delivers an impressive airflow of 75 CFM, ensuring your laptop stays cool under pressure, all powered by a convenient single USB connection.
One reviewer mentioned that the cooling fans will stay on permanently unless you unplug the USB power cable.
3: Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB Cooling Pad
|
Best for Larger Laptops | Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB Cooling Pad
| See full review below |
The Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB Notebook Cooler combines style and function, accommodating laptops up to 19 inches in size.
The integrated 200mm fan with an adjustable speed knob ensures efficient cooling with an airflow rate of 64 CFM, while the steel mesh surface provides superior ventilation.
It features an ergonomic design with three height adjustments for optimal viewing and typing comfort.
A distinctive aspect of this cooler is its 256-color RGB LED lighting with five modes, allowing customization to fit any mood or setup.
It’s USB-powered for convenience and portability, making it a standout accessory for gamers and professionals alike.
The robust build and customizable lighting make it a practical and visually appealing addition to any gaming station.
Note that two USB 2.0 ports from your laptop will be required to power this device.
4: IETS GT300 Cooling Pad
|
Best Design | IETS GT300 Cooling Pad
| See full review below |
The IETS GT300 Laptop Cooling Pad, designed for laptops ranging from 14 to 17 inches, is a potential game-changer with a number of cool and unique features.
Its dual blower system, operating at a brisk 4500 rpm, minimizes air leakage with a flexible rubber ring for an airtight seal, delivering substantial airflow for enhanced cooling.
Adding a dust filter, easily removable and washable, helps maintain your laptop’s performance by preventing dust accumulation.
With seven adjustable stand heights, it promotes excellent ergonomics, helping to protect your neck and spine during long computing sessions.
The pad features customizable speed settings and a colorful lighting system with four modes, adding a bit of flair to its functionality – you can also turn the lights off if required.
However, it’s not suitable for laptops without underside cooling vents or for those who prefer using their laptop on their lap due to its size and design.
5: KLIM Wind Laptop Cooling Pad
|
Best Value | KLIM Wind Laptop Cooling Pad
| See full review below |
A very popular cooler, the KLIM Wind Laptop Cooling Pad has a quality, robust design, and impressive cooling capabilities, perfect for avid gamers and heavy-duty computer users.
Its four fans, spinning up to 1200 RPM, help to boost the cooling of your laptop, extending its life with low noise levels of 26 dBA.
Versatile and effective, it supports laptops up to 19 inches despite extending beyond its edges.
The thoughtful construction enhances stability and longevity, underscored by an impressive 5-year manufacturer warranty.
Two knurled wheels on the rear of the device allow you to switch on either the two front or the two rear fans independently, saving power and keeping noise levels down. Although with all 4 fans running, the noise level is hardly noticeable.
Beyond cooling, it offers one spare USB port for convenience (one USB port is used for power) and is also suitable for use with consoles like the PS4, PS5, or Xbox One.
The front tabs on the front of the pad that are designed to stop your laptop from sliding off are not always effective and can get in the way of typing.
Things You Need to Know About Laptop Cooling Pads
When looking to purchase a laptop cooling pad, it’s worth noting the following:
- The effectiveness of a cooling pad will vary, depending on the design of your laptop. Most cooling pads work on the basis that your laptop’s air intake is on the base/underside. This ensures the pad can supply cooled air to the laptop’s intake.
- Taking the above point into consideration, I’d check to make sure that the fan(s) on your chosen cooling pad are at least located near your laptop intake when in use, or you’ll see little cooling benefit.
- If your laptop has no underside air intake, a cooling pad will probably not be a good choice. These pads work best when elevated a bit so that there is more airflow under the pad to cool and direct toward the laptop.
- Pads with larger and fewer fans are often quieter in use as they can run slower to move a similar amount of air when compared to, say, 4 smaller fans that have to run faster.
- Cooling pads only really work on a solid surface, so blankets or soft furnishings will usually result in poor results due to impaired air circulation.
- LED lighting can be helpful if you use your cooling pad in areas with poor lighting.
- Higher ambient temperatures will also affect a cooling pad’s efficiency in hotter climates or during summer months, meaning the potential for lower temperature reductions for your laptop.
- You can also use these cooling pads for other devices like consoles or broadband modem routers, for example – some of these, routers in particular, can run very hot.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, a laptop cooling pad is a great investment if you need more cooling for your laptop.
These pads are great for creating the additional cooling necessary to keep your laptop temperatures down and help to reduce overheating issues like thermal throttling.
It’s important to consider the size of your laptop and, in particular, where the intake vent is located – it needs to be on the base of your laptop (this would be true of most laptops available today) to work properly with a laptop cooling pad. The exhaust vents would then be located on the side of your laptop.
Some of the cooling pads covered in this review use innovative features, like the flexible rubber seal on the IETS GT300, to maximize the amount of air going to the laptop’s air intake.
Other models use high-capacity blowers instead of fans to increase airflow.
The wide range of laptop cooling pads available means there is a model available for every requirement, and in this review, I’ve endeavored to pick out the best choices.
Image Attribution and Licensing
Main Image – created with Canva Pro.