Notebook Coolers Underneath The Hood
The things that need cooling these days: graphics chips, processors, chipset components, overclocked memory chips and, yes, even hard drives. But what about laptops? Evercool and Vantec apparently look to accommodate demand for cooler laptops.
Both suppliers follow a similar technical procedure: you take a docking module (or "pad") that's simply placed under the notebook. Within this module are two (Vantec) or four fans that redirect any heat that forms to the underside and then sides of a notebook.
The question is, however: does this make sense? And if so: does it make a difference? In principle a notebook should be designed to do its job reliably anyway without requiring any additional cooling conatus. It's not for no reason that a lot of notebook fans go about their business practically inaudibly.
We see an advantage in such notebook coolers mainly for users who are interested in protecting their investments in these expensive, mobile companions as best they can. In fact, most hot spots occur on the bottom, caused by the hard drive and the battery (during fast charging) and exacerbated by a poor base. A plastic sheet, paper or simply a blanket on the sofa can lead to heat build-up and thus in fact reduce the life of many components.
