Extend the Life of Your Laptop with Cool Feet
Written by Urban Sherp on September 8th, 2008
Who: Bluelounge Design; Pasadena, CA
What: Cool Feet
Where: Bluelounge, $12.95
Why: True to the name, most laptop users place their laptops on their laps, unknowingly blocking the air vents located on the bottom of the computer. This results not only in an overheating of your lap, but more critically, an overheating of the computer.
This forces the less powerful side and back vents to work in overdrive and use more energy in order to cool the computer down. If you notice that your laptop frequently powers down or freezes while the laptop is perched in your lap, overheating is likely the cause. Most of us, myself included, try to instantly power our laptop back up without letting it cool-this could ultimately lead to damage to the hardware or worse, the motherboard.
So, to preserve the electronics in your laptop, it is best to use it on a hard surface as their are small pads on the base of your laptop that allow for a little breathing room. If you must browse in bed, consider leaving a gap between your cushy comforter and your laptop. Or try out these clever Cool Feet. Simply stick the suction cupped feet onto the base of your laptop and you will allow for extra breathing room.
Note this quote from Techwarelabs: “Every ten degrees higher your processor runs (on average), its life is cut in half.” Here are some other tips from eHow.com on how to reduce the risk of overheating your laptop.
