I'm looking for a good cooling pad ~$20 - $40. I'd like to use it when gaming and won't break down after a couple of months.

Cooler Master Notepal U2 Notebook Cooler is good

Thermaltake Massive23 CS Cooling Stand is another, & it's still available. It's the one that I bought with my notebook last year, it's aluminum rather than plastic, very sturdy.

At the time I bought it, it was $69.99, $5.00 off Newegg's normal price of $74.99. Today, it's $49.99.

Newegg.com - Thermaltake Notebook Cooler with Silent 23cm Variable Color LED Fan Model Massive23 CS

Newegg has an excellent line of computer accessories & I highly recommend the site.

Cat

Another thought that will help prevent heat buildup, always use your laptop on a flat, hard surface, rather than a soft surface.

Many people use their laptops in the bed and just sit them on the covers. This is a great way to block the cooling vents which will lead to heat buildup.

Also use some cans of compressed air to clean the cooling vents as much as possible. These couple of tips will go a long way toward solving heat problems.

Or worse yet, some leaves their notebooks on carpet while using. This poses a twofold problem. In addition to the air vents being blocked, that carpet holds a ton of dust. That dust is being drawn into the notebook while it's running. Nor is it good to place a cooling pad onto the carpet to set the notebook on, as the cooling fan is blowing dust straight into it, negating any benefit that the cooling pad offers.

Until I bought my cooling pad, I used an extra counter saver that we had to set my notebook on. Anything to get it directly off the couch/bed & especially carpet. I wouldn't even place a tower PC directly on carpeting.

Ted mentioned cans of compressed air, these often comes in 2 or 3 can value packs, it's good to always have at least one can on hand. Great for keeping keyboards clean also.

Cat

But remember..... a can of compressed air can only BLOW, , , it's can't SUCK the dust or dirt out of anything.
In many cases it will blow the dirt deeper into the PC or keyboard, increasing the problem.

As a service man for "ITT Servcom", I've cleaned thousands of dirty keyboards in the past, with a Super Vacc. Cleaner.
Use a small paint brush or cleaning brush to loosen the dirt and a good Vacc. cleaner to suck the dirt up.

If you want compressed air, just pucker up and BLOW! rofl

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage

Actually, I have a vacuum cleaner attachment with a very narrow tip for delicate items, such as keyboards & other fragile items, & use it on a regular basis. However, some may find it difficult, w/o purchasing a new vacuum cleaner, or a entire attachment pack for their model to get this.

Fortunately, back in '96, when we bought our Kirby G5, it came with a multitude of attachments. That small one that I mentioned is also good for cleaning the vent openings.

When I actually use air to blow out a notebook, I remove the battery, keyboard (provided easy access & instructions are on hand) DVD ROM, any covers, & try to blow in the direction of these openings. Then use my vacuum tip to get the rest, as much as possible. Normally, when one requires this type of cleaning, it's running hotter than normal, & I check to make sure that the thermal paste is bonding the CPU & Heatsink. Because oftentimes, it's shot. If the Heatsink removes with no effort other than removing the screws, the paste needs to be reapplied.

This is a very common issue with notebooks, more so than desktops, due to the limited space, & it only takes a fraction of built up dust to cause overheating. Prolonged use in this condition is not good, once that thermal bond is broken, the heat becomes concentrated around the CPU & the MB area, & the GPU may also get damaged.

Therefore, and this I practice myself, I highly recommend a good yearly cleaning. Yes, I agree, vacuuming is better than blowing, but sometimes, especially with notebooks, this tip cannot access all areas of the device. The proper use of air & more vacuuming is oftentimes needed.

On average, I clean 2 to 3 notebooks per month, some are so filthy, it surprises me that it's still running. I'm not an IT Pro or even have a "real" business. My experience is web searching a easy to understand service manual, usually not the OEM one, study it, and proceed to get my hands dirty. I've saved my relatives & friends thousands of dollars in maintenance, virus cleaning & OS installs. My rates are slightly less than the "Geek Squad" ones, and a better job is done, because I take my time doing what I do. I refuse to be rushed, & if I'm busy doing something else, I don't put down what I'm currently doing to grab an "in between" job. This way, I stay focused on the task at hand.

I used to charge much less, but have learned that drastic underpricing only serves to attract those who wants something done for nothing, my time is too valuable for this. Plus, I fully stand behind the work that I do & keep all receipts for parts that's bought, in case of a future issue with the component. Therefore, my reasonable prices are justified.

Plus, if I know that I cannot repair something, I'm honest & politely decline the job.

Cat

I would think that a vacuum on one end and a can of compressed air (or TM) on the other end to blow in one side while you suck from the other side might be a good idea. (TM can you pucker and blow hard enough for that job, LOL.)

Actually................NO!
That's why, when I need to blow the dust-bunnies, dead bugs, mouse droppings, etc., out of a PC, I take it out to my shop where I have an air compressor that supplies me with 100psi air to my Blowgun, which does a great job.
I still (sometimes) have to break dirt loose with a cleaning brush, before the compressed air can move it.*

*When cleaning cooling fans, like the CPU fan, with compressed air, DO NOT let the fan blades spin.
The fan will over-rev and the blades can break off. I'm speaking of Desktop PC's here, but, That applies to Laptops too.

Sometimes, with a desktop CPU cooler, it's necessary to totally disassemble the cooling fan and heat-sink to WASH the dirt out of the heat-sink.

Dirty CPU fan and heat-sink:


The same fan and heat-sink after cleaning.


Only WASH the heat-sink. Clean the fan very carefully with a soft cloth or Q-tips, dampened with water or a household cleaner.

The CPU cooler in the above pictures, came out of a customer's PC, which was sitting on the floor, on a white carpet. Surprise! Surprise!
The fan was running at FULL SPEED all the time, just trying to cool the CPU. After a good cleaning it hardly ever ran at full speed again.

When doing this, the Heat-Sink thermal compound on the heat-sink, and the CPU chip, must be cleaned off and replaced, with new compound.
That should tell you, that this entire operation is not for the Novice.

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage

That is correct TM, it's not for a novice. But if a novice has the desire to do their own computer upkeep, as I was forced into while awaiting being approved for SSDI, he/she can do so. As I learned more, I started helping others with basic tasks, beginning with RAM & HDD swaps (usually on notebooks). If I could say I have a specialty, it would be notebook repair, but MB replacement/repair isn't one of them. However, cleaning one up & re-applying thermal paste, isn't that difficult, & depending on how far one has to be torn down to clean it, it may as well be done anyway on some models.

All of the instructions for common tasks can be found on the net, including detailed (usually third party) manuals, which are easier to understand than the OEM ones. Plus, there's often detailed videos featuring complete teardown of popular models, as well as performing certain tasks.

It's all in the mindset of the individual. One can choose to hand their hard earned cash to the Geek Squad or other repair shop, or learn to do it themselves. Many of these tasks, like RAM & HDD swaps, are 5 minute jobs. On the other hand, OS installs, another of my specialties, can take a day or longer, due to the massive number of updates needed & installing programs.

Back to the topic, I've found the best notebook cooling pads are those glass kitchen counter savers. They are flat, keep the notebook off of the furniture/floor, & practical for portability. The ones that Newegg & other retailers has are best for those who leaves their notebook in one place most of the time.

Cat