Thinkpads Forum

i'm looking for a stand that would help keep my T60p cool. especially in heat waves of summer!

i'm going for non powered, no fan, elevation for circulation seems to make more sense, but maybe those pads that distribute absorbed heat actually work?

it would be nice if it were somewhat light and somewhat portable, maybe on lap use, but whatever works best really.

i'm using an external mouse, that's it, no external keyboard or monitor.

does anyone have recommendations? do they all work about equally well? or do they all not really work?

i found these searching google/amazon, which look somewhat better, than the many other options they have...

http://www.amazon.com/Xpad-Non-slip-Lap ... 88&sr=1-14

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-i-Xof ... c_title_24

http://www.amazon.com/Targus-PA243U-Not ... c_title_29

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Alto-Exp ... c_title_44




thanks!

Even though it has fans on it I had bought one of these stands in the eBay link..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0245880063

After I received it, first thing I did was cut the USB cable off and installed a coaxial receptacle on there. I then put coaxial connectors on an old Cell phone charger that I had (5v, how convenient) and the end of the USB cable so I have the option of running it off the laptop or residential power.

But doing it that was, I can also just use the stand as well. The best part... with shipping it was like $15, and showed up within about 3 business days.

I use an Xpad (your first link) when docked and it works pretty well. If I'm going to be gaming (or anything else that heats things up considerably) for extended periods I also aim my desk fan at it so that the cross breeze hits the spaces that the Xpad creates under the laptop and that keeps everything nice and cool.

When not docked I usually have my Thinkpad on my Lapinator.

wait so you put the Xpad under a thinkpad dock?

i'm not using a docking station anymore,

so why wouldn't you just use the Xpad straight w/ the laptop, w/o dock?

if the pad doesn't create airspace for underneath the laptop, like the link you shared, does it really help cool? wouldn't that be the same as my laptop on my desk? which is the majority of the time.

The Xpad does create space under the laptop for airflow. I have it under my dock because I almost always play games and do other system intensive stuff while docked. I bought the Lapinator for when I'm just bumming around the house or on the balcony with my Thinkpad and want a bit better cooling than simply resting it on my lap.

I choose to use the Lapinator over the Xpad when not docked because it's more comfortable. The Lapinator has cushioning on the bottom! The Xpad is hard plastic with minimal cushioning on the bottom. It's more like a non-skid pad than a cushion, actually.

I suppose you could use the Xpad in your lap too, I just wanted something that would remain stationary under my dock.

by far the best cooling pad for Thinkpad would be Zalman ZM-NC1000. It fits Thinkpad T60 perfectly and cools entire laptop rather well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834998051

-- Andrey

I picked up a lightweight fabric-covered notebook platform from Alsop at Staples last summer to keep my old Dell's heat off my knees while getting work done during kid activities. Here's their product page.

I really like its very light weight and its ability to wrap around the notebook for a bit of extra protection for the back of the screen. It doesn't fit within a neoprene sleeve that I sometimes use, but it has no trouble in a backpack or bike pannier.

It also works nicely on a tabletop... the keyboard is way too high but this angles it, helping avoid that backwards angle in the wrist while lifting the screen closer to eye level.

No fans, no deep channels... just a highly textured (but thin) fabric on top of rigid plastic. Lets the notebook's feet do their job.

the allsop looks like it only keeps your lap from getting too warm, i'm looking for something that keeps the computer from getting too hot...

and without fans...

allen wrote:the allsop looks like it only keeps your lap from getting too warm...

It does ensure that you don't block any vents on the bottom with your knees/legs. If you believe that the "feet" on the bottom of the laptop do not provide enough lift for adequate airflow underneath the notebook, then this won't help. I just measured the deflection of the fabric cover with a caliper and it's well under 1mm. My T61p is docked right now, so I can't easily measure the thickness of the feet, but I believe they're at least 5mm, so I do believe that this works to keep that air available..

But it sounds like you're working at a desk anyway. Are you wanting to change the position of the keyboard or is that good for you? If you're pretty happy with where the laptop is on the desk/table but just want to ensure a little more airspace under the notebook, I wonder if something as easy as stick-on rubber feet might work for you.