Laptops have an issue with them that isn’t shared by their larger, desk-bound brethren. Given the close proximity of their components to one another, they’re actually fairly difficult to keep cool. While some systems don’t seem to have much of an issue, others seem to overheat at the drop of a hat. Cooling trays aren’t so much a luxury with these devices as they are a necessity. Unfortunately, finding the right tray can be something of a headache- again, depending on what sort of device you’re using.

So…why not just build your own? It’s actually not as hard as you might think, depending on how fancy you want to get with it, and what sort of design you want to go with. The simplest one requires a couple of fans (PC fans would work just fine), a low power AC adapter, a crimping tool, and a soldering gun and a material of your choice for the base. For those of you who are interested, here’s a more in-depth guide to pulling this off.  If that doesn’t quite catch your fancy, have another five.

In addition to cobbling together a cooling tray (or building your own), there are a few other things you’ll want to do in order to keep your laptop running cool. Pay attention to the temperature of the area in which you’re using it. Don’t obstruct the fans. Keep an eye on when it gets hottest, and try to find ways to mitigate the heat at those moments (or double check and make sure that none of your software is causing an issue). Pretty basic stuff, right?

There are quite a few applications out there that are designed to help you better monitor your laptop and keep it from internally combusting, as well.  Real Temp’s probably one of the most comprehensive pieces of software out there (and better yet, it’s free). Others exist, as well- look around a bit, and see if you can find one that’s right for you.

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