So you have found your laptop becoming increasingly hot, and you know you need to do something about it.  You might have even decided that you need to invest in a laptop cooler.  But with hundreds of laptop coolers out there, and dozens of brands, how do you choose which one is right for you?

This quick and simple guide will tell you what you need to look for in the best laptop cooler to suit your needs, you should make sure that your new laptop cooling device not only keeps things cool, but also suits your lifestyle.

Size

The size of a laptop cooler is one of the most important factors.  You need to make sure that your laptop cooler fits your laptop, get a laptop cooler that’s too small and you may find it gives inefficient cooling.

Cooling Power

The cooling power of a laptop cooler usually goes in tandem with noise levels, although some high quality laptop coolers do have silent, high powered fans. The amount of laptop cooling you need really does depend on the laptop you own. A high powered gaming laptop for instance will generally need a high quality powerful laptop cooler to keep things cool, a $300 laptop which you only use for surfing the net on the other hand, may just need a passive laptop cooling pad, which does not have any fans at all.

The easiest way to judge how much cooling power your laptop needs is simply to hold your hand on the base over all over after an hour or two of normal use. Judging on how hot your laptop gets, you can quickly figure out just how much laptop cooling power you need. If your laptop barely gets warm, you probably do not need to invest in a laptop cooler (Unless you use it on places like the bed, where the air vents can get clogged). If you can barely touch the base of your laptop because it gets so hot, then you definitely need an extremely powerful laptop cooler.

Noise Levels

As mentioned, noise levels vary a lot between laptop cooler.  A lot of this is simply down to the quality of components inside the machine.  A high quality laptop cooler fan generally generates much less noise than a cheap $20 laptop cooler! Cheaper fans also generate noise, especially when they begin to degrade.

Reliability

The reliability of a laptop cooler is also down to the quality of the internal fans.  Cheap fans have a habit of breaking down much more quickly then fans with a long lasting design.  Unreliable fans can also quickly generate fluttering and loud whirring sounds, which will continue to get worse.

The reliability difference between high quality and low quality laptop cooler fans is huge, with Zalman fans lasting over 4 times longer than some cheaper laptop cooler brands.

Durability

If you are a little rough with your laptop cooler then you want a durable laptop cooler. Aluminum laptop coolers are generally more durable than plastic ones. Despite this you can find some durable plastic laptop coolers such as the Antech 200.

Be warned, the cheapo ‘fold out’ laptop coolers you see across eBay will break pretty quickly!

Portability

A portable laptop cooler needs to encompass a few different points.  If you want to carry your laptop cooler around with you, then you definitely want something that is lightweight, durable, and compact.  If you need a larger laptop cooler, you may be able to find one which folds up to a smaller size (Make sure it has metal hinges).

Price

To some price may be a big deal, and laptop coolers do vary quite a lot. You can generally spend between $10 and $70 for a laptop cooler, so it is definitely a factor in your buying decision.  For a good laptop cooler however, you will want to spend at least around $30, probably $40 to $50.

By taking all these factors in to account you can find the best laptop cooler for your needs, whether you want silent business like cooling, or high powered gaming cooling!