Cooling the MBP - Targus Chill Pads and the like, are they worth it?

The MBPs are made of aluminum, not titanium and the underside is one big massive heatsink. Try putting it on your lap after a prolonged Photoshop/Director/Doom session... 😀 Anything that can help move more air across the bottom of the Mac will help cool it quicker so the internal fans won't have to go into "jet turbine mode". That being said, I concur that the fan-equipped Chill Mats from Targus and others are a bit of overkill. Much cheaper, portable and just as effective are the CoolPads also from Targus, which only separate the MBP from the desk and allow a natural airflow without requiring power. I use a CoolPad at home and a PodiumPad at work, both from RoadTools, and my MBP never gets hot.

Have a look at this link
http://www.mac-xx.com/NEWS.html
This is a non fan heat sink type of cooler, I use one with my 1st generation MBP and it keeps my machine cool enough not to notice any fan activity unless I am doing something very intensive in Photoshop.

Anything that keeps unobstructed airflow under your MBP will make a difference, rh10023. The Targus and Belkin pads do this. They have a lot to recommend them compared to some of the overblown monstrosities with fans and the like (you might as well just get a desktop instead if you plan on using some of them!).

On the other hand, you can achieve much the same result as you get with a "fanless" pad by simply using a $2 plastic chopping board from the local bargain shop!

If this isn't sufficient to keep your Mac at a reasonable temperature you should be asking yourself why it is getting too hot, before looking for solutions that simply treat the "symptoms", though.

Cheers

Rod

Hi,

I use the Griffin Elevator stand which I purchased from the Apple Store. It lifts my MacBook Pro screen up to eye-level and gives it all the airflow it needs to keep cool.

One of the things that put me off the cooling pads was the noise from the fans and I don't have enough free USB ports.

Cheers,

Andy E