Is there potential for a liquid cooled laptop accesory/pad?

[altshep123]

My laptop gets HOT.  Laptop stands and pads with fans abound, but I've wondered why there isn't a mainstream liquid cooled option available.  I understand it would be a bit cumbersome, but I imagine a small hard body pad with copper tubing running through it that routes to a small radiator, fan and resevoir might be useful for gamers and anyone that's ever worked on a Macbook Pro...  The drop in portability wouldn't be that bad since they aren't explicitly tied to one another.

Perhaps the heat transfer wouldn't be ideal since the pad isn't directly mounted to a block on the CPU or GPU, but the passive cooling should at least help some right?  Do these already exist and I'm just not finding them?  Any plans being researched Tt?

[TT CPM]

Hi Altshep123

 

Thanks for your creative ideas.

We've done some research about it, basically every laptop are different, it is hard to come up with one universal liquid cooling module. 

[Tte Martin]

My advice would be to blow out the dust with compressed air (either from a compressor, if you got access to one, or you can buy it in a can). Open the laptop for an even better result but make sure to fix the fans while you do.

 

This worked wonders with my laptop, got the GPU temperature from 95°C down to about 60°C under load.

[altshep123]

I was thinking something universal that isn't dependent on a specific laptop.  Just a pimped out, USB powered laptop mat that we're used to seeing (usually only passive air).  Picture a Targus Lap Chill Mat with a small radiator and cooling tubes built in.  Why would that be laptop dependent?

[benroots34]

On 9/15/2014 at 1:06 PM, altshep123 said:

My laptop gets HOT.  Laptop stands and pads with fans abound, but I've wondered why there isn't a mainstream liquid cooled option available.  I understand it would be a bit cumbersome, but I imagine a small hard body pad with copper tubing running through it that routes to a small radiator, fan and resevoir might be useful for gamers and anyone that's ever worked on a Macbook Pro...  The drop in portability wouldn't be that bad since they aren't explicitly tied to one another.

Perhaps the heat transfer wouldn't be ideal since the pad isn't directly mounted to a block on the CPU or GPU, but the passive cooling should at least help some right?  Do these already exist and I'm just not finding them?  Any plans being researched Tt?

While there are various laptop cooling solutions available, such as laptop stands and cooling pads with fans, mainstream liquid cooling options specifically designed for laptops are not widely available. There are a few reasons for this:

Design and portability: Implementing a liquid cooling system in a laptop would require significant modifications to the internal design and construction. Laptops are built to be compact and portable, and adding a liquid cooling system with additional components like a radiator, fan, and reservoir would likely increase the size and weight, making it less convenient for mobility.

Complexity and maintenance: Liquid cooling systems, even in desktop PCs, require regular maintenance, such as refilling coolant and ensuring proper sealing and connections. In the case of a laptop, where space is limited and accessibility is more challenging, maintaining a liquid cooling system would be even more cumbersome.

Heat transfer limitations: The effectiveness of liquid cooling depends on direct contact between the cooling solution and the heat source, such as the CPU or GPU. In laptops, the heat generated by these components is typically dissipated through heat pipes and heat sinks, which are in direct contact with the components. Creating a liquid cooling system that can efficiently transfer heat from the components to the liquid cooling pad without direct contact could be challenging.

That being said, there are some high-end gaming laptops or custom-built laptops available on the market that incorporate liquid cooling solutions. These are usually niche products and not mainstream options due to the factors mentioned above.

It's worth noting that manufacturers are continually researching and innovating in the laptop cooling space. While I don't have specific information on their future plans, it's possible that advancements in thermal management and cooling technologies could lead to more efficient and effective cooling solutions for laptops in the future.