Laptop Cooling... Any Suggestions?

[cookepuss]

Hi, guys. Looking for a little advice here.

I just bought a handful of HP 17" widescreen laptops. Dual Core, HD DVD, GeForce8, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, webcam, Hi-Def Digital TV Tuner, two media player remotes, etc.. Pretty sweet for the price.

So, here's my story.

I injured my knees early in the summer while on vacation to Boston.

(Tripped over an air conditioner somebody left on the sidewalk in Chinatown, of all places. Didn't see it. Although I was holding my camcorder at the time, that's not what did me in. I was totally blinded by the sun & face planted into the pavement. HARD. Should've just just stopped to reach for my sunglasses. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. My brother seriously thought I broke both legs because I fell so hard. I actually still got the digital video on my HDD, from my POV naturally.)

ANYWAY.....Although I have some lingering nerve damage and have a small dead zone on one knee, they've mostly healed up. I'm only 33, but have unfortunately developed a case of arthritis in both knees as a direct result of my spill. Some days, it makes more sense to work from bed since I work out of the house anyway.

I was wondering if you had any good ideas regarding cooling. It's got some fans on the bottom so I can't use anything that'll block the vents. Like I said, the laptop model is a widescreen 17". Pretty tricky finding a decent cooling solution for something that size.

I was looking at the LapLogic W800 Aerogel Extreme Wide LapDesk (http://www.amazon.com/LapLogic-W800-Aerogel-Extreme-LapDesk/dp/B000YA4OOE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1196318527&sr=1-2), but I'm hesitant to blindly shell out additional cash when I've already spent ~$1,500 per laptop.

Any ideas? No preference RE: fans or fan-less.

Thanks.

[Deto]

Cooling wise... well, I can't really talk about special hardware or such as I don't have any experience in laptop cooling, but if you're working from bed, put some 'hard' board under the laptop and you're good to go :) I either use thin piece of wood or hard covered book about size of the laptop :D

[LowRez]

If the coolings on the underside, then construct a little free standing tray type thing which is made of mesh, It would be lightweight but strong enough for the laptop, and would alsolet the laptop draw in air from underneath...

[cookepuss]

I've already got a basic lap desk. Hard surface. Cushioned underside. Works fine as basic work area for those times when its too uncomfortable to work at my desk. For non-CG use, I'd agree with you and just call it a day at the lap desk.

However, I was just curious because any render time I put onto the machine is certainly going to drive up the temp. Though a laptop, this machine is actually one of 8 machines here on my network. As such, it's definitely going to see some render action.

My previous laptop - a veritable POS - was only ~13" and was vented at the rear instead of the bottom. Cooling it was a simple as sticking it on a $30 "chill pad" w/triple fans. With the new machines here, they don't run super hot, but I know that I have the habit of beating the hell of of machines with my render habits. So, the need for good cooling is something of which I'm well aware.

You'd think that, with so many larger 16:10 portables on the market nowadays, there would be lots of cooling options available. Sadly... not that many.

[BiG ToE]

not real sure how well they work, or how they hook up and such, but the ps3's have an add-on cooling system that may work for your needs.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8235019&type=product&id=1168044005667

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=802609

[cookepuss]

Interesting idea, BiG ToE. Even if it wasn't so thick, it's a side mount option, which would obscure some ports. The laptop is surrounded by ports on the 4 major sides.

This is what it looks like, btw. As you can see, it's fairly wide. It's about 15.5" x 12" x 1.6". It's about 4"-5" too long for most cooling mats.