Like most laptops mine suffers from the problem of overheating, leading to rather warm legs, and if ’scientists’ are to be believed, not that many swimmers in the basket, if you catch my mixed metaphor.

I scoured the net for laptop coolers, but found that the fans in the professionally built coolers weren’t in the right places so they wouldn’t be that effectively.

So what does the student with time on his hands do? Creates the cheapest/simplest/most ghetto thing that he possibly can.

Like all brilliant ideas it was ever so, ever so easy to do. I just got one of those big folders made of thick and tough cardboard, made some holes that matched up with the fans and errr, that was pretty much it.

Surprisingly it does have quite a significant effect, the motherboard temperature has dropped from a worrying 68 celsiuis average down to around 57 or so, not bad for 10 minutes work eh?

Pictures of this monstrosity:

I also made up a USB powered fan with a little cable jiggery-pokery but I felt that something of that level of engineering would be a waste, especially since the sides are open anyway, so the removal of air would be pretty un helpful anyway.