A lot of people consider having additional aids to the devices they own. They believe having more office items, and even tech-savvy innovations help improve the quality of their lives.

This is especially true for laptop owners, who seek to get the best out of the gadget and have it perform well. Issues like overheating are conquered through pieces like cooling pads.

As with any purchase that needs thinking through, it’s best to ask, “Are cooling pads bad for laptops?” and other related questions.

Can cooling pads cause damage to laptops?

The use of cooling pads is an indirect approach to ventilation. Powered by a USB interface, it is connected to the laptop and acts as external ventilation hardware, usually having RGB lighting and built-in fans.

The main purpose of these pads is to prevent heat. They come with a one-directional ventilation system, which helps provide cooler air to aid in heat dissipation from hardware.

Cooling pads usually do not cause damage. Most of the time, they act as temporary or long-term solutions to some of the perennial problems encountered in laptops, such as running on extremely high temperatures.

However, it is said that while they do not cause a lot of damage, there are cons to consider before buying or using one.

Listed below are things to watch out for if you think of having cooling pads.

1. Newer laptops really do not need it.

If you own an updated laptop, chances are you do not need cooling pads. They might even result in low-class ventilation.

Also, newer laptops are already equipped with complex parts that help them run seamlessly. This renders cooling pads virtually useless.

2. The pads hog battery life.

Because the pads are usually connected through the USB ports and are thus powered by the laptop battery, they tend to get most of the energy from the lithium battery cells.

This leaves the user very little runtime.

The RGB illumination, too, that comes with the pads (though not giving anything for prevention of heat) also drains the battery further.

3. The pads take a lot of space.

Because cooling pads come in mostly large sizes, they are not always ideal to use. They tend to be heavier and space-consuming.

These things can affect laptop portability, too. User-friendliness points are also diminished due to possible awkwardness in using incredibly unfit measurement specifications.

4. They tend to be noisy.

Noise, an issue encountered in most problematic laptops, tends to be aggravated by cooling pads.

This is because they can trigger the censor of the laptop’s internal thermal system, therefore even indirectly commanding the laptop fans to work harder.

5. They lead to dust accumulation.

Because our workspace and homes are filled with debris and dust particles mostly not visible to our eyes, the fans do the job of sucking them and the air.

This dust may get stuck in the hardware and get clogged with a cooling pad around.

Therefore, instead of doing its main job of helping, a possibility is having the dust transported to other parts of the laptop. This may even generate heat further in the laptop system.

It’s good that this is an avoidable problem given regular cleaning.

6. They usually do not cure the problem but only treat existing symptoms.

Most of the time, those experiencing cooling troubles in their laptops have issues not checked. For example, overheating usually tends to happen due to dust accumulation, like lint.

In fact, for some models like the MacBook, the pad, while not causing irreversible damage, will cause other sources of hassle such as blowing a lot of dust and air inside the laptop.

This tends to trigger sensors inside the unit, placing undue stress on the computer.

Also, laptops like the Macbook have their heat-producing components placed on the top or in the keyboard section, once again rendering the cooling pads not useful.

Thus, there are better ways to deal with overheating, such as freshening thermal paste between a laptop’s heat sink and the CPU.

As such, cooling pads are not always the best option.

The Bottom Line

The main point to consider is that cooling pads do not cause damaged laptops to exist and multiply.

However, getting one or two merits careful thought, considering that there are times when one does not need them at all.

Still, advantages remain. Redeeming factors include the fact that cooling pads provide solutions without taking apart an entire laptop.

Also, if you’re the type who loves LED lights for aesthetics and do not mind having a quick fix for noise and heat solutions, then the pads might work for you.

Just try – after all, there is no significant damage to expect anyway.

Taylor Gilbert is the admin and freelance writer at How About Tech since 2020. He primarily writes Tech articles, How-to guides and Entertainment as well.