Cooling pad vs stand: does one affect thermals better than the other

[ishraqiyun77]

Haven't really seen any scientific comparisons of this done and I'm too lazy to do them myself.

 

Anyway, just seeing if a cooling pad with fans that a laptop sits on does produce lower thermals in a laptop as opposed to just a stand that allows ventilation like the following:

 

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ventilated-Adjustable-Laptop-Stand/dp/B00WRDS8H0/ref=lp_3015409011_1_4/134-6088451-6951149?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1566430827&sr=1-4

 

I've read anecdotal responses that say it doesn't make a difference really since all that matters is ventilation since fans blowing air in can't force it to take in more air than the air intake fans already allow.

 

So just curious.

[RAS_3885]

Can't recall any specific tests I've seen, but I don't think there will be too much of a difference.

 

Unlike tower cases where there is (comparatively) more open space for airflow, laptop air paths are pretty restrictive.  I would not expect a cooling pad with fans to be able to push any significant amount of extra air through the internal heatsinks than the internal fans themselves.

 

The stand you linked is pretty inexpensive, so I'd give it a try first and see if you have thermals that are satisfactory.