If you do not have cash for a notebook cooler or do not feel like buying one, there is an alternative. Starting at $0 it’s a rather cheap innovation. Although not as effective as a notebook cooler, bang for the buck it cannot be beat.

(This tutorial will only work to its full effectiveness as long as your notebook has a fan vent on the bottom of your notebook.)

Airflow is a major part in cooling your notebook. If airflow is restricted, such as on a bed or directly on a table it will slightly suffocate a notebook. A notebook fan intakes air and then blows the cool air through the notebook and exhausts the air in another direction. The intake is often but not always located on the bottom of the notebook. If it is not on the bottom it is either on top or on the side or rear of the notebook. The output is usually in one of the locations specified for the intake.

If airflow is increased it allows for the fan to move cooler air through your notebook. There is no “trapped” air around the intake.

Notebook coolers are designed to force cool air up to your fan and the higher the RPM the faster the air is pushed through the intake of the fan and through the notebook. The key point to note is that notebook coolers create faster air flow than naturally possible. With a few simple steps and some improvisation, you can create better air circulation for your notebook.
 Step 1: Materials

Our goal is to lift up the notebook so that it has increased airflow. To achieve this there is a large variety of materials that can be used. We recommend small objects such as firm erasers, bottle caps etc. Larger objects can be used but they can cause space issues and clustering (CD cases, card cases etc).

Step 2: Assembly

In this step we want to stack the object we chose. If you have multiple objects stacked to form one feet, you can use tape or glue to join the individual objects making it a single non-movable piece; if these objects are not held together securely, they can separate leading to a collapse that may consequently damage your notebook.

Step 3: Test run

Try out your new feet, it is your choice whether you would like to just have two columns in the rear or toss a couple extra under each the front corners as well feel free to just try out and see what works best. If your fan is not in the rear bottom part of the notebook we recommend that you have something under the front as well.

There are products which do this for you but why spend $$$on a product when you can make it yourself for next to nothing?  For road warriors, the following method works great; just pull your wallet out your back pocket and use it to prop up the rear of your notebook in class and enjoy a more silent experience. The name of the game is “improvisation”.

We actually do love some products such as the Latosta Notebook Stand which does this but in a smaller form and can sustain far more weight, stability and adjustability and only costs you 15$.