If you have a Dell Alienware laptop that overheats especially under heavy loading environments, you’re not alone. Many Alienware users have complained of the same.
While Dell recommends taking some troubleshooting steps, this doesn’t work all the time, especially for heavy gamers and those who use their Alienware laptops continuously for several hours.
So, what’s the quick solution to the overheating problems in Dell Alienware laptops? Investing in the right cooling pad.
Best Cooling Pads for Dell Alienware: Our Top 6 Picks
Not every cooling pad on the market is suitable for your Dell Alienware laptop, which sports an exclusive design. So, if you really don’t check each option thoroughly, you’d most likely end up buying the wrong pad.
Thankfully, we have done all the hard work for you. In a bid to help you make the right buying decision, our team scoured the market to select the best cooling pads and assess them for suitability with Alienware laptops. And here are our top recommendations.
1. KLIM Cyclone Laptop Cooling Pad
For pro gamers with large laptops, the KLIM Cyclone Laptop Cooling Pad is a rich, lasting investment. This cooling pad features a large surface area that will handle laptops of 16-19 inches.
The KLIM Cyclone Laptop Cooling Pad also features a top-notch build quality that supports heavy laptops. And it comes with a 5-year warranty on its parts.
This cooling pad is fitted with five powerful fans with four of them spinning at 2,200 RPM and one spinning at 1,200 RPM. Together, they ensure that your laptop runs smoothly without overheating even when playing CPU-intensive games.
For extra connectivity, this cooling pad comes with two USB ports.
Pros
- Tough build quality
- Accommodates laptops of up to 19 inches
- Powerful and quiet fans
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- No effective anti-slip feature
- Made of hard plastic
2. Kootek Laptop Cooling Pad
The Kootek Laptop Cooling Pad is great for laptops measuring 12–17 inches. The cooling pad itself measures 15.04 x 11.89 x 1.5 inches so the edges of your laptop could be wider than its actual size; but not to worry, the cooling pad will hold the weight and size of your laptop with ease, thanks to its anti-slip feature and sturdy design.
This cooling pad features four non-slip rubber pads at the bottom that prevents it from slipping. On the front of the surface are two stoppers that will hold your laptop in place. You also get six adjustable height settings that allow for a better viewing and gaming experience. This should also help you get the perfect sitting posture while gaming.
The Kootek Laptop Cooling Pad comes with five fans with blue LED indicator lights to show the working status of the fans. There is a single large central fan and four smaller surrounding fans all working together to provide adequate cooling. The fans come with three-fan combinations. You can set only the central fan to work (when you do this, only the central fan’s LED indicator stays on; the others will go off), only the four surrounding fans to work, or all five fans to provide cooling.
This cooling pad comes with a built-in USB cable and two USB ports for extra connectivity.
Pros
- Five whisper-quiet cooling fans
- Six adjustable height settings
- Portable and lightweight
- Speed control settings
Cons
- Flimsy plastic build
- The cooling pad will not comfortably fit all 17-inch laptops
3. Lamicall Laptop Cooling Pad
For super-efficient cooling, you’ve got the Lamicall Laptop Cooling Pad. Most cooling pads with a 5-fan setup would come with a large central fan and four smaller surrounding fans, but this piece of hardware differs. Rather, it comes with five equally-sized fans and adjustable speed settings from 1800–2200 RPM. There is a blue LED indicator at the rear of the cooler that tells you when the cooling pad is active.
Though the fans are powerful and will effectively reduce the temperature of your laptop, they operate silently. This is due to the noise reduction design that ensures you don’t hear the sound of the fans even when they are operating at maximum power.
To make viewing and gaming easier, this cooling pad comes with adjustable height settings. This is brought by the two foldable feet at the bottom of the cooler which when flipped up will raise the cooler, and when flipped down will return the cooler to a leveled position.
The Lamicall Laptop Cooling Pad is made for laptops of up to 15.6 inches. It measures 14.2 x 10.3 x 1 inches. It is also lightweight at 1.6 pounds and very easy to move around.
This cooling pad is equipped with two USB ports to connect external devices.
Pros
- Easy to carry
- Quiet operation
- Powerful fans
- Impressive build quality
Cons
- No anti-slip feature
- A little pricy
4. KEYNICE Laptop Cooling Pad
If you’re a heavy-duty gamer and you need a lot of cooling power to prevent your laptop from overheating and crashing, then you will love the KEYNICE Laptop Cooling Pad.
The overall quality of this cooling pad is one of its most impressive features. It is constructed of durable metal mesh and ABS material that allows for efficient heat dissipation.
This cooling pad features six cooling fans for maximum cooling, and they operate silently, allowing you to concentrate on getting that new high score. The fans come with five wind speed adjustable settings that allow you to decide just how hard you want them to blow. There are also three fan combinations. You can set all six fans to work; 3 fans to work, or four fans to work. Together all fans provide 2,600 RPM for efficient cooling.
The KEYNICE Laptop Cooling Pad is designed to fit 12–17-inch laptops, though it measures 16.42 x 11.81 x 1.18 inches. Its ergonomic design will hold your laptop with ease and prevent it from slipping. On the bottom of the cooler are foldable double brackets for height adjustment. These allow you to set your laptop at a comfortable angle. You also get dual USB 2.0 ports.
Pros
- Ergonomic design
- High build quality
- Six efficient cooling fans
- Adjustable speed settings
Cons
- 6-month warranty
- A little pricy
5. PCCOOLER Laptop Cooling Pad
Another super-cooler is the PCCOOLER Laptop Cooling Pad. This hardware also comes with six high-speed fans each with 1,400 RPM for efficient cooling. The fans are fitted with red LED lights to indicate if the fans are working and how hard they are blowing. You also get several speed settings that can be adjustable with a switch.
This cooling pad is all about durability. It comes with a 2.5mm stainless steel mesh surface that will hold 12–17-inch laptops with ease. The mesh surface provides adequate ventilation and better heat dissipation.
Right at the bottom of the cooling pad are foldable double brackets for height adjustment. With them, you can set your laptop to between 0–30 degrees. You will also find two USB ports to connect your USB devices.
Pros
- Six high-speed fans
- Switch-type adjustable speed settings
- Durable build quality
- Affordable
Cons
- No front-surface anti-slip feature
- Would not fit some 17-inch laptops
6. KEROLFFU Laptop Cooling Pad
If you’re looking for something very affordable but also super-efficient, then the KEROLFFU Laptop Cooling Pad would make for a great purchase. This cooling pad comes with only two super-sized fans that operate at 1,400 RPM.
You will also get five height adjustment settings using the foldable stands. These settings allow for a comfortable viewing angle. Also, you won’t have to worry about your laptop scratching on the surface of the cooling pad, thanks to its excellent design.
The KEROLFFU Laptop Cooling Pad is equipped with a flip-up stopper that prevents your laptop from slipping at any angle. This is an impressive feature since the cooling pad is built to handle large laptops of up to 15.6 inches. Included are two USB ports for your USB devices.
Pros
- Super-quiet operation
- Affordable yet durable
- 5-height adjustable settings
- Flip-up stopper
Cons
- Fan speeds at 1400 RPM
- No speed-settings
Things to Consider When Buying a Cooling Pad for your Dell Alienware Laptop
If you own a high-end Dell Alienware gaming laptop, then you would need a top-notch cooling pad to keep temperatures low while you game. There are different cooling pad models with different specs in the market that work well with gaming laptops. This buying guide should help you narrow down your options and make the right decision.
Cooling Methods
A cooling pad can use either active cooling or passive cooling to provide better airflow and ensure that your laptop runs at optimal temperatures. Both options are great but when you’re a professional gamer, you might want to go for cooling pads with active cooling.
- Cooling pads with fan (active cooling) – Cooling pads with fans provide better temperature control by improving air circulation. The extra fans would help your laptop operate at optimal temperatures even if you’re a heavy gamer.
- Cooling pads without fan (passive cooling) – If you can’t deal with all the noise that comes from a moving fan, then this cooling method is best for you. This cooling pad offers passive cooling in the sense that it doesn’t actually cool your laptop but boost your laptop’s ability to cool itself. Cooling pads without fans are fitted with heat-resistant materials designed to encourage better air circulation and boost the efficiency of your laptop’s internal fans. In other words, they just help your laptop’s own fans to work better, thus the term, passive cooling.
No of Fans/Size of Fans
If you’re going for a cooling pad with fans, then you need to consider the number of fans it comes with. The more fans you see, the better performance the cooling pad will offer. However, things are not always so straight forward. Some fans may come with one or two fans and they will offer more excellent power than those with more. This is why you should also consider the size of the fans. Bigger always means better and more efficient.
Cooling Efficiency
When considering cooling efficiency, you have to check how fast the fans rotate – the rotations per minute (RPM) and how hard they blow – cubic feet per minute (CFM). While you should only take the figures with a pinch of salt, higher ratings usually mean better cooling efficiency.
Noise Level
With fans blowing there is sure to be some noise and since you’re going to need all your concentration to hit that new high game score, having a jet engine right under your laptop wouldn’t make for the best experience. Luckily for you, there are available fans with almost-silent operations in the market.
Build Quality
A tough and excellent build quality means that your cooling pad would last you longer beyond just a few uses. Normally, picking a cooling pad that is built with durability in mind is not always easy, but with the recommendations above, it should be easy for you to make a choice.
Price
In the world of electronics, cheap isn’t always best. You will miss out on some important features if you settle for the most affordable options; however, that doesn’t mean you should break the bank to get the best. Our list of the best cooling pads for Dell Alienware laptops consists of affordable options with just the right features.
Connectivity Options
Cooling pads are meant to help your laptop remain cool but they do come with extra features like USB ports. If you’re running out of connection options on your laptop, you should consider a cooling pad with several USB ports. They also come in handy since you would be losing a USB port when you attach a laptop cooler.
Laptop Capacity
Cooling pads are rated to serve a certain range of laptop sizes. This could be between 10-15 inches or between 15-17 inches. You should always go for the one with more capacity. If you own a 15-inch laptop, you should go for laptop coolers with 15-17-inch capacity rather than 10-15-inch cooling pads.
Speed Control
While you might need the cooling pad to keep your laptop cool by delivering as much power as possible, you might just want to turn things down a little when running less-demanding programs. Some cooling pads come with speed control functions that allow you to decide just how much cooling you want.
Height Adjustment
A cooling pad would hold your laptop diagonally which will affect your viewing and typing experience. Some cooling pads feature height adjustment functions that allow you to set your laptop just the way you want it. You might find just two or more options but this feature could add to the overall price of the cooling pad.
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