Wrist cooling solution for laptop user?

August 4, 2011 10:01 AM

I'm overheating because my MacBook Pro's wrist areas get very hot. What's the best way to fix this?

This is when I work with the laptop on a desk, so the traditional lap-cooling systems won't help much. Also, I don't like solutions that raise or tilt the laptop; maybe a slight tilt would be OK. But would a tilting cooling system solve the wrist issue?

I suspect the best solution would be some kind of passive system that I could put underneath my wrists and which could direct the heat away. It can't be too bulky, though. I hate those wrist pads you get for mice, for example.

posted by gentle to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Have you considered just using an insulator? Like these leather overlays on eBay? It won't cool you, but it should block some of the heat.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:05 AM on August 4, 2011

Hm, no. But I had a strip of leather lying around, roughly as thick as that overlay, and tried that. It helped a little bit, but not near enough. So I'm skeptical.
posted by gentle at 10:10 AM on August 4, 2011

Would it bother you to have a small fan sitting next to the laptop and blowing across the parts that get too hot?
posted by corey flood at 10:22 AM on August 4, 2011

It would have to be really small! Are you sure it would help? I keep my hands constantly pretty much flat on the surface of the laptop, obstruct any possible airflow.
posted by gentle at 10:29 AM on August 4, 2011

I find that it helps me. You have to move your wrists at some point, right? Even a little bit helps. I find that it keeps my hands cool and seems to help keep the computer itself from getting too hot. YMMV. Maybe try it with a little battery-powered fan? Or one of those little fans that plug into a USB port?
posted by corey flood at 10:45 AM on August 4, 2011

Actually, the way I type, my wrists are pretty much always flat on the surface, except when I face a difficult programming conundrum and feel the urge to stroke my goatee. :-)

With the laptop being so hot, I have to consciously move my wrists off the laptop once in a while just to cool down, but I would rather not.
posted by gentle at 11:06 AM on August 4, 2011

That said, I'm going to try my luck at the hardware store and see if they have any small fans.
posted by gentle at 11:07 AM on August 4, 2011

Could you avoid the problem by getting a small bluetooth keyboard? The Apple one feels very much like my Macbook Pro's keyboard.
posted by advicepig at 11:48 AM on August 4, 2011

Not unless there is some way for me put in roughly the same place as the current keyboard, depthwise, otherwise the screen would be too far away. Perhaps if there were some laptop stand which was wide enough to fit a keyboard (and my hands) under it. Doubtful. (External screen + keyboard is also not an option, not enough desk space.)
posted by gentle at 11:56 AM on August 4, 2011

I use smcFanControl to set my MacbookPro's fans on high (6000 rpm) when hot. Keeps the computer cool and the wrist spots much cooler.
posted by svdodge at 2:03 PM on August 4, 2011

Should the laptop be getting that hot? I'm not a techie, but I work at a computer repair company; recently, a customer brought in a laptop that was getting hot, but she put a fan on it to cool it down. The heat fried her motherboard.
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 2:15 PM on August 4, 2011

I ended up buying a Zalman notebook cooler. It reduces the temperature a couple of degrees celsius, sure, but it's not enough by far. On the other hand, the weather has been awful the last few months, and I have not really needed it yet.

@WorkingMyWayHome: Sure, laptops get hot. Especially on hot days. This is a quad-core MacBook Pro with an aluminium body, produces plenty of heat.
posted by gentle at 12:34 PM on September 3, 2011