Game Lab VORTEX Laptop Cooling Pad

Despite its light, yet flimsy material, this is one of the best laptop coolers you can ever own.

Under quarantine, I've been seeing a lot of ads about posture especially when you're using your computer. I hate to say that I'm the one affected by the messages conveyed by ads, but this one was quite close to home. Working on this website endlessly does take energy (I don't regret it one bit), so the ad talked about posture and the ideal position for your laptop computer. After careful research, I found this laptop cooling pad, which also arches your laptop in its ideal position, and I couldn't be happier. Let's discuss why.

Inspired by the "laptop life" craze, the design of this laptop cooler blended nicely with my gaming laptops—yes, I own the Acer Predator and the design complemented the laptop (see last picture above). Other than that, this laptop cooler fits laptops that are 15- to 17-inch. I never owned those super high-end 18-inch laptops so using this cooler for those sizes is a bit of a risk. It doesn't have to be a gaming laptop; If you're using a business laptop, this cooler will certainly stave off the hot spots when typing.

The unique thing about this cooler is it arches your laptop to perfect viewing range, without you slouching downward to view the screen. I suppose the ad wasn't lying at all: I've been using the arch from this cooler since I received it, and my posture, let alone my reading and productivity, has greatly improved. Yeah, I'll be one of those advising users with laptop computers to invest in a platform that lifts the computer in a proper viewing angle to reduce back/shoulder stress. This thing does two things at once, and I have no complaints about it.

Yeah I know, not everything is perfect, so here are the cons. You may want to treat this cooler carefully because it feels cheap. If it concerns you, this product was made in China. Don't be one of those people who own video game consoles, then mistreats it for months only to hear them complain why it doesn't work anymore. TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS LAPTOP COOLER. While the trade-off is it's very light and easy to carry, it's at high risk of breaking. Treat it with care, and place your laptop on this cooler gently. Also, the knobs below the cooler that help keep the laptop from sliding down, can get bothersome. If they can somehow add some easy-to-the-skin padding, then it wouldn't be annoying especially when typing. Depending on your laptop, those knobs can stick out too much. I use a business laptop to work on, and a gaming laptop to play video games, and while the bottom part where the keyboard is at is thin, these knobs poke my wrists while I'm typing. Sometimes, I also use my Macbook Pro (unibody) and the SSD drives can get very hot, let alone the knobs again poking me while I type/write code. This is something to note before you decide to purchase this.

The USB plug is encased with a flexible fabric-like insulation, and only requires 5V of power. To my knowledge, that's the same voltage required to charge your cell phone. However, for me personally, I just plug it into my laptop's USB ports to avoid using another AC plug; I suggest you do the same, hoping you have enough USB ports. This laptop cooler also has two extra USB ports to go with it! I have enough ports so I rarely use these. From my experience, these USB ports are enough to supply power to lower-end peripherals, like a mouse. I don't suggest using the ports to boot your external hard drives, as there may not be enough power supplied to keep it running (you can try, but after I ruined a hard drive from a weak-powered multi-port USB hub back in 2016, I wouldn't want to risk it). On the back of the cooling pad, there's a mold that allows you to properly wrap your USB without having it dangle. Game Lab has thought of everything prior to selling this pad.

The cooler lights up when in use, while cooling your laptop. I have the red model, so the red blends beautifully with my Acer Predator when gaming. If you've always been the type fascinated by the sleek, modern color setup of gaming computers, this cooler will blend right in with the big boys—big men, I should say.

How well does it cool? I don't have the fans turned up too high, as it cools my laptops fine running around 'medium' speed. You can set the fan speed using the rotary knobs in the back. While it cools nicely, it doesn't cool the left side of the laptop. Again, depending on your laptop, you may not feel a difference on the left-most part of your computer. On my business laptop, the bottom left part is the hard drive which does need cooling periodically. After working, I end up sliding my laptop to my right to have the fans cool off the left side. This little flaw could disappoint users, given that it doesn't cool off the bottom part entirely. Oh, and the fans aren't that noisy either, making it a perfect add-on to your already quiet environment.

Besides the flaws, I'm still using it and whether the fans wear out in the future or not, the grills allow for more air flow to come in continuously cooling my laptops The arch this cooler gives has improved my posture and can view my screen properly when reading, typing or watching videos on YouTube. Since that ad, mentioned earlier in this review, won't get referenced here since they don't sponsor us, take my word for it: Get a peripheral that arches your laptop and you'll feel a difference. Even better, you're able to type better as well.

While, yes, it's another bulky item to add your already-heavy laptop equipment, I say cooling your laptop to extend its longevity, along with adding an arch to improve your posture, is a small price to pay. Whether you have health benefits/coverage or not, it's better than ending up paying thousands of dollars to chiropractors who are eager to enlarge their clientele in order to stay in business. Take care of yourself, benefits are affordable to those who seek it, and this item should fit the bill. Time to take care of ourselves!

Give this a try!

(NOTE: We may not be open to answer everyone's concerns and complaints about electronics like these, but if you have any questions or need some help, you are welcome to contact us!)

Kris Caballero

Founder and operator of KCU Network, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog created back in late 2005. Despite publishing articles and reviews from time to time for the network's website, Kris enjoys studying the sciences, namely Math, playing old video/DOS games, reading non-fiction books and listening to sports radio.

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