Netbook without vents on bottom

[Grumps]

As subject, are there any that are able to be safely sited on a
carpet/bed/lap. I'm looking at devices like the Samsung NC10, Acer Aspire
D150/250, Dell Mini10v, MSI Wind. But they all seem to have vents on the
bottom that MUST NOT be blocked.
Ta.

 

[Sjouke Burry]

As subject, are there any that are able to be safely sited on a
carpet/bed/lap. I'm looking at devices like the Samsung NC10, Acer Aspire
D150/250, Dell Mini10v, MSI Wind. But they all seem to have vents on the
bottom that MUST NOT be blocked.
Ta.

With or without vents, it is a bad idea to block air
circulation around the bottom of most devices.
Heat is an enemy of electronics.

 

[JFG]

With or without vents, it is a bad idea to block air
circulation around the bottom of most devices.
Heat is an enemy of electronics.

This is right. Overheating leads to bad things. Have you thought of using
a cooling pad? Wal-Mart, among others, sells them for $20 USD. Ebay might
even beat that. HTH, JG

 

[JFG]

This is right. Overheating leads to bad things. Have you thought of
using a cooling pad? Wal-Mart, among others, sells them for $20 USD.
Ebay might even beat that. HTH, JG

I should have added that some cooling pads vent from the bottom, thus
defeating your purpose. Others (my preference) vent from the rear so they
can be placed on carpet, a bed, or your lap without blocking the flow of
air. Best, JG

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

MSI Wind (U100) vents to the left hand side. The 'vents' on the bottom are
the speakers. I put mine on the bed just on the bag that came with it, and
it runs fine. It's running Windows 7 Ultimate and OS X (10.5.7)

 

[Grumps]

MSI Wind (U100) vents to the left hand side. The 'vents' on the bottom
are the speakers. I put mine on the bed just on the bag that came with
it, and it runs fine. It's running Windows 7 Ultimate and OS X (10.5.7)

A friend has got that MSI netbook too, and I could swear that there were
more slots in the bottom, other than the speakers.

 

[Grumps]

The only thing that allows netbooks to run with little to no
active (fan) is the vents. Give up, you want an impossible
thing... or just accept that electronics produce heat.

But is it not possible to vent out of the side, and draw air in through the
gaps in the keyboard (the other side being filled up with connectors)?

 

[Grumps]

Google for "netbook stands"

http://gizmodo.com/5233422/centurys-netbook-stand-with-dvd-super-multi+drive

http://www.slashgear.com/century-netbook-stand-with-dvd-hdd-3042361/

http://www.provantage.com/cables-unlimited-fan-nb-cool3~7CBUN1HR.htm

http://www.gbxdirect.com/netbook-stand-x-type.html?___store=default

http://www.datavis.com/Targus-CoolWave-Cooling-Stand-for-Netbooks.html

Or you can easily make your own. If nothing else you could just cut
out a properly sized portion of a Rubermaid countertop dish drainer.

Luck;
Ken

I've often thought that the bag these netbooks come in (or are available
for) should have a firm side rather than soft. Then you could use it as a
stand.

 

[Guest]

With or without vents, it is a bad idea to block air
circulation around the bottom of most devices.
Heat is an enemy of electronics.

Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of a netbook?
Light, small, easy to carry, sit it on your lap etc.
If I have to carry around a cooling pad and power for it,
I'd be much better off with a laptop.

It's like having a flashlight that doesn't work in the dark...
Doesn't matter how whiz-bang it is if I can't use it in the dark.

It's the same way I judge linux. Doesn't matter at all if it
does a better job on 90% of what I MUST do. If it can't do
ALL of what I MUST do, I can't use it at all.

Products should behave the way users want. Just 'cause it's hard
to do doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

 

[~misfit~]

But is it not possible to vent out of the side, and draw air in
through the gaps in the keyboard (the other side being filled up with
connectors)?

Couple things here; 'Keyboards' on laptops are usually based on a solid
plate to reduce the likelihood of liquid getting into crucial bits in case
of accidental spillage. Thing two; Heat rises, hence the intake vents in the
bottom. If you want to have your cooling air going *down* you're going to
have to use a fairly powerful fan, reducing battery duration.

 

[Guest]

Nope, with the small size you accept the tradeoffs, if there
were none then they'd all be tiny. You arbitrarily assume
cooling pad and power, when it goes against reality. People
use them fine but as always you need to be aware of cooling.
Same with full sized laptops, if you choose to block the
airflow you will have a hot running system. Not hard to do
with a laptop on a bed or carpet.


Not at all, it's like realizing that if your flashlight
isn't waterproof, you shouldn't submerge it. If your
personal electronics create enough heat to need airflow, you
shouldn't block that.



You choose what to buy. If you insist on starving
electronics of airflow, don't buy anything that needs it.

It is NOT necessary to vent the bottom.
I have several laptops with the cooling intake and outlet on the side.
Problem solved.
I'll take a fan over the requirement to hold it in the air all the time.

 

[Guest]

There's a difference between holding something in the air
and simply noting where the intakes are and not blocking
them (for example, putting it on a desk).

"Laptops" are, as we all know, designed to a larger
form-factor than netbooks, which is why they have more
latitude as to where everything is placed including the
cooling subsystem.

I'm a customer.
Customers don't want your whiny excuses.
"Owwwwwww....It's Haarrrrd..."
Customers don't care about thermodynamics.
That's why there are engineers.
Suck it up and design what we need!!!

This customer wants engineering to make it easy for me to use.
One factor is that I can set the tiny notebook on my lap
without regard for where it sits on my lap or whether
There's a blanket under it. If I have to sit up at a flat table,
I might as well use the desktop.

One solution is to use less power.
Another is a fan.
I've got several laptops with fans that hardly ever turn on.
Smart engineers figure out ways to do things all the time.

If it's not a clear objective, it won't get done.

Now, quit your whinin', get back to work and engineer it!!!!

If marketing spent more time thinking about making it easy to
use than whether the case is pink and endorsed by some famous
person, we'd all be better off.