Making a laptop cooling pad. What material should i use?

[hehz]

My laptop gets to high temperatures while doing doing tasks that i often do such as watching videos, gaming, typing, browsing the internet. I want to lower it to preserve my laptop and to hopefully improve my laptops performance, especially in games.

So i want to make a cooling pad, and was wondering what materials i should use. I was thinking metal, specifically steel sheets as a base and to hold the fans and laptop. Metal can be lightweight and strong, but doesn't metal store heat well therefor make a heat cycle giving heat back into my laptop? I was also thinking of using wood, seems like a nice idea. It feels nice to touch, it would look cool on a desk and is easier to work with than metal (for the specific design i have in mind), it can store heat inside of it, but i dont think it would store a lot and give off that much heat back. I dont know, i may be wrong, im not familiar with all the properties of these two materials, i just work well with them.

Any suggestions on what i should use? If there are any, please explain why that material is better to use.

 

[i7Baby]

They don't cost much - http/www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=207_142

 

[hehz]

They don't cost much - http/www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=207_142

Thanks for this, i forgot to mention that yea, buying one is an option, but i really enjoy making and building things that i use. Also if i build it, i can get it for free! Plus a good grade because ill be making this at school, I needed a project to do anyways

 

[k1114]

You have it backwards, the wood would insulate, "giving" back more heat. The metal could transfer heat to the air, take away the heat. It's why heatsinks are metal.

 

[hehz]

You have it backwards, the wood would insulate, "giving" back more heat. The metal could transfer heat to the air, take away the heat. It's why heatsinks are metal.

Ohhh alright. Thanks i was confused about that. Would making it out of wood really make a difference than from making it out of metal besides the one you just said?

 

[k1114]

Depends more on the design really. Many cheaper laptop coolers are plastic and that's an insulator. As long as there is ventilation room or vents, then it's at least better than a flat table.