- Pyle PLPTS25 adjustable-height laptop stand; (Amazon link)
- Noctua NF-A20 5V PWM – comes with USB-to-4pin fan header adapter; (Amazon link)
- The PWM version is the same price but future-proof if you want to add some kind of intelligent fan control!
- USB On/Off Switch
- Some elastic cord
- The elasticity dampens the fan’s vibrations.
I assembled the two sides of the stand inside-out to make room for the fan.
I hung the fan from the stand using 2 segments of string.
I angled the fan backwards to make the air flow across the bottom of the laptop.
The USB switch allows me to easily turn the fan off.
My MateBook X Pro can sustain 2.1GHz on the desk for 5 minutes before shutting off due to VRM overheating (working on solving that right now), but this stand allows it to sustain 2.7GHz indefinitely. As a bonus, I removed the bottom lid altogether and just let the Noctua blow on the laptop’s heatsink directly. No thermal throttling at all anymore. 3.7GHz on all 4 cores. I might just use that when my laptop’s staying on the desk for a long time.
MateBook X Pro, CPU+GPU full load for 10 minutes, on desk.
MateBook X Pro, CPU+GPU full load for 10 minutes, on stand with fan on.
The biggest benefit of using the Noctua fan instead of lower-quality off-the-shelf laptop coolers is that the former is much quieter.