Laptop cooler fans reduce the device's operating temperature which both limits heat exposure to the hardware and makes the device itself more comfortable to use. Laptops include built-in cooling fans and can be placed on notebook cooler pads to reduce operating temperature. Prolonged heat exposure and component overheating can damage a computer's components over time, whereas extreme overheating can actually break the system. Laptops have limited space to work with for cooling, which makes the cooling fans vital to the device's well-being.

Internal laptop fans support faster speeds; however, the fans themselves don't make the computer faster. Laptops often employ an internal system fan that's connected to the Central Processing Unit and Graphics Processing Unit heat sink. The CPU and GPU are the two biggest heat producing components inside the laptop: they can produce enough heat without cooling to break themselves. Faster computer hardware tends to produce more heat than slower computer hardware, but both tend to break around the same temperature range. The internal fan keeps the CPU and GPU from damaging themselves.

External cooling pads equipped with fans can help keep the laptop's temperature down without requiring any modifications to the device's hardware. Computer operating temperature is affected by the environmental or ambient temperature: the laptop will get hotter working in a room that's 100 degrees versus one that's 70 degrees. Laptops can also be affected by the temperature of the air that accumulates around the device: cooling pads circumvent this problem. A cooling pad uses fans to either blow cooler air against the laptop or warmer air away from the laptop to lower the ambient temperature.

Laptop cooling pads improve laptop airflow by positioning the system on a hard, flat and non-fabric surface. Some laptops use the bottom of the device as an air-intake source to cool the system which makes obstructing the airflow particularly hazardous for the system. If you're using a laptop cooling pad, you can place the laptop on a fabric surface without worrying about the device overheating. For example, a laptop that's working on a wooden table will accumulate less heat than one used on a heavy blanket. However, cooling pads that blow cooler air against the system may force more dust into the computer when used on a fabric surface.

Laptop cooling fans make using a laptop on your lap a more viable experience for both the person and the laptop. Despite being named after laps, laps really aren't the ideal working condition for laptops. Your lap obstructs the laptop's vents and causes the device to build up heat, and laptops without a fan may get too warm for comfortable use on a person's lap.