CheckMag | Overview of laptop cooling solutions in 2025: Traditional meets cutting-edge

The laptop world is at a technological crossroads between proven traditional cooling solutions and emerging solid-state alternatives.

While current market leaders use advanced conventional cooling, revolutionary solid-state approaches to the problem of excess heat from brands like Ventiva, Frore, and xMEMS promise to shake up the scene. This battle is not just about keeping components cool but redefining the very essence of performance, noise, and portability.

The main cooling technologies available in early 2025 are:

• Liquid metal thermal paste. This technology brought a significant leap in thermal management. Liquid metal thermal paste conducts heat far more effectively than traditional compounds, helping components stay cool even during the most demanding tasks.

• Vapor chambers. For premium gaming laptops, VCs have become a staple, offering quick heat transfer and enabling a more uniform distribution of heat across the system's case.

• AI. AI tools enhance laptop cooling by intelligently adjusting fan speeds based on current usage scenario, predicting thermal patterns, optimizing energy consumption, and maintaining ideal performance while minimizing noise levels.

• Advanced airflow designs. Techniques such as elevating the laptop's rear to enhance ventilation or employing multiple fans located in different parts of the case are rather common at this point.

• Liquid cooling stations. An intriguing development for gamers desiring desktop-level cooling in a (somewhat) portable form, external liquid cooling docks as well as laptops compatible with this technology can be had from brands like XMG (they call their LC stations Oasis).

Below are a few examples of the laptop models that incorporate these advanced cooling technologies:

• The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 harnesses the power of liquid metal thermal paste and vapor chamber.

• The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 employs ColdFront 5.0 technology where improved air intake is combined with liquid metal.

• The MSI Titan 18HX uses dual 70mm fans, along with a vapor chamber with a dedicated SSD heatpipe.

Emerging solid-state technologies

The new kids on the block, Ventiva, Frore and xMEMS, each bring a futuristic approach to thermal management.

• Ventiva's ICE leverages electrohydrodynamic airflow to dissipate up to 25W of heat silently, as seen in a Dell/Intel proof-of-concept. The downside? Trace amounts of ozone resulting from the process, though allegedly mitigated through innovative solutions like manganese dioxide coatings.

• The Frore AirJet Mini Slim is a MEMS-based solution, capable of handling up to 5.25W. This technology scores with very low thickness (2.5mm) and self-cleaning features.

• The xMEMS XMC-2400 bridges audio tech and cooling, moving 39cc of air per second with a minuscule footprint. It's suitable not just for laptops but also smartphones and SSDs.

Performance comparison

While traditional systems excel in raw cooling power, handling the hot temper of gaming processors with 100W+ TDPs rather well, they compromise on noise and size. Solid-state tech, however, promises silent operation, reliability (no moving parts), compact form, and energy efficiency, but are currently limited in performance.

The intriguing prospect of cooling chiplets integrated directly into processors, as suggested by xMEMS, hints at a cooling revolution coming to reshape the industry.

While conventional methods will continue to serve the high-performance sector, solid-state could become the standard for ultrabooks and pocketable devices like phones in the not too distant future.