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  • Get a plastic or metal bowl (maybe one from the kitchen?) that has a reasonably flat bottom, fill it with some water and put it on the top of your adapter. Glass ones or think plastic ones will not work because they conduct heat poorly. You can also get a large piece of metal foil and put it under the adapter to help both sides cool. Warning: Don't fill too much water as the bowl may topple over.
    – billc.cn
    Commented Aug 1, 2011 at 17:30
  • 3
    I would simply put a pen under each end of the PSU. Just getting it up off the floor should help immensely.
    – EBGreen
    Commented Aug 1, 2011 at 17:32
  • My Dell power supply does this all the time on my alienware. I have the m11x so I can fit it on my cooling mat next to my laptop. My suggestion would be to get a laptop cooler that is larger than your laptop and then lay the adapter next to your laptop.... This might also depend on the size of your cord from adapter to the wall, I know dell sells them up to 12 feet which is nice or this purpose.
    – Supercereal
    Commented Aug 1, 2011 at 18:09
  • 8
    A bowl of water on or near a PSU is a disaster waiting to happen (IMHO)
    – Linker3000
    Commented Aug 1, 2011 at 18:45
  • 2
    This is an old post, and many people have suggested ways to do what was asked. Realize, though, that what is getting hot has a lot of insulating material between it and the outside--a plastic shell, captive air, the parts may be potted in plastic, etc. If components are actually overheating, anything you do cooling the outside will be too little, too late to have a real effect on the components that are overheating. So it doesn't really help, and could mask an actual problem, or even create a hazard.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Nov 6, 2016 at 3:37