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672 of 684 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Antec USB Notebook Cooler - Great Design, Decent Cooling, Best Value In Its Class!!!, August 29, 2007
This review is from: Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler (Electronics)
Antec's USB-Powered Notebook Cooler is a very good unit that is better than most alternatives. Cooling is essential for laptops. It can improve a computer's performance and useful life. No cooler will make your notebook ice cold, but this one will definitely lower the temperature. It works REGARDLESS of notebook design, and I will explain how.
The pros FAR OUTWEIGH the cons. I have added most of these cons after long term use. These are mostly nit-picky cons, and this unit is still a great value. That holds true for both the original unit and the updated design.
PROS
+ The plastic body and metal top are well designed for a solid feel
+ The nice aluminum top spreads heat very well and is durable
+ The USB cable is pass through with an extra USB port to connect other devices
+ The cable length is nice and short
+ There is a small compartment to tuck away the cable after use
+ The fans run VERY quietly at either high or low speeds
+ The rubber feet are solid and provide nice stability and grip
+ It now has surface holes for optional rubber pegs for more space to improve air-flow
+ The unit is stable enough that a well positioned laptop will sit flat and will not *rock* back and forth
+ Can also be used to cool AV components or to add air-flow around your HTPC
+ After using mine for several years and buying more as gifts, I can vouch for the durability
+ The 3 year warrantee that comes with the product gives you some comfort in the case the product does fail
CONS
- The fans and outer holes gather dust over time; just clean it with compressed air
- The USB power cord and base connector could be more durable, so handle with care
- The unit looks like air flows through the entire top, but it only flows through the 2 fans positioned in the center; It's more visible on the Antec Notebook Cooler (Pearl) version than the black and silver one
- The blue LED light may be too bright for some people, but it can easily be covered with electrical tape
- The cable may be too short for those without left side USB ports; purchase a USB extender cable
- The cooler is very thick, so you need a big laptop bag if you want to bring it with you
- The surface pegs can fall out if not inserted all the way; just twist when you insert them to lock them in
- The unit's smaller size makes it ideal for 14 - 16 inch laptops; for larger units you will need to use the surface pegs
- The item frequently goes out of stock and has price changes
- The list price of $50 seems unreasonable
How it Works
This cooler works in several ways. First of all, the fans create air flow under the laptop that will draw the heat away from the bottom of the laptop and onto the cooler surface. This works regardless of whether there is a small or large space.
In some cases your laptop may flex so that the cooler will slightly touch the bottom of your laptop. That's ok because the aluminum surface attracts and spreads out the heat to cool your laptop down. Most laptops can benefit from this *heat spreading*.
The fans are designed to draw heat from the aluminum away from the laptop. That is why the fans blow the way they do. They still circulate air under the laptop. You can feel the air with your hand if you hold it over the cooler. If the air blew the other way it would blow dust and heat into your laptop vents.
Contrary to some comments, this cooler cannot create a vacuum under your laptop. Similarly this cooler will not *fight* for air with your laptop fans. The air intake for both your laptop and the cooler is coming from the surrounding area. Unless you are using this cooler while orbiting the earth in a space station, there is plenty of air to allow for a few small fans to pull air in more than one direction. The aluminum will still pull heat from the bottom and spread it away from the unit. And the fans will still pull air over the surface of the laptop's base to cool it.
Common Issues and Solutions
1.) If the LED light bothers you, you can cover it with a small piece of electrical tape. I sleep with it on all the time. You can see it in the dark but it doesn't bother me.
2.) The little door that holds the USB power wire has 2 clips on the back and a button on the front.. Make sure you have pulled that release button forward again. You can just clip it back into place.
3.) The cooler can be used on your lap but it works much better with something like the Jumbo Lap Desk. Wood lap desks don't flex like the plastic ones but tend to cost more, so you have to see what works for you. Even Belkin's CushTop Notebook Stand might be an option.
4.) The newer units have added surface pegs, but they can fall out. Make sure you have fully twisted them when you insert them. That will allow the pieces that hold them in place to fully rest on the inside of the cover so they won't fall out.
Comparing to the Competition
This unit has a more durable aluminum top, stronger plastic, ergonomic shape, and quieter fan than the competition. This unit is much better than the original Targus PA248U Notebook Chill Pad which was made of very flimsy and thin plastic. Targus created a newer Targus Notebook Cooling Chill Mat (AWE11US) with harder plastic and also a Targus AWE12US Notebook Chill Hub with extra USB ports. Neither has an aluminum top, and they still don't perform as well.
There are completely metal versions that are available like the Cooler Master NotePal Widescreen Notebook Cooler ( R9-NBC-AWAK ) designed for larger or wide-screen units. Most of those cost more and still have their own cons.
There are also stands and inclined holders designed to let more air flow beneath your laptop, like the Logitech Alto Express Notebook Stand or the Logitech Alto Connect Notebook Stand. Those will help a little but not as much as a fan. I personally don't like typing on inclined stands and only use them for docked laptops.
Conclusion
The list price is excessive, but this cooler is a great deal at $20 or less. This item is also frequently sold at brick and mortar stores with mail in rebates. I hate those so I just wait for it to go on sale here. At this point I have bought 4 for myself and several as gifts.
I hope that this information has been helpful and has shown why this cooler is good despite the imperfections. At the right price this unit can be a great value so definitely check it out.
Enjoy!
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96 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than the Rest! (Based on My Tests), April 13, 2008
This review is from: Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler (Electronics)
Most of laptop cooler/chill pads are made of PLASTIC and use fans that blow air TOWARDS the laptop. What impresses me about this product is that the cooling surface is made of ALUMINUM (just like the aluminum casing used to keep portable hard drives cool) and its fans PULL/SUCK HOT AIR AWAY from underneath the laptop. This method of REMOVING hot air is superior to blowing room temperature air at the laptop (it's also the same mechanism used by laptop/desktop internal fans).
MY TESTS: I compared the latest Targus high-speed chill mat (Model PA248U) to this one. After running the laptop for one hour on each, I noticed the surface of the laptop (keyboard, palm rest, touch pad, etc.) was the same in both cases (very cool). But there was a noticeable difference on left side of my laptop (where my Dell's internal fan exhausts warm air). With the Targus, there was noticeable amounts of warm air being exhausted by the laptop's internal fan. With the Antec, there was much less warm air being exhausted than the Targus. So the Antec does a superior job cooling the laptop since the laptop's internal fan was exhausting less hot air.
MINOR DETAILS: The Antec allows you to control the speed of the fan (high or low) while the Targus is fixed, presumably at high (and is rather noisy). The Targus does have a simple push on/off switch; the Antec does not (you have to unplug it for off). The Antec's USB cord is pass-through meaning Antec will NOT take us one USB slot (the Targus did not have this feature). The Antec has a very strong Blue LED light to indicate it is on (it could be helpful as an on/off indicator, but it is very annoying in low-light condition because it is very bright).
BOTTOM LINE: Because the cooling surface is made of aluminum and because the fans work to draw hot air away from the laptop (much like your laptop's internal fan), Antec is a superior product. Also, my simple tests showed that the laptop was cooler using Antec.
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64 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quiet and Cool, August 31, 2005
This review is from: Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler (Electronics)
The cooler sits under my 43 cm (large monitor) Macintosh Powerbook. The Powerbook is often on for 8 to 10 hours a day and keeps everything very cool. The cooler powers from the left-hand USB port. The pass-through USB plug enables the USB port to be used by a printer and other peripherals. There are two fan speed settings, high and low. I only run on the low setting. A good, solid, cost-effective choice.
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