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!

Like others I owned this product for less than a year before the fans become very loud. While the fans still worked, the drastic change in volume made it unusable for working at my desk.

I reached out to the folks at Antec and while they were very kind and prompt, it became obvious that the cost of shipping the defective product back to them under warranty was too much.

For the same or less money I could buy a better rated newer version from another company.

If you are going to buy this product, read carefully about the many reviews that indicated the unit can become noisy over time and do not let the warranty sway you,

The Antec "USB-Powered Notebook Cooler" works much better than I expected! I work from home full time, sitting in an easy chair with my laptop literally on my lap for 9-10 hours a day. My 2 year old Compaq laptop is great, but tends to run very hot and it has unceremoniously shut down twice recently for what I believe to be overheating since it was almost too hot to touch while sitting on my lapdesk. After reading the other reviews, this Antec product seemed like the best solution. Here are my observations:

Pros-
+ Stable Design; rubberized feet on the base and rubber spacers on top ensure laptop will not easily slide around
+ Cools Well; has a low and high fan settings that both move a fair amount air around the bottom of the laptop
+ USB Powered; the unit takes power from the laptop USB, but has a "passthough" connector so you don't actually lose the port
+ Fairly Quite; the fans are relatively quite, even on the high setting

Cons-
- USB Power Cord is a little short and only reaches to the left side of my large laptop, fortunately I have a USB port on the left side otherwise (as other reviewers also suggest) an extension cable would have to be used
- USB Connector sticks out about an inch from the side of the laptop to accommodate the "passthrough" port

Misc-
* The blue power light is VERY bright!

Overall, this is a great solution for keeping my laptop running cool and likely has even bought me some extra time before I will need to buy a new one.

Highly Recommended!

CFH

We have had this thing about 5 years. It keeps the laptop cool but I have some complaints. It is constantly making the fan inside our laptop dirtier because the air is being pushed upward. Every few months our laptop says the cooling fan is not working so we get out the vacuum and suck all the vents we can find. The cooler itself refuses to let go of its dirt on the fan blades. I know it is a mess but it won't come off. You can't type on your laptop very comfortably either since the cooler elevates it so much. I ended up with carpal tunnel surgery most likely because of our laptop. We now have a keyboard hooked up to our laptop in a more ergonomic design. So much for the laptop keys. The fan is also noisy. I keep hoping the stupid thing will die so we can get another fan. All I know is you need a cooler for your laptops because the fan inside your laptop can not keep up. We have gone through a fair amount of batteries in older laptops because of the heat. Yes it works and keeps working. It does the job and is cheap in price. Hate the noise and the dirt our laptop keeps sucking up.