Customer Reviews:
 Met my needs and hers January 26, 2004
seasidebruin (San Pedro, CA)
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
I've looked at aftermarket laptop coolers that are just plastic risers on a swivle base. They cost 20 or more for the plastic contraption. I have a friend in the office that has one for his laptop and he swears it works. The concept was simple. It raises the base so that more air circulation is possible. For me, I couldn't see myself spending twenty dollars on something I could use stacked post-its or 1/2 inch book to do (place underneath the laptop on the back edge so it raises the back of the laptop). I tried using a couple post its and for a while it seemed to help a little. But when ever my computer became hard drive intensive, because I was compiling a program or doing lots queries on HUGE databases, my fan would turn on. Since my friend had the platic platform, I decided to get something else to do the same thing. Something that would do a better job. At first, I thought about building one of my own, but I knew that I would have little time to devote to it... so I took my basic design and checked to see if there were any that already existed. That's when I found this Antec Laptop cooler.I read about it and was convinced that this would work. But I didn't want to spend forty bucks on something that may not work. So I waited. Then my fiancee had some laptop trouble of her own. Her laptop was older and worse than mine. Her fan would refuse to turn on and would overheat and cause a shut down. Well, if this wasn't the time to go to her rescue, then I don't know when that would be. So I put an order in. When it arrived, I tried it out on my laptop while hers was being fixed (for a hard drive problem). I noticed that my fan never turned on when I did the usual queries that worked my drive hard. My laptop fan is behind the machine. The hard drive is underneath and there is a vent with no fan there. And it seems to solve my issues. So when she got her laptop back, I gave her the cooler as a gift. She has noticed that on her older toshiba that the base is no where near as hot as it use to get. It just gets warm. She is happy with it now. I still think she should get another laptop, but that is a different story. After a couple weeks, I started missing the cooler. So I bought another one from Amazon. I'm still happy with it. It does cool the base of my laptop and gives me the peace of mind that it will extend the life of my machine considerably. Which is worth the price I paid. It met my needs and hers.
 Terrible. Simply terrible. July 16, 2004
11 out of 20 found this review helpful
I used it for three days, then it died. And it didn't even really work well for those three days.Got it replaced, and the next one died within a week. It made a good frisbee, though.
It works May 17, 2005
J. Budet (Austin, TX USA)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
I have an HP Pavilion ze5375us notebook computer. This is a full powered, desktop replacement machine and it runs hot. It has three fans to keep it cool. The fans can get very noisey and the computer still occasionally over heats and shutdown down. I've been propping up the backup of the machine in an effort to increase airflow. While this helps, it hasn't completely solved the over heating problem.
I finally decided to get one of the "powered" colling devices. I looked at the Targus Notebook Chill Pad and the Antec Notebook Cooler. The Targus devices looked cheaply constructed (all plastic) while the Antec device appeared to be of higher quality. I was confused by the Amazon user reviews, because they indicate that the Targus device has a higher satisfaction rating than the Antec. I was concerned at some of the reviews indicating that the Target device didn't provide much air circulation (but it was quiet). On the other hand, the Antec device was critizised for being louder than a wisper.
I finally made my decision based upon size. My machine is fairly large and it dwarfed the Targus device. However it fits well on the Antec (even with a docking station attached).
So what do I think of my decision? I've been using the Antect Notebook Cooler for three days now. The fans are definitely audible. They make about as much noise as you would expect from a small fan (2 actually). Since my computer has three noisey fans in it already, overall, it isn't any more noisey than what I was already accustomed to. I actually took the fan noise as a positive feature, after all I wanted the cooler to actually work and cool down the notebook.
The power connector will definitely cause you problems if you move the notebook/cooler combination around a lot. I'll keep the cooler on the desk most of the time and I'll be careful otherwise.
The computer seems to be running cooler than before. Areas of the computer that get very hot before the cooler, are now warm to the touch. So all-in-all, I'm satisfied with the purchase.
For those of you who are overly concerned about the fan noise, I would suggest looking at the Targus Podium Coolpad or simply propping up the computer with something (I received complements for using a box of staples). Good luck with your choice.
 Better Than the Rest! (Based on My Tests) April 13, 2008
Neil S. Majd (Southern CA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
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.
This LUNACY about air direction...THINK "DUST"! April 20, 2006
Andrew (Washington, D.C.)
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
I've had this a few days for my laptop (HP 17" widescreen that is overpowered and undercooled- two fans on left hand side). It actually fits well under my large laptop and is quiet- it is so quiet I keep thinking it is off- though on high I can hear it a bit- think someone whispering in the next room- OH, GOD THE NOISE!!
I don't doubt some people may get duds, but overall the design seems workable. My lil' guy used to get very hot when playing games like Civ and it still gets warm, but definitely less so when this is on. The internal fans rarely go into crazy overdrive mode. (You may need to update your BIOS, too)
A friend has a targus and this seems MUCH sturdier. As for the reliability of the electronics...well, I've heard stories of them both failing.
As for whether the fan should be BLOWING air onto your laptop or SUCKING it away:
1) It is a non-issue created by some paranoia! No little fan is creating some vacuum-like area- this isn't outer space! There is plenty of air to go around, people! But, sure perhaps you shouldn't exactly line up the fans. There should always be plenty of a gap between the computer and any surface you put it on.
2) DUST WILL CAUSE YOUR HEATSINK TO FAIL. Always blowing dust INTO your fans is not the best idea. If your heatsink gets covered with dust, it will not disperse heat and it will cause your internal thermometer to misread the temp and it will turn off the computer to protect your CPU. So, personally, I went with this one to lessen the air blown into the computer. BUT, first, you should get some compressed gas and carefully clean out your 'puter.... Or remove your heatsink and clean it (CAREFULLY!- this may void your warranty) - or take it to a pro...you'll be amazed at how dusty it can get.
3) As for companies disclaiming liability... Go get a legal education- disclaimers are not particularly effective and the companies' attorneys know it (go read some torts casebooks and worry more when Congress overhauls class-action lawsuits!). IF it was dangerous to suck air away from your machine, don't you think Antec and Targus would do the SIMPLE thing and change the direction of their fans??
"Oh, NO, it is a grand conspiracy, Mr. Reviewer" Sure...right, Oliver Stone.
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