Antec Notebook Cooler... An Interesting Item
Written: Sep 15 '06 (Updated Sep 16 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Whisper Quiet Lo mode and Fairly Quiet on Hi. Low Power Consumption. USB Pass Through
Cons: Somewhat thick, USB power cable a bit short. Uncomfortable and unstable on your lap.
The Bottom Line: The Antec notebook cooler helps prolong the life of your notebook and helps it run at its peak. However, it is uncomfortable to put on your lap.
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| yusakugo's Full Review: Antec NoteBook Cooler 75004 |
I originally bought the Targus Notebook Cooling Chill Mat to use with my older HP notebook and an older Inspiron 8200. Although this didn't do very much for the Inspiron 8200, the Targus Chill Mat helped keep my HP Pavilion AMD ZE4101 running at full speed. Unfortunately, this laptop only has two USB 1.1 ports. I noticed that my local Staples was selling the Antec Notebook Cooler for $24.98. The Antec version seemed sturdier, had two fan speed settings, and overall seemed more reliable than the Targus version... even down to the packaging.
On the whole, a notebook cooler can help cool down and improve airflow inside your notebook which will prolong your notebook's life and help your notebook to run at its top speed for longer periods of time with a few exceptions depending on the notebook's design.
Why a Cooler?
Unlike a desktop computer, most notebook computer don't have efficient ways of cooling down the internal components. Most notebooks rely of lower power consumption, more power efficient parts, and overall lower performance (compared to a high end desktop) to help keep heat generation down. Older notebooks could get hot enough to burn your lap (and probably there are still a few more recent laptops that still do today). So part of the reason a cooler is helpful is to protect your lap or furniture.
Another reason is that the temperature gets pretty darn hot inside. If there was no cooling system inside your computer, the temperature for many laptops could jump way beyond 100 degrees F. Since most laptops don't have the airflow to cool down as efficiently as a desktop, your notebook generates heat and increases in temperature. Over time, this excessive heat will wear down the parts of your laptop. A cooler can theoretically prolong the life of your notebook.
The last thing... it can keep your notebook running at its peak performance for a longer period of time. Most notebook processors today will reduce the speed of the notebook once the internal temperature reaches past a certain point. Using a cooler will help prevent the internal temperature from hitting those limits or at least it will take a longer time to reach those limits.
Note that as notebook technology continues to advance, the type of components in the notebook, the age of the notebook, and your primary uses for the notebook help determine the heat production. If your notebook is high end (i.e. gaming components), over a year old, or used for long periods of time and for intensive purposes (like graphics work, video work, or gaming), you really should consider the small investment in a notebook cooler!
In the end, I see it this way. I spend $20-25 for a cooler that I can use with any of my current laptops and future laptops as I see fit. My older notebooks definitely need the additional cooling although the newer laptops seem to do okay without it. I don't mind the small cost for the benefits.
Packaging
The Antec Notebook Cooler comes in a fairly sturdy cardboard box with a plastic handle. Inside the box is the cooler itself and some styrofoam packing materials as well as the warranty and instruction sheets. The notebook cooler is more or less self contained. The USB power cable with pass through is in a compartment on the bottom of the notebook cooler. The compartment has a fairly sturdy cover and is easy to remove (it fact just push the button in the indicated direction and off pops the cover). You could use the packaging as a carry case although it adds considerable bulk.
Design
Unlike the Targus Chill Mat, the Antec isn't exactly rectangular in shape. The overall cooler is made mostly of sturdy polycarbonate plastic with two 80mm fans to cool your notebook. The top of the cooler is an aluminum plate. Any notebook up to a 15.4 inch screen should fit on the cooler (at least the rubber feet of your notebook should barely fit. A notebook bigger than that may not leave enough of a gap between the notebook and the cooler to work efficiently. The exhausts are the far area of the cooler and the opposite end of the power port, LED light, and fan speed switch.
The USB power cable inserts into the side of the notebook cooler. Next to the power port is a blue LED to indicate that power is going to the cooler and a Hi/Lo switch for the fan speed. The power cable allows you to insert another USB device into the back of the Antec notebook cooler USB plug. Note that the device you plug in must use very little power in order for the notebook cooler to operate! For example, my OfficeJet 6310 worked fine plugged into the USB pass through but my Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000 didn't function.
Utility
The Antec notebook cooler really needs a stable or at least a somewhat flat surface. It is very uncomfortable to place on your lap (where the Targus has a flatter base and is more comfortable on your lap). Otherwise, the Antec cooler works very, very well even on the low setting. The cooler is whisper quiet on the low fan setting and noisier at the high setting (although not louder than my notebook). It seemed to work better than the Targus Chill Mat even at the low fan setting.
The USB power cable may be a bit short especially for older laptops. I had to point the exhaust port towards me to get the USB power cable to reach the USB ports on my HP Pavilion. The cable is only 38cm long! At least the power cable is as thick as a standard USB cable... unlike the Targus Chill Mat.
In use, I have had the cooler on for 36 straight hours with my notebook running at close to its peak performance. So far so good, the cooler seems durable and my notebook was warm to touch but not hot (which happened with my Targus Chill Mat over a 24 hour on period).
The only problem with the cooler and the Targus Chill Mat is that not all notebooks will get the same benefit from the cooling. My older Inspiron 8200 has the airflow vents on the back and side of the notebook. Both the Antec and the Targus slightly cooled down the notebook. On my HP Pavilion and Inspiron 6000, there is an airflow vent on the bottom of the notebook. This greatly increased the cooling abilities of the Antec and the Targus on the notebook.
Some Additional Specs
Noise level: 23dbA at low speed and 27 dbA at high speed. (difference seems to be greater in actually use however).
Input Current: 0.45A for high speed and 0.30A for low speed (i.e. up to 2.25 Watts for power)
Dimensions: 33x28.4x2.2 cm
Weight: 720gm
Limited 3 year warranty by Antec.
The Targus Tornado notebook Chill Mat
Recommended:
Yes
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yusakugo
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