Antec Notebook Cooler

I own a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo D 1845 laptop (P4M 3,2Gig, 756mb ram, ATI mobility radeon 9600/9700 128 on-board RAM, 80G 5.200rpm hard disk) which is a powerful machine. But its power comes at a cost - heat. The computer has a tendency to run very hot after a long time of use (7-10hrs), at the office for example. When playing demanding games, it usually runs so hot, that after a while it crashes/hangs. Sometimes this happens after half an hour, sometimes after only 10 minutes. I have had this computer for about half a year now, and if I have to estimate how many system hangs and crashes I have had since I bought it, I would say somewhere between 300 and 500. Which is very unhealthy for my laptop and of course, you can imagine, very frustrating for me.

So, in order to overcome this very frustrating problem, I started looking for a cooling solution. Which I found with the Antec Laptop Cooler. Let's talk a bit about this product...

First of all, it works. Normally my hard disk has a temp of approximately 50 C on average (max. 56 C). After installing the notebook cooler it has never crossed 44 C, the average working temp now lies between 35 C and 40 C. What exactly this cooler does for my processor or RAM modules, I cannot say because I cannot accurately measure their temperatures, but I suppose that if the cooler lowers my hard disk drives temp with 10-12 C, it will do about the same for my processor, RAM-modules and graphics card. The fact is, that since I installed the notebook cooler, I haven't have any system hangs, even when playing games at their maximum settings for many hours.

Furthermore, the newer version of this notebook cooler has a high/low fan-speed switch, whilst the previous only had an on/off switch. This high/low speed switch is a very handy feature as it allows you to adjust the cooling to your needs. There is no longer an on/off switch, but of course when you want to shut it off completely, you can always easily pull out its usb-cable.

The design has been altered too, in the previous version the fan inlets and outlets were at the bottom of the notebook cooler, which made it unsuitable for "literally" using it on your lap. In the new design the inlets and outlets are now at the sides of the notebook cooler. The product itself has a nice looking and durable design. It is suited for almost every size of laptop, except maybe the really big 17" screen laptops. (Approximate dimensions: 33cm wide, 28 deep and 1,5cm high.) The usb cable with which the cooler draws its power from the usb port, has a piggyback on it so that you don't lose the use of that particular usb port.

Now why and how does this product work? The answer is very simple. For sure, it doesn't blow cold air into your laptop. Actually, it does the opposite, it takes away the hot air that builds up under your laptop. After a day of hard work, did you ever put your hand on your desk on the place where your laptop was standing? Give it a try, you will notice it can get really hot. The surface of the laptop cooler is made out of aluminium, which is a very good heat conductor. This aluminium plate now replaces your desk and catches all the heat coming from your laptop. The fans (2 ball-bearing fans) suck in cold air, which passes underneath your laptop and through the aluminium plate. This cold air absorbs the warmth from the bottom of your laptop and that of the aluminium plate. This warmed-up air gets blown out through the side vents of the cooler. So the heat build-up under your laptop is literally carried away. Which obviously results in a cooler laptop.

For which kind of laptop is this product best suited? Most laptops draw in their air from underneath. This makes them unsuitable to put them on your lap or on a soft surface (vent-blocking). From that point of view, the notebook cooler comes in very handy because it provides a solid surface for the laptop to rest on, and the cooler itself has its vents on its sides (be careful, I am talking about the newer version of the product, the old version has its vents underneath).

When it really comes down to its cooling features, what it actually is designed for, I would only suggest to invest in this product when there really is a cooling problem. Most new laptops nowadays are equipped with special mobile processors (e.g. a Pentium M Processor) which are specifically designed to consume less energy and to accordingly produce less heat. So, with these laptops working with, lets say, office applications or playing a DVD, won't cause overheating problems.

Nevertheless, a very powerful laptop (high RAM, Graphics, fast hard drive, big screen etc ), even when equipped with such a specially designed mobile processor, will suffer from heat build-up (graphics processor, RAM-modules, high RPM hard disk drives, they all produce heat). This problem is inherent to the compact design of a laptop. So, for gamers and professionals who are running high demanding applications, it is advisable to invest in a solid cooling solution. And taking in mind the nice design, the low cost (bought mine for only €31,50), I don't think there is much chance you would regret it.