Antec Notebook Cooler Review

Testing

To test the cooling ability of the device I used a 1.0GHz P3 laptop. Each test was done with a DVD movie playing the entire time, to ensure that the laptop was under the same load for each measurement. Measurements were taken at timed intervals with and without the cooler in place. A Radio Shack digital thermometer with external probe was used for measuring "in lap" and desk temps. The external probe was inserted inside the laptop via the PCMCIA bays. For the lap temp the probe was centered underneath the cooler/laptop combo. Also measured is the battery life from a 100% charge with and without the device present. Timing started at 100% and ended when the laptop automatically entered hibernation mode (5% battery life).

Temperature Data

The first test shows the temperature change with the laptop sitting on a desk with the cooler activated from the time of powering on the laptop. You can see that the temperature steadily increased from power on until I stopped timing.

This test shows the effect of switching the cooler on after the laptop has already been on and heating up for 15 minutes. You can see the temp remain constant at 31.9C while the cooler is activated and then climb higher with the removal of the cooling. I switched the cooler back on after 30 minutes (not shown in the graph) and let it run for another 20 minutes...to see if the temp would drop again. The temp remained at a constant 33.7C.

The final test is an interesting one. Many of us use our laptops...well, ON our laps...so I felt it would only make sense to measure the "in lap" temp. I did this the same as the previous test, allowing the laptop to be on for 15 minutes and then switching on the cooler. The cooler had an initial (minor) impact on the temp, but then the temp climbed again.

Battery Life

Another important factor with this product is how it may affect a laptop's battery life. The test was performed with a DVD playing (as the temp tests above) the entire time. The cooler proved to use little power, with only 11 minutes separating the two runs.

Noise

The low dB rating of 25.9dB provided by Antec matches with what I found...the cooler can be heard, but barely. It is equivalent to a pair of quiet desktop case fans, but even quieter once a notebook is placed over the top of it.

Interpretation

The temperature tests were a bit surprising to me...especially the desk temp. The ineffective cooling during the "in lap" test may be explained by poor ventilation. When the laptop (and cooler) is sitting on your lap, the airflow is diminished and the cooler ends up recirculating warmer and warmer air. This was noted in the literature that came with the cooler...Antec states "place on a firm, stable surface when in use. Make sure the bottom exhaust vents are not blocked..."

The problem I found is that the temp consistently increased when even on a desk, with proper airspace above and below the cooler/laptop. The cooler did maintain the temp in the second test above, but did little to decrease overall temp during any test.

Read on for Antec's response to my testing above...and to see how taking their advice greatly improved the performance of the cooler!