ModTek PC

Product: NoteBook Cooler
Reviewed by: J. Doggett
Provided by: Antec
www.antec.com

Positives:

· Cool Your Notebook
· Protect your valuable investment and reduce heat-related instability.
· USB-powered cooler with pass-through connector included.
· Draw power from any USB port without losing use of the USB port.
· Works great with both Macs and PCs
· Low power consumption
· No batteries or power adapter needed.
· 2 Double ball-bearing fans for reliability.
· Quieter than a whisper, only 25.9 dB(A)
· AQ3 Antec Quality three-year warranty.

Negatives:

· None

Company Info

The year was 1986. Starbucks had only a few stores. Don Johnson was actually cool. The average PC had less memory than today’s cellphones. And in Fremont, California, a little company named Antec was born. Antec’s first employees never imagined that their upstart firm would rise to the very top of the high-performance computer components industry. But rise it did. And rather swiftly, too.

So what can Antec do for you? That depends on who you are. If you’re a computer user,
and you’d like to upgrade your existing computer or build a new one yourself, we’ve got the computer cases, power supplies, cooling fans, lighting components, and accessories that you need. If you’re a system builder or VAR, we’ll help you deliver reliable and cost-
effective systems to your customers. And if you’re a retailer, we’ll help you reach an explosively growing market: namely, “do-it-yourself” computer users who enjoy building and upgrading their own computers.

How do we do all this? Our product lineup includes a wide variety of unique computer cases, such as the elegant Lifestyle Series, ultra-powerful Performance One and Performance TX series, and the cost-effective Solution Series. Our world-class power supplies – including the TruePower 2.0 and SmartPower 2.0 lines – have won countless international awards for their reliable performance. Our flexible rackmounts are ideally suited to the demanding ISP, telecom, and networking markets. And for those of you who’d like to add a little visual flair to your computers, we offer an eye-catching range of fans, lights, and other PC accessories.

We’re headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in the Netherlands, Europe. We’ve also established distribution partnerships throughout Australia and Southeast Asia. So you’ll find Antec products in over 25 countries. But no matter how large we grow, we’ll never forget our mission: to give you the power you need to create the computer you really want. That’s the Antec way. That’s the Power of You.

Packaging Details:

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Product Details:

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Testing:

I tested the NoteBook Cooler with a Sony Vaio 15.4” Laptop. The area I mainly wanted to do the testing in was a hot, confined space, such as a networking equipment closet found at the majority of your smaller businesses. The reason I wanted to test it here is because, being an On-site Tech, this cooler looked perfect to help keep my equipment cool in the areas where I usually spend the most time with the laptop. The slim design and hidden power cord storage makes it ideal to fit inside either a laptop or technicians carry bag. I did not notice any difference in temperature at the beginning, but then again the laptop was still heating up. As the day passed, I noticed that the temp was staying consistent with no major fluctuations, however, as soon as I removed the laptop from the NoteBook Cooler, within the span of about 30 minutes the temps climbed drastically. Then took about 15 – 20 minutes to drop back down when placed back on the NoteBook Cooler. For a look at the temps and times used, take a look at the Performance Section. Overall, testing this cooler was easy, seeing as there is no complicated setup or batteries to worry about, it is just Plug and Play.

Performance:

The NoteBook Cooler performed better than my expectations. At startup the laptop was running at 32° C, I ran multiple diagnostic programs and a DVD movie during the temp monitoring to keep the cpu running high. After 30 minutes on the cooler the laptop temp was at 30° C, and maintained that temperature for the next 90 minutes. To test the NoteBook Cooler’s ability to cool down the laptop, I turned it off and removed the laptop. After 30 minutes I checked the temps, the laptop had heated up to 42° C, so within 30 minutes of not using the cooler the temperature had risen 12° C. I placed the laptop back on the NoteBook Cooler, and after another 30 minutes the laptop temp had dropped back down to 30° C. So with the cooler, the laptop ran at a minimum 12° C cooler. I ran the cooler fans on high during this test, but you can successfully conclude that while even on low speed, the cooler will keep your laptop cooler than without it.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I rated this cooler 5/5. I would recommend this product to any mobile professional, but especially to Mobile Techs, who at times have to work in less than PC friendly environments. In fact I may make this standard equipment for all of my Techs. Thanks to Antec for supplying me with the NoteBook Cooler for review, and I look forward to testing more of their products in the future.