Laptop cooler pads by Antec, any good?

Anyone here using these Laptop Cooler Pads from Antec (or other brands?)
Do they work? are they worth it? Are they worth the battery drain?

The antec one is HERE



Seems like a quality product, but want to know if its worth it.

 

Toaster,

If you find out what is the best one let me know. I have a HP Pavilion ZV5000 and it keeps shutting off by itself even when I try not to block the fans; I was also thinking of getting a fan to try but don't want to waste the money if it's not going to work. Thanks. Sorry couldn't be of help.

 

I have read many forum posts about coolers, and many mixed reviews.

I went for the Vantec LapCool3, as it has the out vents at the rear rather than the underside, so I can use on my lap, bed etc with out blocking the cooler pad vents (it's crazy how many output via the base!).

Keeps the bottom of the laptop cool / slightly warm, rather than burning hot, and the unside of the coolerpad is 100% cool, better than the head slowly building up and passing through other objects such as thick books, so my legs stay nice and cool.

I have not run any temp tests, but the internal fan comes on a lot less, and it keeps me cooler, so I think it was worth my £8! lol.

It's a little small for my Acer 3023, 15.4 widescreen, but it works as has rubber feat.

 

Has anyone tore one of these apart? I have yet to see one that supports 17" notebooks, so I was thinking of building my own. However I'd like the card that can supply the fans with power from the usb port.

 

Sounds like a good idea to me mate, I was tempted by the same idea. Im sure I could come up with something better than what is avaliable. I haven't opened mine up, but I don't think it would be too hard to do, then take out that part.

 

i actually had the antec. it did a decent job when it was working. but then i had some weird connection problem....the cooler would only power up if i put the plug in this really odd angle that was close to impossible to keep. you should search the accessories forum b/c there have been quite a few threads about notebook coolers.

 

I use that Antec on my W3J and it cools it by as much as 10 degrees.

 

I was turned off from buying the Xpad because it looks like a freakin' cheese grater. Noway in hell am I going to let my MacBook get shredded to pieces by that thing

 

I have been using the Vantec 3 for a couple of months on my 15.4" Compaq V4135 and it does the job. I didn't test it "formally" but it works silently, the internal fans never kick in and the surface under my palms is always cool to the touch. It's a bit smaller than my widescreen but it has rubber pads and they keep the laptop firmly secured. It's lightweight and pretty thin so I also take it when I travel. Got it for about $16 shipped from zipzoomfly.

It is a bare-bones model - no on-off, no temp adjustment, no a/c option - but I've been through a few cooler pads and find I don't need those features.

I tried one of those beautiful, gleaming aluminum coolers made for widescreens - I think it was Coolermaster - but it did absolutely nothing to cool the laptop, I guess because the fans on it were not placed well for my laptop's configuration (fans were along the top of the panel). It may, however, work well for other laptop brands.

The Vantec 3 is pretty basic but does what it's supposed to do.

 

i have been using the antec notebook cooler ever since i got my e1505 and it has been working great. although i don't see it as something to dramatically cool my laptop, i look at it as something to help protect my investment.

 

Well, I had to buy one. My local electronics store has them on sale for $25 - $15 rebate = $10. Can't be too bad for $10!

Its under my HP ZD8215US - a 17" widescreen mammoth with a P4 cpu, which I can tell you gets plenty warm (see HOT in the dictionary)

I never ran any temperature tests or anything, but it does seem to keep the laptop cooler, the top "wrist rest area" does seem cooler - I would say considerably cooler, but still slightly warm (versus very warm to hot)

The look and feel of this cooler seems to be good quality. The 17" laptop fits on there, allowing plenty of airflow around the base of the laptop. The cooler exhausts air around its base, has 2 modes HI and LO - is very quiet. Has a blue LED that shines out the side - which I guess is cool to see, but I almost wish you could turn it off.

I'll take some pictures of my big 17" laptop sitting on it, and you guys can see for yourself. I'm sure it supposed to fit better than it does, but considering I'm reading in this thread - a specific 17" cooler does not exist - I guess you have to take what you can get.

 

Just curious, do the various laptop coolers severely affect your battery life? Thanks!