Targus Chillmat: Is it loud or noisy? How much longer will it extend my laptop's life?

I plan to get one but I don't want a cooler that sounds like a blowdryer. It's for a 15.4 inch laptop, will it also fit a 17 inch one too? Do I just put the laptop on top of the cooler? Or do I have to secure it in with hinges? From the pic, it looks like I just place the laptop directly on top of the cooler, am I correct?

Will using a cooler really extend the life of the components? Thanks.

 

i had that. it was quiet. but it didnt do anything. then it broke after a month.

what a way to spend like, 30 bucks or w/e. i forget the price

 

I got the new and improved model with 28% more cooling from Best Buy, it's quiet I guess like a desktop. I don't see much of an improvement with the temps when I observe with rivatuner hardware monitor. I have a 17" sli rig and without the Chill Mat I feel the hot air coming out the exhaust is way hotter than when I have the Chill mat running. My model is a Toshiba x205 sli1 and it's a big laptop. I thought it wouldn't fit on the Chill mat but the computer expert or geek told me it's universal and that while it may not be a perfect fit the dynamics of circulating the air would still apply. I find it to sit well on top of the Chill Mat and when placed it stays put. The Chill mat, like I said, is a new and improved version, so I guess Steggy probably had the older version that sucked air away from the bottom of the laptop. This one blows air up toward the bottom of the laptop and it benefits my design because my note book sucks air in from the bottom and blows it out the sides. I feel that the fans blow a good flow and even if I don't see a temp drop on rivatuner I at least know that my battery and the the physical laptop is getting at least some sort of cooling relief as opposed to just the built in fans. For 30 bucks, it's a nice device. You can't go wrong.

 

Check out the Zalman NC2000(B) (link to review in sig) but for about 25$ more it is noticeable. I noticed huge drops in temperature in and out side of gaming.

 

problem is, it's hard to find down here in Hawaii. I only know Best Buy, Circuit City, and Office max or Office Depot and none of them carry the NC2000. Also I'm weary off shopping online, never have except for steam where I bought Prey for $4.95 and that didn't seem to go smoothly. right now I'm content with the Chill Mat for $30 but maybe in the future if I can find it down here I'll buy the Nc2000 it's also called the notepal infinite right? And how is your experience shopping online? Lastly is it light and portable like the chill mat?

 

newegg.com ships to US/hawaii right?

they are a pretty reputable online store

 

I agree with flipfire. Newegg, Amazon.com, etc. are generally quite good.

 

i did have the older model. it did suck. (in actuality and figuratively).
but it stil lshouldnt die so soon. im just thinkpads are beast when it comes to temp

 

The Targus chillmat sucks. I bought it for my old Gateway Tablet. When the power cord wanted to stay plugged in all the way (the cheap plastic casing wasn't cut right) the fans kicked out enough air to keep the laptop from shutting itself down. The weight from the computer though would sometimes stop the fans from spinning, or, even without the computer, they'd just stop for a while by themselves. Piece of trash.

When it worked though it was relatively quiet. Probably on par with regular laptop fans. Once I got my NC2000 though I was pretty happy. The fans put out a higher volume of air that was much cooler, and the aluminum construction negated the weight issue. It's also much quiter! I have to check to see if it is even on.

 

THE NC2000 IS NOT THE SAME AS THE NOTEPAL INFINATE!!!! They are different.

 

I've tried both the Zalman nc-1000 and the newest Targus chillmat. The chillmat is louder but lowers temps more compared to the nc-1000 mainly due to the bigger and faster fans. The chillmat is noisy but not to the point where it can be a distraction.

 

I'm using the old model ChillMat, it actually works pretty well. Last time I checked, temps were lowed maybe 3 degrees, but the keyboard and underside is much cooler to the touch.

The old model makes almost no sound, and is completely drowned out by the notebook fans/HDD. I'm pretty sure crickets are much louder.

 

I like my Chill mat. It's quite really, barely even noticable, and well built. Just as quite as a desktop if not more so. I've read reviews of the older model and alot of the critiques people have made about it, and with the new model the problems have been heard and remedied. It's tough and light most important it's portable. Also just 30 bucks. Find reviews of the new and improved version I'm not sure when it came out but look for reviews in 2008 anything before that will refer to the older model.

 

How does it compare to the notepal infinite?

 

Sorry I cant really say since I dont own a notepal infinite. Best thing is to compare reviews. Ill contact the guy who wrote the infinite review and we can make a bit of a comparison.

 

In my experience, it still sucks. It never actually made my laptop cooler.

 

LOL the Targus Chillmat is meant to go in the garbage. I had it for ...what 2 days? and i got tired of the noise + it didnt do anything.

I got the Zalman NC1000 and it cooled my laptop down probably by 3-4 degrees .

 

ok ok Maybe if they got the Zalman down here in one of the comp stores I'll go for it, but The Chill mat is all I can actually work with down here in Hawaii besides buying online. So for now the Chill Mat is my hero. Even if no temp drop.