Belkin Laptop Cooling Hub Review

If your notebook is putting out too much heat and you find yourself wishing for a few more USB ports, Belkin wants to help you keep your cool. The new Laptop Cooling Hub is a slight update on their classic model – a raised platform with a fan embedded to help cool down a hot laptop. It now features four USB ports to give it a little extra bang for your buck. But how does it perform under pressure?

Specifications:

• White plastic construction with rubber padding
• Will accommodate up to a 17” laptop
• Equipped with 4 USB 2.0 ports
• Runs on external AC adapter or laptop battery power via attached USB cable.
• MSRP: $49.99

Build and Design

The cooling hub is elevated by a flip-out stand in the back, and slip-resistant rubber pads cover the laptop contact points to keep your notebook elevated at a prime viewing angle. It’s lightweight and certainly portable, but not really suited for use on your lap.

The major update from the last model is the addition of four USB ports on the back of the stand. Instead of sacrificing one of your notebook’s valuable USB ports to keep the fan running, you’ll have three more to spare. Not a bad deal.

Performance

The cooling hub connects to a computer via the USB cable tucked under the supports. This enables the fan to run on your laptop’s battery and connects the USB hub to your system. A separate AC adapter can also be used to power the fan without using battery power.

The fan runs a bit louder than the internal fan on my Dell Latitude E6400, but not loud enough to become a distraction. Before using the cooling hub, the temperature on the bottom of my notebook averaged around 90 degrees Fahrenheit with my web browser and a couple of programs running—pretty standard stuff. After a few minutes on the cooling pad with the fan operating, the temperature dropped down around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

External Temperatures:

	Left Side Vent	Bottom Vent	Palm Rest
Without Cooling Hub	87 F	91 F	86 F
With Cooling Hub	80 F	81 F	83 F

The cooling pad certainly brings the temperature of the laptop exterior down, but how cool does it keep the hard drive? Using HD Tune, I measured the hard drive temperature at 38 degrees Celsius without the cooling pad after about half an hour of video viewing. With the same use on the cooling pad, I measured a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius with the cooling pad in operation. Not a huge difference, but a cooler hard drive nonetheless.

Internal Temperatures:

	Hard Drive Temperature
Without Cooling Hub	38 C
With Cooling Hub	34 C

I let the cooling pad run on the power of my laptop alone and I didn’t see any remarkable battery drain happening. Most users will be near a power source anyway. As with the previous model, this cooling pad isn’t really primed for use on your lap.

Conclusion

So is it worth the $50 price tag? If you’d like to cool your laptop down a few extra degrees when it’s parked at your desk, then the Belkin Cooling Hub is a nice option. It’s compact, efficient, and having a few extra USB ports never hurt anyone.

Pros:

• Effectively cooled laptop down an average of 10 degrees
• Four USB ports
• Great design for desktop use
• Compact design travels well

Cons:

• Fan is slightly louder than some on-board notebook fans
• Not suitable for use on lap

You can find more information about the Belkin Laptop Cooling Hub on the Belkin website.

 

cute looking laptop cooler

 

first of all thank you for the effort on the review; but one question.

"Effectively cooled laptop down an average of 10 degrees"
is it an average of 10? or maximum of 10?

since it is coming from belkin, i might want to ask are they still paying for good reviews?

thanks

 

We figured that comment was coming. And in case anyone is wondering ... the staff of NBR will NEVER accept monetary compensation of any kind or accept any other type of bribe in exchange for positive reviews. If our staff feels like a product is good, we say so. If we think a product isn't worth your money, we say so.

It is unfortunate that some companies are foolish enough to try and pay for favorable reviews of their products. But it's VERY fortunate that Belkin was caught. People need to know that when a product is reviewed that they can trust the author of the review.

 

the design doesn't look effective...anyway,i am waiting for our cooler_guru comments!

 

I own this and its great. 100% worth the money.
Can you please explain why you think the design is ineffective?

 

hm,f.e. I never seen a laptop with a went on that place(I mean were the cooler's went is)

 

Especially if it's only .06 cents.

It's a nice looking cooler, if you stick to using a laptop on a flat surface such as a desk and the notebook is properly designed it shouldn't need the extra aid of a cooler.

 

If Belkin happens to read this I'd like them to know that my review IS for sale!

 

Maybe its because it has only one fan; and is placed at the center. Some notebooks have hard disks placed on the laptop's lower left area so that part usually gets hot, imo. Good review, though

 

Zalman FTW!

 

This cooler is NOT worth $50. That said, it's regularly on sale for $19.99. At that price, I'd consider it.

The design is great for cooling. I've used it without the fan to great success. You'll be surprised at how much cooler the computer gets by having open space beneath it (my MBP doesn't get burning hot). Part of the reason that I don't use the fan is that it vibrates and makes more noise than any notebook fan I've ever heard. I returned these things thrice before deciding I'd just put up with it. Beyond cooling, the design is poor. There are no rubber feet on the back leg and when you pull the back leg out (it tucks into the cooler) you stand a very good chance of pinching your fingers and losing some skin. It's very strange...the leg is very reluctant to come out and you have to apply lots of force. This combined with the odd way that the leg hinges makes it almost impossible to avoid having your fingers pinched. DO NOT LET YOUNG CHILDREN MESS WITH THIS!

Like I said...for $20 it's a GREAT (and great-looking) passive cooler. For $50? NO WAY!

 

I have the basic version without USB ports and mostly I like the fact that it angles the keyboard. You usually get less cramping, and frankly you don't need the fan so much if you've got a cooler notebook since there's a lot of air space under there.

Well that and for some reason my year old cooler's fan sounds like a jet engine now even though I cleaned it out...

 

Does it come in black? It might be a good companion for the new Dell Studio XPS 1640 so a black version would match better.

 

Belkin also makes a version without the USB ports that retails for $29.99. Newegg currently has it for $19.99- Belkin Notebook Cooling Pad

A much simpler, passive solution is also available- Belkin CoolStrip- then again, a book does the same thing....

I've used the Targus ChillPad and the Belkin Cooler before, but my favorite is the Antec Notebook Cooler (with dual fans)- Antec Notebook Cooler

 

The Cooling Pad (model without USB ports) comes in black- Cooling Pad- Black

 

I've tried this cooler before. I have 2 problems with it:
1. The fan is very loud (no whine, but the wind noise is quite high)
2. It's not quite big enough for my notebook (my notebook's chassis flexes from my hands resting on the unsupported corners of the notebook if I try to type on it with the cooler).

It does seem to do a good job with cooling; that said, I've never measured the temps with the cooler to really know for sure. I will say that there is quite of bit of cool air flowing in the recessed portion where the fan is.

 

i never even knew about belkin paying people for good reviews wow thats as low as it gets.

Anyways, im trying to decide between this and the Antec cooler and i cant decide i really need a cooler ASAP my 7811 is starting to heat up insanely and this only started happening recently.

 

^try to clean vents!

 

Nice review/pic's on the Belkin!!!
The look is nice..I don't think I would ever use a cooler though.


Cin

 

while i think the chances of NBR reviewers getting paid is likely low, my intention of bringing this up besides the mockery to belkin, is to inform the uninform of the business ethics a company acts (apparently not everyone is aware of that).

ps. it is always great to have an impartial review, thank you

 

After I purchased this, took it home, and used it for a few weeks, I was surprised that Belkin would make such a cheap product. Long story on all the "small" things I did not like about it, but all-in-all, it should not be too difficult for a company that use to make quality products make a comfortable (if you decide to put it on our lap) and more sturdy cooling stand. Very cheap, area for the wire/USB port kept snapping off, rubber protector n the underside of the MBP kept getting into the fan area (which is also very cheap so the fan would crack). Just a really poor device to spend your money on.

 

I don't like the design, and one fan is not going to get the job done for some of the hotter notebooks. In my view, the best cooler -- for few years running -- has been the basic Antec Notebook Cooler. Its worth every penny of the $25 you can get it for on some online stores.

I ran one for nearly two years, every single day, and its still going strong. I recently purchased a new one for my netbook. It can accommodate a widescreen 15.4" machine, though there is some overlap.

Reliable and effective; what more could anyone want?

 

I've had my Antec Cooler for a few years, too. It still works great...I think I got it for $18 on sale at Circuit City.

Question- does your old Antec model have a rubber insert/nub in each of the four corners? Mine does but the new ones I see in stores and online don't have those, so I'm curious... They elevate the laptop 1/4-inch or so to create some space underneath, which is effective. But they're also are spaced too far to work with anything smaller than a 15.4" notebook.

 

Judging by the fan's location, this cooler would be useful for my laptop. IT sure looks cheap, though...

 

does it have usb 2.0 or 1.1?