Antec Notebook Cooler S review

Too hot to handle

Laptop computers generate a lot of heat, and the more insulated or enclosed the environment, the hotter it gets. So if you're using your notebook computer on a couch, carpet, or even a desk or your lap, the heat will stay contained and make the computer hotter. This can, in turn, make the computer slower as it scales down CPU usage to draw less power; louder as the fans kick into high gear to get the hot air out; and less comfortable as the system makes your legs sweat and your fingers burn.

Antec's Web site claims that laptop systems can crash if they get too hot. While this is true, rarely do notebook systems reach the kind of temperatures necessary to crash. You'd have to be in a really hot place, or the computer would have to be well insulated, and chances are, you the user would be too uncomfortable to continue using the computer before it overheated and shut down or crashed. Some high-performance and cheaply made components may malfunction when they get hot, and this can certainly cause your operating system to crash.

Physical design

The original Antec Notebook Cooler was thin and flat, and meant to cover at least most of the bottom of a laptop computer. The Notebook Cooler S is shaped more like an oversized video game controller. Also unlike its predecessor, the Notebook Cooler S is made entirely of plastic; its USB power cord is permanently attached to the device; and it is designed to be used in an entirely different way. Where the original Notebook Cooler served as a bottom layer for the computer to rest on, the Notebook Cooler S only props up the rear of the system, and is designed to operate on flat surfaces like desks and tables.

There's nothing to assemble or maintain with the Antec Notebook Cooler S -- you just take it out of the box and use it. It requires no batteries because it's powered by USB, and it's small enough that it can easily fit into all but the most Spartan laptop carrying cases. The power cord is 18 inches long and has a pass-through for other USB devices, so in essence the Notebook Cooler S doesn't hog any USB ports.

The Antec Notebook Cooler S: smaller but still effective

The two 80mm fans suck in cool air from the top of the unit, and blow it toward the underside of the computer through directed vents. It makes very little physical contact with the computer; where it does, it's kept in place by two triangular, rubberized pads that prevent the computer from sliding off.

A fan speed switch moves between a "low" and "high" setting. Since the Notebook Cooler hardly makes any noise, the switch is not really necessary and you'll probably end up leaving it on the high setting and never touching it again.

The two double ball bearing 80mm fans together consume about 2 watts of electricity on the "high" setting. That's not much, but it will still reduce the amount of time you can use the computer on batteries alone.

Putting it to the test

Like the first model Notebook Cooler, this updated S model is obviously designed to be used mostly on the top of a table, desk, or counter. Unlike its predecessor, though, it doesn't work quite as well when you use the machine on your lap. That's not to say that it can't be done, but you'll have to sit relatively still and be careful when you get up from your chair. On a desk, the Notebook Cooler S was great in terms of keeping my (admittedly not very high-end) cool, but the angle at which the laptop system rested was not very agreeable to my wrists.

There are a lot of people who do frequent laptop computing not just on the road, but in the office and at home. I've known several people over the years -- myself included -- who have had a laptop system as their primary computer. In such instances, a device like the Antec Notebook Cooler S is almost a necessity for high-end systems that generate a lot of heat.

The Notebook Cooler S does solve two problems presented by the original: it doesn't have a ridged surface that will wear down the bottom of your laptop machine, and it is considerably smaller and therefore a bit more portable.

Conclusions

Despite its usefulness, I don't find the Notebook Cooler S to be any kind of an improvement over the original Notebook Cooler. That's not to say that it isn't as good -- it's just not really any better. For non-desk use, I definitely prefer the original Notebook Cooler because of its lap-friendliness, but if I'm going away to a conference and expect to be sitting at a desk or a table for most of the time, the S model would definitely be my choice. That of course assumes that I would buy a laptop computer that generates enough heat to warrant such a device.