Antec Notebook Cooler 200

Everyone has a portable computer of some kind, whether it is a notebook or netbook. They range in many different sizes but the overall idea is generally the same. Some are more aimed towards the business user, whilst some are focussed on home use and others are geared towards the extreme gamer offering unparalleled performance in a small form factor design.When manufacturers build these machines they try to keep components to a minimum in terms of size, giving the end user a slim, sleek machine with all of the latest capabilities but this can have its drawbacks. Higher-end components lead to more power needed, which in turn leads to higher amounts of heat dissipation which gives the consumer a very warm lap indeed.To combat this, many manufacturers are releasing products to prop the notebook off of your lap slightly to give that extra breathing space needed to combat a toasty leg. The best way is to create a device that acts as a cooling pad for the underside of your notebook by pushing cool air upwards towards the motherboard area and main location of vital components such as the CPU. Antec have decided to try their hand at producing one of these notebook coolers, but will their Notebook Cooler 200 give better results than some of the generic products we've all seen at the local computer fair or will it be a bit hot around the collar?Features[HR][/HR]200mm Antec Big Boy fan with two speed settings delivers maximum coolingPowered by a USB connector - no batteries or power adapters!Internal blue LED illumination delivers unbeatable style and can be toggled on or off through a convenient switchUnique design enables effortless operation on either a flat surface or the user's lapUnit Dimensions:0.9'' (H) x 13'' (W) x 11.2'' (D)2.2 cm (H) x 33 cm (W) x 28.4 cm (D)Package dimensions:2.1"(H) x 14.8"(W) x 12.9"(D)5.4cm(H) x 38cm(W) x 33cm(D)Weight:1.6 lbs / 0.7 kgSpecifications[HR][/HR] Packaging Packaging[HR][/HR] The front of the box is a simple affair which is taken up by a huge picture of what the product looks like and the product name situated in the bottom right. The only thing that can be said about the front of the box is that it's very bling. The rear of the box is where we get a bit more detail including a short blurb in English, French and German describing the Notebook Cooler 200 and exactly what it offers. The main features are listed just below including the 200mm Antec Big Boy fan and internal blue LED illumination. Towards the bottom is a picture showing how the cooler operates in terms of direction. Just to the right of this is a table listing the full specifications, of which I'm quite surprised as to how much detail Antec went into for a product of this nature as in reality; it is quite a simple product. Contents[HR][/HR]Opening the box up and taking a look at the contents reveals the notebook cooler itself, protected in a plastic bag with three blocks of protective Styrofoam packaging. You also receive a leaflet on how to win PC accessories, power supplies, enclosures and more just by filling out a survey on the Antec website. You also get an instruction sheet featuring seven different languages including Italian and Spanish. The instruction leaflet gives 3 clear diagrams on how the product works with your notebook and gives detailed step by step instructions on the features and initial setting up of the cooler. Once the outer packaging and protective foam has been removed, the notebook cooler with be revealed with yet more protective materials, which cover over the mirrored corners of the cooler. A Closer Look The cooler encompasses a very unique design with mirrored corners and a whopping 200mm Antec Big Boy fan in the middle. The back of the cooler gives you another view of the huge fan that comes supplied with the cooler and shows how the cooler has a unique design which gives the user flexibility on using it on a flat surface such as a desk or on your lap. Taking centre stage is a honeycomb grill to protect you from the fan which spins at a low RPM to give the user a more silent operation. The fan has the Antec logo branded in the middle just incase you forget. The 4 corners of the cooler feature some oddly shaped mirrors. The reasoning is unclear but it does add to the futuristic styling of the device on a whole and maybe that is the whole point behind it all. At the bottom, the Antec logo sits proud with a chrome fill set of lettering. The Notebook Cooler 200 isn't the most discrete device on the planet and is quite large when you look at the thickness, but it does allow your laptop to sit at a slight angle, which we've found gives the user a slightly better position for use. At the back is a panel with two switches. One switch is to operate the fan speed from low to high. The low setting enables a 400RPM speed which passes 87.9CFM at 23.8 dBA whilst the high speed gives a 600RPM speed, pushing through 115.7CFM at 27.1 dBA. The high speed isn't very audible, and due to that factor, we'd insist on having it permanently on high to enable better airflow.The other switch that is present is to turn the blue LED illumination on or off, though we can only see the illumination having an effect at night as it will omit a glow whereas the day won't allow this to be seen. No extra power or batteries are needed to get the cooler powered up; it is simply a matter of plugging the USB connector in. Other coolers similar to this have seen a double USB connector, so that your USB port isn't lost from the device, and simply gives another port off the back for other purposes, which is a shame that it wasn't seen on this one. Installation It's a simple operation that involves placing your laptop on the cooler and plugging the USB connector in. As you can see, we have the USB cable connected on the right side of the notebook. The cooler will take various sized notebooks and netbooks and with the model we used to test, it sat comfortably on the cooler. Once the fan was switched on, we immediately placed it into high mode as at 600RPM's and 27.1 dBA, it is very unnoticeable. We then proceeded to switch on the blue LED illumination, which gives off a nice glow from the fan and at night we're sure would look quite cool. Obviously, you have the option to turn the LEDs on or off as some users may not like it and may think it is tacky. Test Setup Throughout the testing period, we would generally use lots of different applications to test performance but a product of this nature only requires very simple testing in the form of various temperatures.We started our test with the cooler unplugged and our chosen laptop placed upon it. We then continued to use CoreTemp to measure the temperature of Core #0 and Core #1.Once the temperatures were accurately measured, we plugged the cooler in and waited 15 minutes for the temperatures to stabilise on the coolers lowest fan setting.We then ramped the cooler up onto its highest fan setting and once again waited 15 minutes for the temperatures to stabilise. The laptop that we decided to use was:Model: Fujitsu/Siemens Amilo Pi 2515 Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.50GHz Memory: 2GB DDR2 Graphics: Intel GMA X3100 Screen Size: 15.4 LCD WXGA display Operating System: Windows Vista Home PremiumResults The results below show the two cores of the processor, and how the temperatures were affected on various settings including low and high fan speeds. By using a higher fan speed, the temperatures were affected slightly, but it is a matter of balancing cooler temperatures with louder noise output but overall the noise wasn't that noticeable on both speeds.Final thoughts Only so much can be said about a notebook cooler, as it has one particular job to do and the Antec Notebook Cooler 200 does exactly that. It comes equipped with two fan speed settings to appeal to all users and is all encased in a stylish design that sits comfortably on a flat surface as well as your lap.It's quite large in comparison to other products on the market, but this is as it caters for a majority of laptop sizes whereas cheaper coolers will only be useful to smaller sized notebooks.There is an upside to using a notebook cooler, which leads to an increased life of your notebook by keeping the main vital components cool when needed, especially as more users are gaming and using laptops for prolonged periods. This leaves the choice in your hands of spending a little to get more life from your notebook or having to replace the whole unit more frequently which in this day and age could lead to £500 being spent out on a new notebook every 3 years, why not make that every 5 years instead?Pros: Prolongs the life of your notebook/laptop Barely audible Stylish Blue LEDs Comfortable to use Keeps vital components cool Cons Could be considered expensive Quite chunky Not easily transported due to sizeWe would like to thank Antec for supplying this sampleYou can purchase this item from Scan Attached files 0.jpg (16.9 KB) 1.jpg (70.9 KB) 1.jpg (17.2 KB) 10.jpg (27.9 KB) 11.jpg (47 KB) 12.jpg (58.7 KB) 13.jpg (47.2 KB) 14.jpg (26.5 KB) 15.jpg (77 KB) 16.jpg (83.2 KB) 2.jpg (67 KB) 3.jpg (69 KB) 4.jpg (84.4 KB) 5.jpg (70.2 KB) 6.jpg (77.6 KB) 7.jpg (69.8 KB) 8.jpg (65.7 KB) 9.jpg (58.1 KB) amilo.jpg (18.4 KB) notebookcooler200.jpg (18.7 KB) silver.jpg (12.4 KB) specs.jpg (37.8 KB)