Thermaltake AC R15ON02 i-Xoft Notebook Cooler Fanless 15" Cooling Pad White New

Comment:
This product is a great alternative from USB coolers. It's portability and the fact it doesnt feed off your laptop's battery were my main reasons for purchasing this. It is great for resting a notebook on your lap and it really works for cooling it down...Although it does have limits and can act as a insulator rather than a cooler depending on the heat + length of usage. Other than that, I recommend this product. This review was modfied by poster @ 07-05-07 04:27 PM

Comment:
My notebook computer gets unbearably hot sitting on my lap. Previously, I had tried using some layers of foam sheets, like the kind that you might use for packing, to insulate me from the heat. Unfortunately, while the foam kept my lap cooler, the computer got hotter and the fan came on rather frequently. With the iXoft pad, my lap is shielded from the heat of the computer, and at the same time, the fan does not go on high as often as before. My lap still is a little warm after a couple hours of use, but not unbearably so. This pad actually does work, though it obviously won't cool as effectively as an active fan system. However, it strengths are that it is noiseless, has no wires, is portable, easy-to-use, and is comfortable.

Comment:
If you need a mat to keep the laptop from burning your lap, or only need to use the laptop for short periods of time, and/or really want no additional connectors, then maybe this is for you... otherwise, don't bother with this.I've had MobileMeter running on my laptop, and initially while the sodium sulfate decahydrate is still in solid form, it did cool the reported hard drive temperature by 4-5°C. However, as the day went on and the stuff inside turned to a liquid state, the temperature went back up to basically the same as on a bare table. The stuff inside does not melt and move to a cooler spot - it seems to just stay in the same place underneath the hot spots, and thus doesn't seem to help to spread the heat out.