The Good: Does seem to cool the laptop down, Inexpensive, Does not use power
The Bad: Fraying at the edges, Works poorly over long periods of time.
The Basics: The Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat is an initially effective remedy to overheating the average laptop computer, though it does not work terribly well over long periods of time.
For my recent birthday, my wife got me a new laptop computer from which I have been reviewing for the last few months. She's a real sweetie and it is easily the best gift that anyone has ever given me. Since then, we've been accessorizing and one of the first things she wanted me to get was something to keep the laptop cool. I went for the Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat for a very simple reason: I wanted something that did not use my laptop's power and I was not around Dean Haglund. Dean Haglund, from The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen invented a laptop cooling pad and had I known I was getting a new laptop, I would have bought one of his from him at the last convention we were at together.
With the Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat, I figured I would be getting the same benefits of whatever it was Haglund invented. The basic principles of the cooling pad is that the crystalline mat keeps the bottom of the laptop cool until it decrystalizes. When it is removed from the heat, the mat crystallizes again and can be returned to under a laptop for cooling.
The Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat is 13 3/4" by 11 7/8" deep and about a quarter inch high. This is designed for laptops with screens up to 17", but for my 14" (diagonal measurement of the screen) laptop it is just the size of the laptop's base. The black and gray textured mat is designed to wick the heat away and keep the laptop cool. And it actually seems to do that.
The Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat works for about four hours before my laptop's fan comes on, meaning it is no longer actually cooling the laptop. The flexible mat becomes far more fluid when it heats up. The pad becomes solid again when it cools down, which takes about three full hours away from the laptop.
Sadly, the Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat is not perfect. The fact that it only seems to work for about four hours is not great for someone who uses a laptop for long stretches like I do. But more than that, I've had the mat for about two months and the edges of the nylon are already Fraying. While I notice that the HeatDefense has a full year warranty, I have not yet exercised that. Still, the HeatDefense is not coming apart to the point where anything is leaking, so it might be fine.
The Targus HeatDefense Cooling Mat is easy to store, but I suspect most serious laptop users will want two in order to insure that they always have something that will effectively cool their laptop computer. Others will find it heats up too quickly and might not be as durable on its own as it is designed to be.
For other laptop and laptop accessory reviews, be sure to check out:
Acer Aspire 5532 Laptop Computer
15" MacBook Pro
Hi-Capacity AC Adapter for Acer 5532
7.5/10
For other computer reviews, be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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