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Anyone use the Chill Mat for Mac by Targus?

M

MVApple

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 18, 2008
527
1
http://www.targus.com/us/formac/?ut...m_content=homepage&utm_campaign=banner-formac

I see that several other people use Targus's old chill mat, but I haven't seen any users here comment on the one made specifically for Macs.

I game under Windows and anything I do under Windows Vista makes the computer get super hot. It hasn't been a problem other than the fact that high heats like this are known to lower the lifespan of computers, so I'm looking for something like this that will keep temperatures down, but does it work well?
 
MVApple said:
http://www.targus.com/us/formac/?ut...m_content=homepage&utm_campaign=banner-formac

I see that several other people use Targus's old chill mat, but I haven't seen any users here comment on the one made specifically for Macs.

I game under Windows and anything I do under Windows Vista makes the computer get super hot. It hasn't been a problem other than the fact that high heats like this are known to lower the lifespan of computers, so I'm looking for something like this that will keep temperatures down, but does it work well?
Click to expand...

im going to sound like a broken record but i use THIS one. i have used a lot of different ones but this one keeps my MBP coller by about 15-20C.
 
I use some cheap $10 thing I found at Costco one day, and it's been one of the best things I've ever bought. Keeps my PowerBook from ever having to turn on its own fans, even under heavy load :D
 
Been thinking about this..

I've seen these, but I am concerned about it being USB powered, doesn't it adversely draw on resources? Anyone have any statistics on on-board VS external cooling? I do video work, so I'm taxing my baby to the max anyway, I'm concerned about USB power draw VS a fan control utility...any opinions?
 
Could someone recommend one that would be good that is a. not usb-powered and b. better for being used while its in clamshell mode while being used with an external monitor.
 
Passive cooling

i have been reading around and i believe many people agree that passive cooling is best for the laptop as it promote cooling and in the same time prevent the laptop fans from becoming lazy. I would recommend ILap. it keeps your laptop cool and in the same time looks good on the laptop. Though it is overpriced.
 
u49aa2 said:
i have been reading around and i believe many people agree that passive cooling is best for the laptop as it promote cooling and in the same time prevent the laptop fans from becoming lazy. I would recommend ILap. it keeps your laptop cool and in the same time looks good on the laptop. Though it is overpriced.
Click to expand...

Laptop fans are not going to become "lazy". They don't have personalities, they are just machines. The laptop fans are always going to be spinning anyways, the difference is they won't be revving up to maximum power which means the life of your fans should be extended since they won't have as much wear and tear on them.

Also, by keeping your notebook's heat down, you will extend the life of all of the components since heat is a big killer of computer devices.
 
MVApple said:
Laptop fans are not going to become "lazy". They don't have personalities, they are just machines. The laptop fans are always going to be spinning anyways, the difference is they won't be revving up to maximum power which means the life of your fans should be extended since they won't have as much wear and tear on them.

Also, by keeping your notebook's heat down, you will extend the life of all of the components since heat is a big killer of computer devices.
Click to expand...

So is cold, not using your Macbook's battery or leaving it out of the machine reduces its capacity drastically after a few months.
 
I bought the Chill mat for my 17" MBP. I really didn't notice a huge difference so I took it back.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to simply elevate the laptop, and use a larger sized fan to blow the air past the back and underneath the laptop.

I'm still shopping for a cooler myself. I'd rather have a high-powered (albeit quiet) fan (or fans) cooling my system rather than the low powered ones that are limited by USB power.
 
groove-agent said:
I bought the Chill mat for my 17" MBP. I really didn't notice a huge difference so I took it back.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to simply elevate the laptop, and use a larger sized fan to blow the air past the back and underneath the laptop.

I'm still shopping for a cooler myself. I'd rather have a high-powered (albeit quiet) fan (or fans) cooling my system rather than the low powered ones that are limited by USB power.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your feedback. Someone on youtube posted a review of it using it with an aluminum macbook and they claimed it did a really good job. These notebooks get really hot up near the screen and the Chill Pad for Mac is supposed to line up its fans so that it's blowing air up near that portion of the screen. They claim their chill pad works for 13"-17" notebooks.

I'm curious, did you ever look to see if the fans lined up correctly at the top? In the youtube review the pad was the perfect size for the 13" macbook aluminum, but I imagine the 17" would seem much too big.

kastenbrust said:
So is cold, not using your Macbook's battery or leaving it out of the machine reduces its capacity drastically after a few months.
Click to expand...

I think the key is that "extreme" temperatures will hurt the notebook. And yes, not using the battery can reduce its life, but using it will reduce its life too.
 
I was going to buy a chill mat but noticed the amazon reviewers said the macbook will slip off very easily.

I like the chill mat though because it has a padded bottom for using on your lap. A lot of the ones that have better reviews are intended for desks only. My MacBook can be heard from about 20 feet away easily. The fans are at 6200 RPM regularly and the CPU A temp is at 81 C right now with the fans that high. I am starting to limit what apps I use based on how noisy the fans get when I use them. If I start up the computer and open nothing and just let the arabesque screensaver go on for example, it will go up to 6200+ RPM and the heat gets up to 80 C. That's crazy. So I only use the black screensaver that shows your name and the apple logo. I wonder if my computer is already getting damaged from getting so hot. It seems that the fans can't go any faster than 6200 (that's how high they usually go, but no higher). But it definitely seems that it's not doing much to go that high. And does anyone else notice that there is actually very little air coming through the vents for how noisy the fan is?

Anyhow,I may end up getting the chill mat even though it has the slippage issue. Does anyone know of any other good ones that have a bottom that would be comfortable enough for lap usage and don't have the supposed slippage issue of the chill mat?
 
I'm using another Targus model. I used a different AC adapter that gives the unit more power, hence spinning the fans faster, hence more cooling. I don't mind the sound when the fans are running really fast since it's not any louder than my G5 or my MBP's fans at 7000rpm.
 
mikes70mustang said:
Use google, theres a billion threads on this already
Click to expand...

There's a billion threads on the older targus chill mat, but now the new one designed for Macs, which is significant as it directs air up throught he top where it gets the hottest. Next time try reading what I write instead of jumping to conclusions k?;)
 
ViciousShadow21 said:
im going to sound like a broken record but i use THIS one. i have used a lot of different ones but this one keeps my MBP coller by about 15-20C.
Click to expand...

Wow, now that looks like a serious product that will keep my MBP cool. Now I have to choose brushed alu to complement the look of my MBP or the black alu to contrast the unibody MBP ;)
 
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