[Macworld]

Post your comments for Targus Chill Mat for Mac here

[lwdesign]

I have a MacBook Pro 17" that I use on my lap, even on bare legs when wearing shorts without any cushion or barrier of any kind. I just spread my knees apart a bit so the laptop's outer 3 inches on either side sit on my legs. The heat is generated near the middle of the computer, so it never reaches my legs. This is such a simple solution, I don't know why laptop pads have become such a big thing. The position isn't uncomfortable, as it's about the natural spread of my legs when I'm sitting down.

[spim]

heh ... well my laptop gets so hot that it would actually burn me (seems the 3d games take a bit of the processor and such)
that's bad ... and don't like being burned
so I bought one of these types of pads with fans ... not this model
mine was more simple and rectangular and around $30
works well to both keep the heat off of your body and also to help keep the machine cooler by getting the machine away from the surface - whether your legs, couch pillows or a desk surface, and help keep air moving around the machine
my laptop's fans don't have to crank so much when I use the pad - I even use the pad when I use the laptop on my desk
it seems like a great idea - and there's lots of them to choose from
. . .
of course, I think that I would prefer not needing to use one - I sort of think I would have been happy with a slightly thicker notebook that would keep itself cooler without my help

[Bruce_Star_Guy]

So for $50, why no USB hub. At least a one port hub to replace the port this plugs into.

[TGRuss]

I would really like to know how much cooler this can make my MBP 17". I sometimes use it to play games under Windows and teh fan really cranks when this happens. So much so, that with one game I am told the reason for frequent crashes is that my computer is overheating. If this would prevent my computer from getting too hot so that I could play these games, I would be a happy camper.

[dgal15]

I am interested in a product like this for my Time Capsule. I have my TC on the top of a wood file cabinet. It is completely open and gets airflow, however the cabinet surface is warm to the touch. I know it is normal for TC to be warm, but I don't like that it heats up the surface it is resting on!

[tjloeb]

I have just moved from PC's to a MacBook Pro Late 08. I wanted to be able to use my Mac anywhere.
My last PC Laptop was a Toshiba running under Vista and it got too hot to use comfortably on my lap or in bed.
The Mac is not quite that hot, but I wanted something to cool it down.
The Chill Pad has proven to be a great solution. It keeps the enclosure temps reported by iStat at a steady 82 degrees with the 9600M GT running.
I wish there was a USB hub built-in, but otherwise the Chill Mat has more than met my expectations.
Highly recommended.

[ersatzplanet]

I had my 17" get really hot when playing some games - WOW is a prime example. The internal fans would turn on almost right away. I bought a Antec cooler and met the hidden problem most 17" owners will encounter. The coolers are almos all too small for the laptop. The laptop fan would still sometimes come though not all the time as before. First I felt on my laptop where the hottest spot was and cut a rubber mat to channel the airflow to the fans (they pull the air away from the laptop on the Antec unit I have) from the hottest regions. That helped a ton but the single most effective solution I have found is to remove the battery. This works every time. The hottest part of my MacBook Pro is by the power connector when the battery is also installed. When the battery is out it runs much cooler. Also the fans on the Antec are almost perfectly centered on the vacant battery hole and sucks air through the computer cooling it even more.

[nweb]

This is for the reviewer: What does "How well does the Chill Mat work? Just great" actually mean?
How about some hard numbers? Rip a DVD with Handbrake and with a Mac notebook computer on a desk and without using the Chill Mat. Use one of the Mac OSX temperature utilities to report on various inside temperatures.
Then, do the same thing with the Chill Mat. Is there any difference?
My experience with Apple G4 Powerbooks was that while external, fan-based notebook coolers seem like they are making a difference, they really don't change what's going on inside the computer. Maybe things have changed and maybe not.
And I don't trust manufacturers to supply unbiased info of this type.

[Bress]

I have to agree with nweb. It works "just great"? Why? Because it keeps your legs from getting hot? I can just put a piece of plywood between my MBP and my legs and get the same result. What does the Chill Mat actually do for your laptop?

[uncdomination]

I have the new 13 inch aluminum Macbook and just watched Eagle Eye on it. After the movie I felt the bottom of my Macbook (as it was on my lap the whole time) and it was not hot at all, more like a barely warm. I guess apple really tried to fix the heating problem on the new macs because I used to have the heat problem all the time on the Powerbook G4 and even on the 1st gen macbook.

[ersatzplanet]

Bress said:

I have to agree with nweb. It works "just great"? Why? Because it keeps your legs from getting hot? I can just put a piece of plywood between my MBP and my legs and get the same result. What does the Chill Mat actually do for your laptop?

For me the the "Works Great" is because without it when playing WOW (or other CPU intensive task like rendering) my MBP's internal fans switch on and a blasting away like mad trying to cool the processor down. With the cooler on the internal fans don't come on at all. I can assume this is because the cooler has "worked great" in reducing the MBP's internal operating temperature enough that the CPU doesn't turn on it's internal fan. As a by product it does keep my legs from getting fried. As many may have noticed these machines are no longer referred to as Laptops by Apple because they get too hot for your lap, they are now Notebook Computers.

[bradywill]

Targus also makes a much more useful "chill hub" that does exactly the same thing but has 4 USB ports. I've used mine with my macbook pro for over a year with no problems.
http://tinyurl.com/7pf6ya