Targus Laptop Chill Mat™, Black

Durable and Effective

I chose this cooling mat over the others is because it fits my 15 inch laptop perfectly! I also chose it because of its two fans which are positioned directly under my laptop's vents. ...Read complete review

I chose this cooling mat over the others is because it fits my 15 inch laptop perfectly! I also chose it because of its two fans which are positioned directly under my laptop's vents. It has four rubber bumps near the corners of the mat that raise your laptop slightly off the surface to improve airflow, and prevent the laptop from sliding around.
I have always used my laptop to copy DVDs into video files to take with me on trips. I have been using a program that reads the temperature of the components inside my laptop to monitor my laptop and prevent it from overheating. The hard drive and motherboard were my biggest concerns because they would heat up a lot. I had to throttle my processor down to around 65% to keep the motherboard from exceeding 175 degrees. My hard drive would usually run around 118 degrees during the conversion process. I have read that the computer will turn itself off if the processor reaches 185 degrees or if the hard drive reaches 122 degrees Fahrenheit. I always kept a close eye on my computer to make sure it didn't overheat.
After I started using this Targus Chill Mat, my computer runs significantly cooler. With the Chill Mat, I can keep my processor at full capacity without the temperature ever spiking above 160 degrees Fahrenheit during video conversion. My hard drive runs about 8 degrees cooler than before. During normal internet browsing, my processor temperature stays around 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
I was concerned that running the fans would drain my laptop's battery faster. I haven't noticed any impact on battery life when using the Chill Mat.
The Chill Mat is also very durable. Over the nine months that I've been using it, I have accidentally jerked the cord numerous times when I tried to remove my laptop without unplugging the mat. It shows no sign of falling apart. The four bumps on the mat lose some of their grip after a couple of months. The only time I really notice this is if I tilt the mat forward very much. It doesn't slide off when it is sitting on a table though. This probably could be resolved by cleaning them. I don't find the slight loss of grip to be a problem.
I have used this mat for about nine months and I am extremely satisfied with it. It goes almost everywhere my laptop goes. I highly recommend it.