Targus AWE01US Notebook ChillHub Reviews

• Works well but not sure about how effective it is

  
  By A35IX2GE0VC0JP on 2005-10-17
  I have been using the Targus chillpad for about a year now and I must say that it works really well but unfortunatley I cannot vouch for its effectiveness in keeping my laptop cool. I use a program called Everest to monitor the temperature of my latop and there is really no difference between the temperature with the chillpad on or the chillpad off. The laptop is noticeably cooler to touch on the underside but the fans still kick on all the time and the temperature readings are still the same. I give this 4 stars because the product is well designed and works well but because there is no measurable difference in internal temperature I cannot give it 5 stars. It might work better for you if you constantly use your laptop on a bed or similar surface or if you actually use it on your lap.
  
  *** Plus points of the chillpad include: ****
  
  - very quiet fans that move out air to the back
  - a handy on/off switch so you can turn it off without unplugging it from your USB
  - very nicely located USB ports that can be powered with the included ac wall plug (useful for high power usb devices).
  
  
  **** Negative points include: ***
  
  - slightly small size that may not work effectively for larger laptops
  - fans do not turn off with the laptop if you leave the ac adapter plugged in (although this won't be an issue for the non USB hub model)
  - you have to be careful about positioning your laptop if you have fans underneath so that the chillpad's fans do not interfere with the laptop's fans
  - the ac adapter seems a little on the cheap side
  
  
  
  

• Sucks

  
  By A2O5RTENHYGU7J on 2005-07-27
  OK, this product is great for the reviewer who said "exclaims how wonderful and amazing it is every time he uses it" Somehow I think that person works for the manufacturer.
  
  This product is large enough for almost any laptop, and yes, it probably cools them off if you actually hold your laptop on your lap (who really does that? come on, really now)
  
  But I have a Dell XPS (generation 1) which runs HOT. It runs so hot, that it repeatedly shuts down. Blue Screen. Dell even replaced my heatsink, fans, and taught me how to keep it dust free (better airflow).
  
  This product only delayed the inevitable crash though, and here's the major flaw. The fans SUCK from the bottom, and EXHAUST at the back. Dells also SUCK air at the bottom, so this did pull heat away and spit it out the back (Dell also spits out the back) but by sucking from the bottom IT MADE THE DELL FANS COMPETE FOR AIRFLOW.
  
  If you play Warcraft III or other older game, do not buy a Dell, and no amount of cooling fans will save you (perma-save you). Gaming is just too much for most laptops. Unless you work in the artic, then you won't need extra cooling fans anyway.
  
  What they need to do is allow the fans in the cooling pad to be reversible and speed-control. There should be a HIGH setting, or HIGHER and the fans should pop out and be reversible. Plain and simple. To avoid taking air in the back (where the laptops spit it out) the intake should be from the sides, or controlable.
  
  BOTTOM LINE : IF YOUR LAPTOP HAS INTAKE FROM THE BOTTOM, DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. IT IS NOT A SOLUTION, BUT MERELY A DELAY.
  
  
  
  

• Great!

  
  By A2IVS49AEJ5EHP on 2005-06-18
  I bought this item for myself. This was a life saver. I am in the military, stationed overseas, and it tends to get a little warm here at times, especially with no AC anywhere to be found! This item worked like a charm, keeps my laptop running great, and the fact that it is also a USB hub makes it worth every penny.
  
  
  

• did you think of this...

  
  By A28RTI8IA6TSVZ on 2005-12-30
  If you have a laptop that draws the air from the "bottom" you might try inverting this unit for synchronized fan action
  
  

• Works as a USB Hub, not much else

  
  By A1OD85TR204P8G on 2006-11-17
  As a powered hub this works well. I can't speak to its cooling power because I couldn't get my 17" laptop to sit on it and not move. There are only two rubber feet on the top surface, at the back, so a large laptop will not rest securely on it and will slide all over at the front. After trying another cooler that was too small for a large notebook, I bought this one specifically because it said it worked with 17" laptops. Not mine.
  
  
• A Failure!
  By AB86ER2AGB0M3 on 2005-08-09
  The twin fans died after only 5 months of use. When it did work, the fans had a pronounced noise. Not really designed with my 17 inch widescreen Dell in mind...too small. The notebook would shift around on the base. The integrated USB hub is a nice feature, which still functions properly. If not for the extra USB ports, I would have rated this 1 star. Just ordered the "Griffin Technology iCurve Laptop Stand" from Amazon, which probably will cool just as well, without all the noise, and reliability issues.
  
  
• A must for laptop users
  By APF6Y6BQRSAX0 on 2005-12-29
  This product is one of the best laptop products I have seen since the docking station. This Chill-hub produces no noise whatsoever. It eliminates the use of a usb hub, and it does the job. It is strong in design and sturdy. The Chill-hub weights close to nothing and very slim, to put in your laptop bag/case.
  
  
• Effective, but too LOUD
  By A2OMXQT8Q649A0 on 2007-07-20
  Somehow, I thought that a product made to work with a laptop would be fairly quiet, or at least offer variable speed so that most of the time it would whisper. I played with this for about 10 minutes and will now just put it on eBay... it makes a quiet MacBook Pro sound like an old PC while raising it to an uncomfortable height. Fellow Mac users, try this first: smcFanControl (Google it). It's an app that lets you set the minimum fan speed, and has dropped my average CPU temp by about 15 degrees. I found it after ordering the Chillhub.
  
  Later note: Although loud, I have reached for this a couple of times when the laptop is working hard and heating up, and it DOES cool very dramatically. I just wish it had a speed control.
  
  
  
  
• Not worth of money
  By A1YOFYP7JRED5S on 2006-03-21
  If not for the integrated USB hub, it would be just another piece of plastic. Since it doesn't blow air onto the bottom of the laptop - instead it sucks air - it is not at all effective. In fact, it works better with fans turned off.
  
  
• Buy or not to Buy?
  By A26GRJMC26RUJ2 on 2006-07-16
  You get much mixed review on this product. Some say it worked prefectly other say it was crap and broke easily. Well I recommended to my friend and we recommended to more friends. So we saw a couple of this product in use. Conclusion was that it all depend on usage. All of my friend who used it said it worked well.... for the first month. After that some of them claim the coolness was gone. And that was exactly what happen to mine too. The fan works very well you can actully free the cool air blowing but then soon it was only a fan turning and the cool air was gone. First the left fan then the right. After asking my friend questions, I concluded it depends on usage! How often do you use it, and what for? If you computer usally run really high and your computer fan is on blasting all the time, this might help a bit. But if you are games like me on our laptop would say it doesnt help at all and it even damage the product because it was not meant for heavy gaming! btw the product still works even with the fan not cooling. It still pulls out much of the heat and will keep you keypad cool when you are not using your computer. But if you are doing normal everyday stuff like serfing on the web, using high lvl performace software like 3D Studio Max which runs the processor quite a bit this would be the gadget for you! Also one thing great bout this is that it can be usb or AC powered. When I review products I usually read the long reviews and the negative reviews. One of the negative review I read that prompt me to buy this product was that even if the product doesnt work it can be use as a usb hub. I find this quite true however I had trouble connecting my cellphone through the hub. O for all those heavy gamers like me I would recommend you to get a desktop and depending how heavy you play, ultimately you should get liquid cooling!! That is some awesome stuff!!
  
  
• Chill Hub
  By A4YHAGBFT8R10 on 2007-01-04
  Outstanding product! Keeps the laptop cool plus the added benefit of having 4 USB ports.
  
  
• Didn't work for my computer
  By AKFARRQPT5TZ0 on 2007-07-14
  This design didn't pull enough heat away from my Sony VAIO laptop that always ran hot -- not sure anything in production now would work perfectly, but I know this one didn't.
  
  
• Worthless
  By A2C2NDGQDX4JG4 on 2008-06-01
  This product only worked for a few months. I thought it cooled the laptop very well so I purchased two more to replace it and they have all stopped working. The fans won't spin anymore.
  
  
• incredible
  By AI3YEYTO4WA80 on 2005-01-18
  I got this for my husband who would put empty boxes or folded clothes under his laptop so he could work with it on his lap. It's been 3 weeks that he's been using the ChillHub, and still exclaims how wonderful and amazing it is every time he uses it - which is almost every day. He worked from home one day that he couldn't get to the office, and for 8 hours sat on the sofa with it on his lap. He couldn't get over the fact that he felt no heat from the computer after being on all day.
  Doesn't use the AC adaptor it came with, has it plugged into his laptop, and has his laptop plugged in.
  
  
• Cool!
  By A2IGR8ZZ3H9AAI on 2006-03-09
  Great item. Small, portable, light. Extra USB ports a great plus!!. Right up there with the $2.99 USB Snakelights, another big favorite here.
  
  
  
  
• Great product!
  By A2V7SM4JHO8I72 on 2006-08-19
  I bought this cooling fan because my computer was shutting off on its own, and the problem seemed to be that the computer was overheating. While this product hasn't "cured" my computer, the performance of my computer has definitely improved with the use of the cooling fan. The extra USB ports are convenient as well. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who has a laptop and wants to keep it from overheating!
  
  
• Worked for a while...
  By A39UCI1T2VYGCA on 2006-11-20
  I have a Dell Inspiron 8000 with failing fans, so I decided to get a chillhub to try to relieve the pc fans. I am just trying to keep everything working for a few more months, as I will be buying a new pc. I liked the chillhub at first, cannot really tell if they kept things cooler, as I do not have any temperature software loaded.
  
  I only give this two stars because the fans are now making a loud grinding noise that is unbearable. I use my pc every day for 6-8 hours, so maybe I burned it out.
  
  I think I am just going to buy a $10 desktop fan and shoot it at the side of the laptop and not get another one of these.
  
  
• Targus ChillHub Review
  By A3V02LL2EN3KSC on 2007-01-04
  Overall a well made product. Very useful if your notebook computer gives off heat. I have not used the fan feature, except to give it a test run. My purpose in buying this product was to raise my notebook computer off the desk, allowing the air to ventilate. The built-in 4 USB hubs are located on the left side of the pad, so make sure that this is convenient for you. Also make sure to measure the leg pads on your notebook computer and check that measurement with the chill pad dimensions.
  
  
• Got what I paid for and a little more
  By A32E87FU6973FF on 2007-01-10
  Bought over 2 months ago, I've yet to get tired of this little piece of ingenuity. I was looking for a multi-USB hub and got the Targus Notebook ChillHub because it had the hub plus those fans. As a hub it works great even when connected only to my laptop for those low-end attachments like flash drives, etc. If I need more USB power and/or want to utilize the fans to cool my notebook (which it does quietly and well), I plug in the AC adapter.
  
  Granted it's a bit smaller than my laptop and sometimes slipped when I moved it, but I fixed that with a small piece of two-sided tape in one corner. And even if it didn't have (or I didn't use) the fans, its good for keeping the laptop off flat surfaces so the heat doesn't get a chance to build up to more destructive levels.
  
  My only beef is with the adapter (hence the 4 stars), which should be unplugged from the outlet as it still pulls power even when disconnected from the Chillhub. And when the adapter is plugged in, it gets very warm even when the fans are not on. I'm not too sure it'll last the lifetime of the Chillhub. I also don't like its shape -- for its size it's made too wide taking over the next plug as well.
  
  Overall, though, I'm very happy with my purchase, which, at the time, was at almost half the price found at Staples.
  
  
• Good stuff
  By AFZKJ137IMVSO on 2007-07-03
  Yes, I agree it kind of looks flimsy. But my notebook is running extremely cool as opposed to ridiculously hot, so I got just what I wanted.
  
  
• Great product, great price!
  By A1V5QOT47IJBDA on 2007-07-26
  This is the best price I could find on a chill HUB (with 4 USB ports!) and so far so good! It is keeping my HP Pavilion notebook nice and cool. There's an on/off switch, and the fans are nice and quiet. It comes with an AC adapter, but as long as you have your laptop plugged in, you don't need to use it. It runs just by connecting it with the USB cord (which is nice and short). It is a little small - fits my 14 inch laptop just fine, but anything larger would be hanging a bit over the edges. I definitely recommend this product!
  
  
• Works well
  By A25QXAQHGLU8OF on 2007-07-30
  I'm only giving this 4 stars because these things are just too damn expensive, otherwise it would be 5 stars. Without this my 17" Dell Inspiron 9300 can cook eggs. This draws the heat away and keeps the bottom cool, which is what it's supposed to do. I haven't tried the USB ports, my laptop has 6 already. I recommend this product for anyone with a portable heater for a laptop.
  
  
• Works, with a few kinks
  By A22O8BEQQJO1JU on 2007-11-08
  Good buy, it worked really well the first 2 odd weeks I had it and then the fans started making a lot of noise (hitting the casing) and its really hard to remedy that - you have to mess around with it for 15 minutes till they stop making the noise and then not move it to make sure they stay like that. Other than that, it blows air AT your laptop, not away from like I expected it to, but maybe thats just what I thought it would do.
  
  All in all the USB hub is really a nice feature to have in here - makes this thing like a dock, just way cheaper. Buy it if you will, but make sure you get some order of warranty or be prepared to send it back soon if the fans start making any noise.
  
  
• Everything I Needed
  By A1MRPX3RM48T2I on 2007-11-17
  This thing works great: the channels in the top help with airflow, little rubber feet on the top lift the laptop above the surface, and the fans are extremely quiet. The USB hub works just fine and the unit can be powered by its own AC adapter, but I typically just let the USB cable power it. Because it's a bit smaller than my Dell Inspiron 8200 (15.4" screen), it packs neatly into my laptop backpack. The cable is short, easy to stow, and easy to connect/disconnect. Last, I've had it for a year now, and although it gets crushed every time I pack it away, it hasn't had any problems continuing to run. Highly recommended for anyone with a laptop that has a 15" screen (anything bigger and you might want a larger size cooler)
  
  
• Review Of Targus Chill Hub
  By A1CTH4YEJ3HUHF on 2007-12-05
  The Fans work fine and so does the USB 2.0 Hub. The Part to watch out for is the connector in Chillhub for the ower witch becomes loose.
  
  Targus AWE01US Notebook ChillHub
  
  
  

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