Targus Lap Chill Mat Review: Cool and Quiet

Recently Targus introduced several new laptop cooling solutions including the Targus Lap Chill Mat in Silver which they sent over for review. The Lap Chill Mat is a notebook cooling solution designed to be used on your lap in that keeps your laptop cool and provides a slight tilt to provide a more ergonomic working area.

Quick Specs: The Targus Lap Chill Mat in Silver fits notebooks with up to a 15.6″ screen perfectly, if you don’t mind overhang on the edges you could fit a 17″ screen laptop on the cooler. The Chill Mat comes with two USB powered fans that cool the notebook.

Cooling: First and foremost the cooling pad does in fact cool your notebook and cool it well. In our tests we used it in tandem with the Samsung RF510 Intel Core i7 powered notebook. Under normal circumstances the RF510 didn’t put out a large amount of heat, but when you set the RF510 on the Targus Chill Mat you could certainly tell that the RF510 was running much cooler; the bottom was even cool as the other side of the pillow during our extended testing.

While cooling, the Chill Mat was also quiet enough that it could be used while watching TV or listening to music without interruption. The fans aren’t silent, but they are quiet enough that you can use the Chill Mat without interrupting what you are doing or those around you. It is one of the quietest laptop cooling mats I have used.

Tilt: In addition to the cooling the Chil Mat provides a slight angle to your notebook which not only provides a more comfortable long term typing experience, but also places the screen at a better viewing angle.

Comfort: The comfort of the Chill Mat is, in addition to the cooling, a huge bonus. The soft neoprene bottom, angled shape and large base combine to form a notebook cooling product that isn’t just good at cooling — it’s comfortable too!

Conclusion: The Targus Chill Mat is a must have notebook accessory for anyone who uses their notebook on the couch for long periods. It’s efficient and quiet cooling, combined with comfortable surface and ergonomic tilt add up to a real winner.

The Targus Lap Chill Mat in Silver retails for $39.99 and can be found online and in stores.