8. Antec Notebook Cooler

By Mark Raby

There are few silver linings about going back to school, but one of them is that the excruciating heat wave that always seems to creep up during the mid-year months finally comes to an end and things start to cool down just a little bit. Unfortunately, your notebook computer doesn't recognize seasons, especially when it's kept inside your climate-controlled house all the time, so no matter what time of the year it is, you need to keep an eye on your laptop to make sure it doesn't overheat. Even with such caution, it can be a problem. Sometimes the best solution is to get a cooler, and Antec's time-tested product is one of the best.

It's not only effective, it's also quite stylish, and comes in both black and pearl colors. It's tough for something as basic as a cooler to really stand out, but Antec does just that. The most important thing to me is that this slim device is just so darn quiet. It boasts being "quieter than a whisper", and even on the "high" setting, it lives up to that promise. It's got two fans packed in there to provide a good level of reliability, and you can hardly hear either of them.

Antec Notebook Coolers come in two colors, pearl and black.

Additionally, the cooler draws its power from your USB port, but like any good USB-controlled device, it includes an extra port so you don't lose any USB ability on your notebook at all. The cooler is best used when your notebook is plugged in so that battery drain for the two fans is not an issue. However, even running on battery power, the Antec Notebook Cooler shouldn't drain the batteries all that much.

The USB plug for Antec's Cooler has a fully functional USB port so you don't lose any ports while cooling your notebook.