We test a selection of notepad coolers from the renowned cooling products company Cooler Master.
In little more than a decade since Cooler Master were founded, the company has established itself as one of the computer industry’s leading providers of cooling solutions, with an enviable range of products and an equally impressive reputation for quality and service. Any computer enthusiast when considering components for a new build will surely have at least one Cooler Master product somewhere in their shopping list of parts!
Cooler Master’s product range covers items from full tower cases such as the HAF 932 and the Cosmos; through PSUs like the Real Power; CPU coolers like the renowned V8; to a variety of ‘legacy’ products including VGA, Chipset, & HDD coolers, and Fans. Cooler Master’s full product range can be viewed here.
Cooler Master also have two ‘sub-brands’… Cooler Master Storm who’s products like mice and gaming surfaces are aimed squarely at the enthusiast gaming market and also Choiix who deal with the mobile market of notebooks, netbooks and other mobile internet devices. And finally there is the Cooler Master Black Label brand which is a limited edition range of products with each run strictly limited to only 500 numbered units!
Here’s what Cooler Master say about themselves:
OUR MISSION
Cooler Master was founded with the mission of providing the industry’s best thermal solutions. Since its establishment a decade ago, the company has remained faithful to this mission, emerging as a world leader in products and services for companies dealing with devices where heat issues must be resolved.
In pursuing this mission, Cooler Master is absolutely committed to delivering solutions that precisely meet customer requirements for features, performance, and quality. Moreover, we strive to be a reliable long-term partner for our customers that they can truly depend on. It aims to be the first and foremost name that comes to mind for companies around the world seeking thermal solutions, and seeks to build such a reputation through outstanding technology, sophisticated design, and superior service.
OUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY
INNOVATION, SPEED & CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
The three cornerstones of Cooler Master’s business philosophy are innovation, speed, and customer satisfaction. It has been Cooler Master’s steadfast commitment to these values and ability to fulfill its promise to honor them that accounts for its sustained record of growth and the many long-term customers it has accumulated. Together, innovation, speed, and customer satisfaction ensure that Cooler Master is the supplier that the companies around the world rely on to deliver the best thermal solutions, creating a win-win situation both for Cooler Master and the companies that become its customers.
Cooler Master was founded with the mission of providing the industry’s best thermal solutions. Since its establishment a decade ago, the company has remained faithful to this mission, emerging as a world leader in products and services for companies dealing with devices where heat issues must be resolved.
In pursuing this mission, Cooler Master is absolutely committed to delivering solutions that precisely meet customer requirements for features, performance, and quality. Moreover, we strive to be a reliable long-term partner for our customers that they can truly depend on. It aims to be the first and foremost name that comes to mind for companies around the world seeking thermal solutions, and seeks to build such a reputation through outstanding technology, sophisticated design, and superior service.
OUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY
INNOVATION, SPEED & CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
The three cornerstones of Cooler Master’s business philosophy are innovation, speed, and customer satisfaction. It has been Cooler Master’s steadfast commitment to these values and ability to fulfill its promise to honor them that accounts for its sustained record of growth and the many long-term customers it has accumulated. Together, innovation, speed, and customer satisfaction ensure that Cooler Master is the supplier that the companies around the world rely on to deliver the best thermal solutions, creating a win-win situation both for Cooler Master and the companies that become its customers.
Today we will be looking at one product area where Cooler Master have produced a wide range of devices each with a slightly different take on it’s job – Notebook Coolers.
We have been sent eight different Notebook Coolers to put through their paces, 6 from the Cooler Master brand itself, and another 2 from Choiix.
The products on test today are:
1: Choiix Air-Through Thin
2: Cooler Master Notepal D1
3: Cooler Master Notepal U2
4: Cooler Master Notepal AX
5: Choiix Air-Through Stash
6: Cooler Master Notepal W2
7: Cooler Master Notepal X2
8: Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand (which Vortez Hardware have already reviewed here)
So, let’s go to the next page to have a look at the first contender…
Choiix Air-Through Thin
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Choiix Air-Through Thin
Street Price: £25.47
Overview
As you can see from the box’s front the design of the Air-Through Thin is very clean and simple and… thin! An aluminium plate and open frame give plenty of room for airflow from a pair of 60mm 1500rpm fans which are housed in the rear of the unit, blowing air from the back towards the front.
The rear of the box gives some added details about features and performance, as well as a table showing the four models available – the unit comes in black or white and is also available with or without a built in 4-port USB hub. The unit we have been sent to test is the white, 4-port hub version, but in terms of cooling performance there is no difference between any of the models.
Features and Specifications
• Optimally designed for the slim and light notebook
• Two embedded fans provide airflow for efficient and effective cooling
• Aluminium panel and frame design for superior ventilation and cooling performance
• 4 port USB Hub for expanding connectivity
• Ergonomically designed for maximum comfort
• Compatible for Macbook Air and up to 17” notebooks
A Closer Look
The clean lines of the Air-Through Thin are testament to Choiix’s chic design choices and philosophy. The front edge of the unit is only 0.65cm thick and is a solid layer of grey rubber to aid in keeping any sized notebook securely in place.
From underneath you can see that the clean design continues, with just a couple of vents for the airflow from the two 60mm fans housed in the rear of the unit – which is also completely covered in the same grey rubber as the front to give superb grip on any surface. The two bulges to the left and right house the USB Hub – a nice feature as of course you will need to use one of your notebook’s USB ports to provide power to the unit. When in use the unit has 3 x USB ports at it’s rear left hand side and another one USB at the rear right hand side, where you will also find the mini USB socket for the power cable and an ON/OFF switch. There is also a jack socket for connecting an external power supply which is not included as is commonly the case with any such devices these days.
In use I found the rubberised parts of the Air-Through Thin did indeed keep both my notebooks very securely anchored, and despite the ultra-thin profile of the unit it felt very sturdy and was at just the right angle for typing. The fans were barely audible at all which is a really good reflection on the quality of the parts used as typically some cheaper 60mm fans when run at 1500rpm can be pretty loud, even in an office environment which is clearly where this is aimed at being used. The weight of the unit isn’t a problem at all for portability, more that it is quite large given that it is rated to handle up to a 17” notebook, so you probably wouldn’t want to be carrying it around everywhere with you!
| Pros • Built-in 4-port USB hub • Great Anti-slip features • High quality construction • Stylish looks Cons • Price a bit high |
Cooler Master Notepal D1
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Cooler Master Notepal D1
Street Price: £12.28
Overview
Cooler Master’s first offering today is the Notepal D1 which they describe as “Cooler Master NotePal D1 may very well be your best mobile companion in this new Wi-Fi savvy world” So this is clearly designed not only with cooling in mind but also portability. How will its diminutive size affect its cooling performance I wonder? It’s equipped with two silent 70mm fans rated at 2000rpm, so its cooling credentials certainly seem pretty good.
On the rear of the box Cooler Master have, in no less than 17 languages (yes, I counted them!), said ”Notebook Cooler – Notepal D1. For more information, please visit our website” which is I suppose one way of putting less clutter on the box itself! There are also several pictures showcasing features of interest, and of course there is a quick run-down of Features and Specifications, which is where we go next…
Features and Specifications
• Compact and light-weight
• Ergonomic angles for long hours of typing
• Added space-saving feature via vertical storage
• Anti-slip mechanism to keep notebooks firmly placed
• Anodized alloy hairline treatment
• Dual silent 7cm fans with rear ventilation
• USB Powered
A Closer Look
The Notepal D1’s top surface is made almost entirely out of aluminium, with a drilled out mesh effect on the front to maximise the airflow from those two 70mm fans, and a large rubber bar to either side giving great grip. The D1 is the smallest device on test here today and it is designed to handle notebooks of between 12” and 15”.
Underneath we get to see the mostly plastic body of the unit and the captive USB power cable with it’s own recess to keep it tidy, and although this unit doesn’t boast a USB Hub, Cooler Master have cleverly decided to use a run-through USB connector here so as to keep the same number of ports available for the user as they originally had, which is a nice touch. I like the hard-wired cable too, especially seeing as this device is designed for portability – there’s no chance of losing this! The large fins to the top of the picture are the air intakes at the rear of the device. You can also see four round rubberised feet equally placed around the underside of the unit, they do a pretty decent job of keeping everything stable.
In use I found the Notepal D1 to be quiet and vibration free and despite it being only about half as deep as a notebook it was quite easy to get both my 15” notebooks to sit squarely and securely on top of the device. It is small and light enough that I can happily say that Cooler Master have definitely succeeded in at least one of their aims – to produce a portable cooling solution for notebook users.
| Pros • Portability • Captive USB power cable with run-through connector • Brushed Aluminium finish • Small and lightweight Cons • Questionable cooling performance |
Cooler Master Notepal U2
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Cooler Master Notepal U2
Street Price: £14.08
Overview
As you can see the Notepal U2 is shipped in a clear plastic clam-shell blister which is a much smaller overall package than any of the boxed ones we received to test – perhaps due to its metal only construction Cooler Master decided it needed less packaging materials. It was easy to open without needing any cutting as it didn’t have the ‘welded seams’ that most of the purely plastic covers seem to favour these days, instead just being secured by several strips of tape. It looks as though the unit may have 6 fans from the card on the front, but in fact there are only 2 – the card is showing how they are removable and can be mounted anywhere to achieve the best cooling effect for your notebook.
The rear of the packaging has the usual Features and Specifications details as well as a sequence of pictures showing how the included fans detach from the unit allowing it to be used as a carrier for a notebook with an included elasticated strap to help secure the notebook inside the unit, as shown by the following detail.
Features and Specifications
• Patent-pending removable fans fasten on the notebook cooler better than average removable fans.
• Aluminium mesh design for excellent heat dissipation
• Slim shape and light weight for greater portability
• Ergonomic angle for comfortable viewing height
• Accommodate up to 17” laptops
A Closer Look
From the front it is clearly evident that this is meant to be a very sturdy yet stylish device. The all metal construction gives the Notepal U2 incredible strength and the large rubber pads at the rear edges have a dimpled surface to give additional grip for notebooks between 14” and 17” in size. There is another large rubber area on the front of the unit which wraps around the bar so that it can be used as a handle when carrying as well as giving excellent grip both to the front of any notebook and to the desk surface below. The angle of the unit is again very comfortable for prolonged use.
From underneath you can see the two 80mm fans which are rated at 2000rpm and are encased in plastic holders which are fixed to the mesh surface of the Notepal U2 by little catches. There is a small button on the side of each fan which when pressed releases the catches and allows the user to reposition the fans at will – note though that the fan cables join to a single wire which then terminates in a USB run-through connector, so the fans cannot be used on their own.
In use the Notepal U2 was very comfortable – the rubbers gripped both my laptops perfectly and allowed for no slipping or movement at all, and the angle of the unit is just right. It seems that Cooler Master must have a set of standard dimensions that they work to with these things and why not? The fans were again pretty much completely silent so I doubt that the lack of any speed control would be a major problem. I did try using the Notepal U2 as a carrier and it is relatively successful – the rear rubber grips go right around the inside of the ‘U’ formed by the back of the unit and so they do grip the back of the notebook quite well. I just wasn’t convinced about relying on a simple elasticated strap to secure my precious notebook to the handle end of the carrier… and add to that the fact that the fans need to be removed first (and hence carried separately from the main unit) and I seriously doubt that many will find this ‘feature’ to be of much use! Maybe it’s best use would be as a protective enclosure if you needed to carry your notebook in any luggage other than specific notebook bags?
| Pros • All metal unibody construction for strength • Adjustable fan positions • Great rubber anti-slip features and handle • Can be used as a carrier Cons • Need to carry fans separately if used as a laptop carrier |
Cooler Master Notepal AX
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Cooler Master Notepal AX
Street Price: £18.74
Overview
The box front of the Notepal AX doesn’t give much away at all! This unit will handle notebooks from 15” to 17” and is an almost entirely plastic casing with a metal mesh in the centre to direct the airflow.
The box rear has the standard features and Specifications, some pictures detailing the salient points and that’s about it!
Features and Specifications
• Uniquely designed built-in fan for intake of airflow from all sides
• 140mm fan for superior silent airflow
• Fan-speed control knob for adjustable settings
• Adjustable foot stands for comfortable viewing angle
• Fits most 12”-15.4” laptops perfectly (up to 17”)
There does seem to be a slight discrepancy between the sizes of notebook which are supported – the specifications do seem to suggest a slightly greater range of sizes are supported than the box front does. This is not a great drama though as I guess most of the devices we have so far covered could easily handle a smaller notebook provided the right rubber feet were used to provide sufficient grip. There is nothing worse than having your notebook sliding around whilst you are trying to type!
A Closer Look
From the front the sheer size of the 140mm fan is instantly obvious – that should give some decent cooling performance! The proper mesh is a nice inclusion too – in all that plastic it’s a welcome sight. The Notepal AX is pretty sturdy despite the plastic construction but it’s clearly not designed to be a portable device and would be a permanent feature of a user’s desk. There are no rubber grip pads in evidence here though and the unit relies on the rubber feet of the users notebook to provide the grip needed to keep things stable.
Underneath the Notepal AX you can see the multitude of air intake positions with grilles to each side and of course under the fan. There are adjustable foot stands to give a second slightly higher angle if the user feels the default angle is too low – the stands are the same as you’d find under a keyboard. You can also see that here at least Cooler Master have provided large rubber anti-slip pads at each corner of the unit.
In use… well, firstly and most obviously there is the blue led fan. I can’t really understand why anyone would want to have an LED fan in a device which is designed to be hidden underneath a notebook. Really, it’s beyond me! Anyway, the fan itself is very quiet and moves a lot of air which is as you’d expect from something of this size – it’s rated to run between 700 and 1400 rpm depending on how you set the adjustable fan speed. The Notepal AX comes with a seperate USB cable for powering the device, there is an On/Off button and the fan speed adjuster wheel for fine tuning the cooling and noise level. There is also a second USB port on the back of the unit so you could attach another peripheral device should you want to.
| Pros • Adjustable fan speed • Huge 140mm fan • Adjustable height with ‘keyboard’ type riser feet • Fan power switch Cons • Small mesh panel could limit airflow? |
Choiix Air-Through Stash
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Choiix Air-Through Stash
Street Price: £23.84
Overview
Our second offering from Choiix, the Air-Through Stash is another which is packaged like the Notepal U2 in a plastic clam-shell. This unit is the second smallest on test here today taking notebooks up to 15” in size only, but this unit does have one rather special feature up it’s sleeve – a built-in 2.5” HDD dock supporting SATA II drives.
The rear of the package has a small card showing the obligatory Feature and Specifications, the words “Notebook Pad” in 18 different languages, and product code and serial number information.
Features and Specifications
• Compatible with up to 15” Notebook Computers
• Center silent 8cm fan for efficient cooling
• Compatible with up to 500GB 2.5” SATA II HDD and SATA II SSD
• Innovative, convenient, and inexpensive way to expand your notebook HDD storage capacity
• Integrated 3-port USB Hub for expanded connectivity
• Power On/Off and data transfer LED indicator
• Powered directly from notebook USB port
• Hot-swappable and Plug and Play compatible – no driver installation necessary
Specifications
• Materials: Plastic and Rubber
• Dimensions: 230 x 320 x 50mm
• Weight: 590g
• Fan Size: 80 x 15mm
• Colour: Black, White
A Closer Look
The Air-Through Stash is a great looking piece of kit, the white model we received to test would be a fantastic accompaniment to a Macbook but is equally at home under any other notebook, and of course it comes in Black too. The 80mm fan is one of the smaller ones we have seen today, and on its own it’s facing quite a challenge to provide decent cooling performance.
Once turned over the lack of ventilation holes is even more apparent compared to some of the units we have already looked at today – however what is also immediately evident is the cover to the 2.5” HDD bay to the right of the fan intake. The area to the left of the fan intake is given over to the 3-port USB Hub internals, with the power switch and activity led along the left hand edge. In the middle behind the fan is where the mini-USB power input is located along with an optional jack socket for external power if required. The USB power cable is of course provided, and as you would expect from Choiix it’s colour coded to the model of Air-Through Stash that you have.
The SATA drive bay is a fairly standard device – you simply remove the plastic cover and slide in a 2.5” HDD (or SSD if you have one lying around!) of up to 500GB capacity, slotting it into the combined SATA power and data connector on the small PCB visible in the picture above. Replace the cover and you are ready to go! Instant storage which is always available for your notebook – what a fantastic idea!
The USB power cable which comes with the Air-Through Stash is a ‘Y’ type cable – meaning that you have to use two of your laptop’s USB ports to provide enough power for the drive and the fan. Although the inclusion of a 3-port USB Hub does alleviate this somewhat giving back more ports than you lose – but you may find the optional external power supply is needed here if you are going to use a lot of USB devices and have a drive installed.
In use the Air-Through Stash performed admirably and quietly despite it’s small single fan – the rubber feet underneath the unit made it quite stable, but the lack of rubber grips on the surface was a problem. To overcome this Choiix have included a set of four self-adhesive rubber feet which the user can attach to the surface, positioned according to their own needs – unfortunately the ones included with our sample were a dark grey colour which would spoil the clean overall look of it… but hey, we really are being picky with that! (and I guess you could stick them to the bottom of your notebook instead). The plastic construction of the unit is acceptable, but I would have preferred to have seen at least some metal, and maybe some mesh would help airflow and hence cooling too?
| Pros • SATA HDD dock • 3-port USB Hub • Very stylish • Fan power switch Cons • Single small fan |
Cooler Master Notepal W2
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Cooler Master Notepal W2
Street Price: £19.94
Overview
Cooler Master’s minimalist packaging theme stays true here with virtually nothing on the box front except a picture of the Notepal W2 and a little selection box in the bottom right corner showing you which of the three available colours Silver, Black and Titanium is contained within. As you can see from the picture, this time we are getting a cooler with 3 smallish fans in an all-metal construction.
Once again, on the back we get the standard Features and Specifications data, some pictures of said features, and this time the language section has a little more details… ”Built in 70mm fans, placed in strategic locations, create optimum airflow for truly comprehensive cooling.” along with the ever present ”For more information, please visit our website”!
Features and Specifications
• Sleek shape made of stylishly brushed high quality aluminium fits easily into any surroundings
• Active cooling: built-in three 70mm fans, placed in strategic locations, create optimum airflow for truly comprehensive cooling
• Passive cooling: thermally enhanced aluminium alloy allows for fast and efficient heat dissipation
• Uniquely curved design enhances natural convection to prevent laptops from overheating
• Excellent silent notebook cooling solution
• Raises screen height to provide a comfortable viewing angle and help reduce neck strain
• Powered through USB port with on/off power button – no AC adaptor required
• Two built-in USB 2.0 ports
• Non-interference front design provides complete clearance for easy front port access on all types of laptops
• Laptop is held securely in place without any overhang or risk of metal scratching the underside of your laptop
• Extremely sturdy structure accomodates for most notebook dimensions, including widescreens
A Closer Look
The immediately obvious thing here is the three small fans spaced equally across the width of the unit each with their own little mesh grille leaving the bulk of the surface completely unbroken. This is possibly a bit limiting when you consider the massive variety of notebooks out there and how each has it’s vents etc arranged – I wonder how this arrangement will fare against those more open designs on test here today? There are no anti-slip pads in evidence here either and with the all metal construction that could prove to be mistake too.
What can I say here? Nothing is hidden with the Notepal W2’s deisgn of a single piece of folded sheet – a couple of small rails hold the fans and at first glance could possibly allow for some sideways adjustment but of course the front has only the small openings instead of a strip of mesh going right across so I think Cooler Master have maybe missed a trick with this one, although that would have needed slightly longer fan cables too! The cabling from all three fans joins into a single USB connector on the rear of the unit and you can also see here the provided power cable in the bag taped underneath.
We get two USB ports with the Notepal W2, although of course one is required to power the unit’s fans and there is also an On/Off switch which I like to see. There is no variable speed control on this one, but to be honest if the fans are quiet enough then that’s a bit wasted anyway.
In use the Notepal W2 had one instant issue for me which was it’s lack of rubber pads on that huge surface for anti-slip properties – both my laptops had a slight tendency to slip a bit when being typed on as they were reliant on only their own feet for grip. The Notepal W2 is also one of the largest cooling pads we’ve got on test today and whilst that wasn’t a problem for me with 15” laptops I doubt it’d really be suitable for anything smaller that that. The fans were once again pretty decent and Cooler Master do seem to have realised that silence (or as near as can reasonably be achieved) is a primary factor with these devices! Due to the size of this unit I would expect it to be used primarily in an office and therefore possibly even with an external mouse and keyboard, so the extra USB is nice as we don’t lose one overall and if used like this the slight slippage that I mentioned earlier shouldn’t be an issue at all.
| Pros • Three 70mm fans • Very strong construction • Additional USB port Cons • Rather industrial looks (although some may prefer this!) • No top surface rubber anti-slip pads |
Cooler Master Notepal X2
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Cooler Master Notepal X2
Street Price: N/A
Overview
At first glance the Notepal X2 looks like the Notepal AX that we looked at earlier but with a redesigned plastic casing – it sports the same 140mm fan (along with those blue leds!), has basically the same overall dimensions, but has a much more metal mesh incorporated into it’s surface so looks to have better cooling potential. The box front is pretty uncluttered as is clearly Cooler Master’s theme for these devices, giving us a good product shot, the name and telling us that the Notepal X2 supports laptops of 15.4” to 17”
The box’s back once again shows Features and Specifications, some pictures of details and showing projected airflow etc, and on this unit we also get a basic graph with traces showing the temps of an Asus S1300N notebook without any external cooling and with the Notepal X2 – with its fan running at minimum and maximum speeds – so we are clearly getting a fan speed controller here.
Features and Specifications
• Ergonomic design with two different height settings offers best in comfort
• Special design of intake at bottom and thermally enhanced metal mesh allows for fast and efficient heat dissipation
• Built in silent 140mm fan placed in strategic location provides optimal airflow for true comprehensive cooling
• Accommodates up to 15.4” notebooks
• Fan speed control
• Blue LED shines through the centre mesh when notebook cooler is powered on
A Closer Look
You can see that this notebook cooler means business – that huge 140mm fan lurking beneath the huge expanse of metal mesh certainly has plenty of cooling potential. There is unfortunately a lack of any rubber anti-slip pads again but hopefully the mesh will give a fairly grippy surface for the notebooks own feet to stick to, stopping any possible slippage.
The most striking feature of the underside is the huge sculpted air intake which is specially designed to aid airflow according to Cooler Master. You can also see the huge vanes of the rear grille and there is also a number of smaller holes around the front edge of the Notepal X2 giving plenty of fresh air intakes. That 140mm fan will surely move some air volume! We can also see large rubber feet and once again we have the keyboard type risers for that added height if the default angle isn’t to your liking.
As is normal Cooler Master provide us with a USB cable for powering the Notepal X2, and that will take up one of the two USB ports you can see on the back of the unit alongside the On/Off button. Along the edge (to the left of the picture above) you can also see the fan speed adjuster wheel which will vary the speed according to your needs from the lowest setting of 700rpm up to the full speed of 1400rpm.
Blue LEDs again. And… No I still don’t get it! I mean, your laptop is going to be sitting on top of this right? So, unless the idea is for some tiny amount of blue glow from underneath your laptop (only when you are using it in a darkened room though!) I can’t see the point. At least LEDs are cheap, so anything spent on them shouldn’t detract from cooling performance!
In use the Notepal X2 proved itself to be one of the quietest notebook coolers on test here today, and that is saying something as the others aren’t exactly loud. Even when you are trying to hear this one, with the fan set at its lowest it is totally inaudible – at its highest there is a barely discernible noise which is more the air moving through that huge acreage of mesh than anything else! Excellent work there Cooler Master! The mesh surface is also surprisingly grippy and the lack of rubber pads didn’t affect either of my laptops at all. The angle is just right too – I didn’t need the extra height offered by the keyboard style risers, although I did try them and was also pleased to see that they don’t affect the overall stability of the unit as a whole. The Notepal X2 is fairly large but with it’s mostly plastic casing and rounded edges is small enough to be carried from place to place without too much effort. All in all a decent package with plenty of cooling potential.
| Pros • Huge 140mm fan • Virtually inaudible even at max fan speed • Massive meshed area for maximum airflow • Adjustable height with ‘keyboard’ type riser feet Cons • No top surface rubber anti-slip pads |
Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
Product on review: Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand
Street Price: £35.70
Overview
Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand cooling pad – Box Front
Another clean and simple box front from Cooler Master here with (as you’d expect by now!) a decent product picture, and supporting notebooks sized from 9” to 17”! That’s quite a range of sizes and more than any of the others being looked at today. It’s also immediately clear that this is a departure from the norm for Cooler Master in that this notebook cooler is also a very highly adjustable stand too!
Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand cooling pad – Box Rear
On the box rear we again get the standard information panels for Features and Specifications, and some pictures with basic details about a number of those features – and that’s it for this one – there’s no more room! It is quite a small box compared to a lot of the others.
Features and Specifications
• Ergonomic design: 5 different height settings to ease strain on your neck and wrist
• Optimal cooling performance: Full range metal mesh surface, built in 140mm silent fan with stepless speed control
• Great for all sizes: Adjustable anti-slip holders for 9” – 17” notebooks, easy front I/O port access
• Value-added features: 4-port USB Hub, 2 rear cable clips, side handles for cable management
Specifications
Download the product pdf sheet here
A Closer Look
Notepal Ergostand Front – adjustable heaven!
The Notepal Ergostand is a development of the notebook cooling pads that Cooler Master have made before and takes what they have already achieved and combines it with a fully adjustable stand. The result is a very impressive device indeed – the same 140mm fan as the Notepal AX and the Notepal X2 but with a 4-port USB Hub and some added cable managemant features too! The Notepal Ergostand boasts the largest notebook size support of any of the products on test here today as well – you can see the large rubber pads set into the mesh surface to aid in preventing slippage, and there are rubber coated ‘props’ which slide into the slots on the front edge and which can be adjusted to the left or right to support all those varying sizes of notebooks! You can also see the left side handle in the picture above – these are part of the cable management system for routing cabling cleanly behind the unit.
Notepal Ergostand underneath
There’s a lot more going on underneath the Notepal Ergostand and you can see that the stand base is equipped with some large rubber anti-slip pads. Also of note are the two cable clips to either side of the sculpted air intake grille.
Notepal Ergostand in use
You can see from this shot the way that the ‘props’ support the front of the notebook when the stand is used in any of it’s elevated positions. They can be adjusted sideways not only to allow for different sizes of notebook but also so that if your particular model has some front panel I/O (typically headphone and mic sockets, or maybe media card readers) then these can still be accessed whilst he notebook is in the stand. Good design that!
In use the Notepal Ergostand was superb. There are 4 notches which the stand can be slotted into for height adjustment and of course it can be used folded ‘flat’ too – when used inclined it would be essential to use an external keyboard and mouse as even the lowest of the four angles is too steep for comfortable typing. When folded ‘flat’ the Notepal Ergostand still presents a slope of about 6.5 degrees, which is about the same as most of the other units on test today, so could easily be used that way without needing any external input devices. The 140mm fan is quiet and adjustable through the use of a wheel speed adjuster the same as we’ve seen on other units. The 4-port USB Hub is a great bonus although the USB sockets are recessed under the right side quite far so not too easy to plug in without a bit of a fiddle. The cable management is a useful feature too, keeping things looking just that little bit tidier. The unit is USB powered as all the others are and Cooler Master of course provide the relevant cable for that purpose.
(To read Vortez Hardware’s full individual review of the Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand please click here)
Pros
• Huge 140mm fan
• Cable Managemant Features
• Built-in 4-port USB Hub
• Adjustable height with 5 different settings
• Adjustable fan speed
• High quality construction
Cons
• None that I could find
• Huge 140mm fan
• Cable Managemant Features
• Built-in 4-port USB Hub
• Adjustable height with 5 different settings
• Adjustable fan speed
• High quality construction
Cons
• None that I could find
Testing and Performance
To test the thermal performance of the various notebook coolers we have today I have used two different dual-core laptops (for reasons which will become apparent later on…) and tested each using Prime95’s torture test to give temperatures when under full CPU load, and also at idle for comparison.
Temperatures were recorded for CPU cores 0 & 1 using Everest Ultimate edition.
I decided to graph only CPU Core temps as they were very indicative of overall thermal performance and the additional sensor information recorded by Everest (motherboard and GPU) gave no added benefit or insight to the results – also in the spirit of keeping the results easily understandable.
The laptops used for testing were:
Laptop 1 Specification
HP Compaq 6715b Notebook
Processor AMD Turion 64 X2 (2GHz Dual-Core)
Memory 3072MB DDR2
HDD 30GB OCZ Vertex SSD
Screen 15.4” WSXGA TFT
OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Laptop 2 Specification
ACER 5740 Notebook
Processor Intel Core i5 520M (2.4GHz Dual-Core with HT)
Memory 4096MB DDR3
HDD 80GB Intel X-25 M G2 SSD
Screen 15.6” LED
OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Test results with Laptop 1 (HP 6715b)
At idle the HP laptop was cooled pretty effectively by all the devices tested here today, showing a loss of between 4 or 5 degrees with one exception – the Air-Through Stash which only managed to reduce temps by a degree or so. Possibly an issue with airflow due to where the single fan is placed as it was the only notebook cooler with such a small single fan.
Under load the HP begins to show weaknesses in the coolers – some are clearly struggling to cope with the added heat load, but this time it’s the Air-Through Thin and Notepal D1 which are the poorest performers. The Air-Through Stash on the other hand is keeping up admirably with the middle field, but by far the winners here are two of the Cooler Master offerings – the Notepal X2 and the Notepal Ergostand – both equipped with that massive 140mm fan, so no real surprises there!
Test results with Laptop 2 (ACER 5740)
At idle the ACER laptop was a real mixed bag! I initially did the testing with just this laptop and it was due to these jumbled results that I decided to add in the HP one as well to give some more depth to the results and to try to make sense of what I was seeing with the ACER.
All of the coolers managed to reduce temps somewhat, getting between 1 and 6 degrees reduction which isn’t bad when at idle – although clearly the Intel Core i5 CPU is far hotter running than the 3 year old AMD Turion chip! The winners here were the Notepal X2 (that big fan again…) and curiously also the Notepal D1 proving that airflow in the right place is as important as lots of it!
Under load the ACER’s Intel Core i5 chip uses its hyper-threading(HT) to give a total of four threads and it kicks into its turbo mode too – so now these coolers are having to cope with the equivalent of 4 cores running at 2.66GHz (I did try using just the two physical cores at the full turbo of 2.93GHz, but found that leaving all settings on auto and using HT gave the highest temps and so was the most stressful test). Here we can clearly see that the playing field is evened up again as the added heat load simply overwhelms the bulk of the coolers, even the mighty Notepal X2 which has fared so well is losing the fight here – only the Notepal Ergostand is still battling the heat well, and even then it’s only achieving a 4 to 6 degree reduction in temps, a fair bit less than it managed with the HP laptop. The bulk of the full-sized coolers do manage to reduce temps a little so are clearly still having some effect, and this test is pretty extreme so you wouldn’t expect for a cooler to face these conditions day in day out!
Conclusion
With the prevalence these days of more and more powerful notebooks we are seeing a shift away from them being simply an additional computer to be used only when travelling or out of the office, and towards them being seen as a viable desktop replacement. The added power of these machines is simply incredible when you consider what your money could buy only a few years ago and compare to what you can get now for the same amount. Of course along with all that added power comes added heat, and that can be a serious problem for laptops due to the confining nature of their casings and the drive to continually make them sleeker and smaller, cramming more and more in to an ever diminishing space.
Notebook coolers are therefore becoming more and more important as any additional cooling can have a dramatic effect on the longevity of the sensitive electronics of any modern laptop, not to mention the comfort of the user! Added to this is the shift towards use as desktop replacements and you have the Health and Safety requirements for preventing neck and wrist strain to consider too – notebook riser stands have long been a feature in offices where achieving the correct screen height is important for day-long use.
The Cooler Master group have been at the forefront of innovation in their product ranges and this is well reflected in the design of their latest offering – the Notepal Ergostand. This device is not only a superbly able notebook cooler, coming top in all our tests, but also a great step towards the perfect desk companion to any notebook with its height adjustment, cable management, and integrated USB Hub. It has already been reviewed in depth here and has won Vortez Hardware\\\’s Gold Award – and according to the results seen here today it deservingly wins this group test too!
However, for the purposes of this group test it was included only to give comparative results and so it will be excluded from the awards this time around. Besides, there are clearly one or two other units tested here today which deserve special mention.
Firstly the Notepal X2
The Notepal X2 has shown some superb cooling results – and coming equipped as it does with that massive 140mm fan I\\\’m not surprised either! Along with the Notepal Ergostand it was streets ahead of the competition on the HP laptop tests, it lost some ground when tested against the ACER laptop but was still up there with the best. It looks good too, with nice clean lines and curved edges and wouldn\\\’t look out of place on any desk, under any laptop. Unfortunately it was the only one which I couldn\\\’t find a price for but based on all the others it can\\\’t be far off the £15-£20 mark which makes it a pretty good offering. Its lack of extra USB ports is one detraction though – it does give you one back for the one you need to use to power it, but there\\\’s no more than that.
Overall a great notebook cooler which is efficient, quiet and stylish – the Cooler Master Notepal X2 wins Vortez Hardware\\\’s Silver Award.
Next the Choiix Air-Through Stash.
What a novel piece of innovation this device is! At a shade over £20 you get a notebook cooler, a USB Hub and a SATA HDD dock too – stunning value for money! And it does a pretty good job of cooling too – it didn\\\’t show too well on the HP laptop at idle, but managed to cool quite well under load and kept up well with the rest of the field, which is especially good considering it\\\’s got just a single small fan. Style conscious users should be well pleased with it too as it is definitely one of the less industrial looking units tested today. All in all a well rounded and rather unique piece of kit which costs very little. Choiix is clearly a brand name to be considered and I eagerly await their future offerings as they show great innovation and style.
It is with great pleasure that the Choiix Air-Through Stash wins Vortez Hardware\\\’s Gold Award
We would like to thank Cooler Master for these samples. Discuss this review on our forums
