We take a look at the very latest notebook cooling solution from Cooler Master.
Product on Review: Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStandManufacturer and Sponsor: Cooler Master
MSRP: N/A
Cooler Master announced the release of the latest addition to their extensive notebook cooling range just a few weeks ago and it is with great pleasure that we bring you the NotePal ErgoStand, a device which combines the traditionally seperate functions of a desktop notebook stand and an active cooler. Sporting a single massive 140mm fan the NotePal ErgoStand certainly looks to be well equipped to tame the hottest running notebooks. Add to that an impressive range of additional features along with Cooler Master’s renowned attention to detail and design flair, and you have the makings of a fantastic bit of kit – let’s hope it performs as well as it’s specifications suggest it should!
Here’s what Cooler Master have to say about the NotePal ErgoStand:
ErgoStand is the perfect multifunction product that gives your laptop the total cooling solution. ErgoStand can be used as a notebook stand and/or cooling pad. The adjustable anti-skid holders are compatible for 9”~17” laptops. The 140mm silent fan and full range mesh surface with aerodynamic designed intake provide silent and efficient cooling. Furthermore, ErgoStand includes great functions to ease your working environment such as the cable management handles, rear cable clips and 4 port USB hub.
Features and Specifications
Features
Ergonomic design
• 5 different height settings to ease strain on your neck and wrist.
Optimal cooling performance
• Full range metal mesh surface, built-in 14cm silent fan with stepless speed control.
Great for all sizes
• Adjustable anti-slip holders for 9″ ~ 17″, easy front I/O port access.
Value-added features
• 4 port USB, 2 rear cable clips, side handles for cable management.
Specifications
• Colour: Black
• Material: Metal mesh, Plastic, Rubber
• Dimension (W / H / D): 370 x 265 x 33 ~ 58mm
• Weight: 1.05kg
• Operation degree: 6.5 ~ 45 degree
• Power: USB 5v DC
• USB Port: USB 2.0/1.1 x 4, and Mini-USB x 1 (for power in)
• Compatibility: Supports all 9” ~ 17” Notebook
• Fan Dimension (W / H / D): 140 x 140 x 15mm
• Fan Speed: 700 ~ 1400 rpm
• Bearing Type: Rifle Bearing
• Fan Noise level (dB-A): 15 dBA (Min)
• Fan Life Expectancy: 40,000 hours
• Cable length: 600mm
For more product information a datasheet in pdf format can be found here
Packaging and Contents
The Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand comes packed in a simple white box, with the front showing a large picture of the unit, the Cooler Master logo, and a small inset showing the unit in use with a legend detailing the wide range of notebook sizes that the unit can accommodate.
The rear of the box has a bit more to it – there is a full rundown of the unit’s features and specifications along with 9 images showing some of the features in more detail. I like the fact that the box exterior isn’t crammed with masses of pictures and text in multiple languages – it’s just so much easier to see the pertinant information this way!
When you open the box you find the main unit neatly packed in a plastic bag and protected by moulded foam packing at either end. At first glance the full mesh surface of the unit hints at the massive cooling potential of that huge fan.
Taped to the back of the main unit are a couple of small plastic bags containing the 60cm USB cable and the two anti-skid holders. There is also a small paper user guide loose inside the box.
A Closer Look
Having unwrapped the NotePal ErgoStand the first thing you’ll notice on the front is just how much of it really is mesh – giving a good view of the 11-bladed fan lurking beneath. There are four large rubber pads in the corners of the meshed area to give good grip on just about any sized laptop, and at the bottom you can see the two slots where the ‘props’ (as Cooler Master calls the anti-skid holders) are inserted. The ‘props’ can be adjusted left and right not only to allow for holding the wide variety of sized laptops supported here, but also so that you can access any front I/O connectors your particular laptop may have – a nice touch which shows the level of thought that has gone into this design. Finishing the look off is a nice small Cooler Master badge at bottom left.
From the rear of the unit the sheer size of the fan is even more apparent, with the aerodynamically designed air intake taking up a fair amount of the available space. There are two cable tidying clips to the sides and just above the air intake, which are another very thoughtfully provided feature allowing for cabling running behind the unit to be kept nice and tidy, and there are also a pair of rubber feet positioned near the bottom of the unit for maximum grip on whatever surface you have the NotePal ErgoStand on.
To the left side of the NotePal ErgoStand and recessed just underneath the surface are the power switch, power led, variable fan speed control and optional DC power input. The variable fan speed control will take the fan from 700rpm at it’s slowest all the way up to 1400rpm at it’s fastest. The controls all feel solid and well made, reinforcing those earlier first impressions that this is a quality device.
To the right side is the Mini-USB which is the power input connector, and also a 4-port USB 2.0 hub which is of course fully backward compatible with the USB 1.1 specification. The User Guide does state that if you are using too many USB devices it is of course possible that the Mini-USB power input will not be able to provide enough power for all the attached devices, and hence that you should attach a seperate 5v DC power source to the left-hand side connector and that this connector needs to be of the following specification: 5v DC +/- 5%, 2A, Connector ID: 1.35mm, OD: 3.5mm (I could not find this specification mentioned elsewhere, even on the website)
Usage
The NotePal ErgoStand can be used in 5 different inclinations – there are the four slots in the base as you can see from the following picture, but you can also use it collapsed (as it is when packaged) which gives the lowest angle of about 6.5°, up to a maximum angle of 45°.
When used in it’s collapsed state you do not need the additional ‘props’ as the rubber pads on the mesh should be more than adequate to stop any likely slippage, however when raising the stand to one of the four higher angled settings it is essential to fit the ‘props’. Here you can see the stand on the lowest of the four main settings with my HP 6715b 15” laptop comfortably held in place. At this setting it is quite possible to still use the laptop’s own keyboard and touchpad, at higher settings I would recommend using an external keyboard and mouse!
To the sides of the unit are two ‘handles’ which, along with the cable tidying clips behind the unit, allow for even better cable management – by passing cables through the ‘handles’ you can leave cables attached and collapse the unit without fear of trapping any – all helping to keep your desk less cluttered! Despite having available USB’s on the right side of my laptop I decided to use the left side to power the NotePal ErgoStand as that meant less of the 60cm provided cable needed to be tucked away and gave me a tidier overall solution, also keeping cables clear of the optical drive.
Testing and Performance
To test the NotePal ErgoStand I recorded the laptop’s temperatures from the Motherboard, CPU and Cores 0 & 1 sensors using Everest Ultimate edition.
The laptop was tested with Prime95 torture test to give temperatures when under full load, and also at idle for comparison.
Three tests were run for idle and load as follows:
• Laptop alone
• Laptop on ErgoStand, fan at lowest setting
• Laptop on ErgoStand, fan at highest setting
Each test was run three times and the highest and lowest results discarded.
Laptop Specification
HP Compaq 6715b Notebook
Processor AMD Turion 64 X2 (2 GHz Dual-Core)
Memory 3072MB DDR2
HDD 30GB OCZ Vertex SSD
Screen 15.4” WSXGA TFT
This is not the hottest of laptops but hopefully we’ll see the NotePal ErgoStand making some decent improvements…
Testing Results
At idle the NotePal ErgoStand takes between 5 and 7°C off the motherboard temperatures and between 5 and 6°C off the CPU temps depending on the fan speed.
Under load the results are even more impressive, with the ErgoStand achieving between 8 and 10°C reduction in the motherboard temps, and between 7 and 9°C in the CPU temps!
A very decent performance there, and even more so when you look at the difference in temps recorded between the highest and lowest fan speed settings – at the highest setting the fan is faintly audible – nothing to write home about, but as with any noise that is just on the edge of hearing it could become an annoyance over time. Whereas at the lowest setting the fan is totally inaudible (at least it is against my laptop!) – and the loss of cooling performance is absolutely negligable – maybe a couple of degrees at most!
Conclusion
Cooler Master already have an extensive range of notebook coolers and pads, and I did initially wonder what this new product would bring to the party… On paper it is a very capable and fully-featured device, combining the best of a traditional notebook stand with Cooler Master\’s extensive active cooling experience, and the decision to install such a beast of a fan has paid handsome dividends! The added features such as the 4-port USB hub, and the cable management system only serve to reinforce the initial impression that this device gives – it means business!
On looks alone Cooler Master have crafted a winner with the NotePal ErgoStand, but under testing I would say that it\’s performance was nothing short of superb. The fan on our test sample was almost totally inaudible until it had been ramped up to very nearly full speed where it was little more than right on the edge of hearing anyway, and the fine control possible with the wheel adjuster means that every user can easily find their sweet spot of cooling vs fan noise. In just about any environment the ambient background noises would more than cover the fan at full tilt!
The USB hub gives so much extra flexibility to this device too, allowing for the connection of peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard, or USB memory stick for example. I can see it almost becoming a \’lite\’ docking station where you could leave peripherals attached to the stand on your desk and simply remove the laptop as and when required elsewhere. I would however suggest that external hard disk drives should be connected directly to the laptop\’s remaining USB\’s though as they will usually require a bit more power.
As for the cooling performance the results speak for themselves really, in a word – superb!
For professionals, students and home users alike, if you are in the market for some seriously silent and powerful laptop cooling with added bells\’n\’whistles… the Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand is definitely one to look out for!
The Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand is a deserving winner of Vortez Hardware\’s Gold Award!
Pros
• Superb Cooling Performance
• Cable Management features
• Built-in 4-port USB hub
• Fully adjustable fan speed
• High quality construction
Cons
• (Price currently unknown) – and that\’s being really picky!
• Superb Cooling Performance
• Cable Management features
• Built-in 4-port USB hub
• Fully adjustable fan speed
• High quality construction
Cons
• (Price currently unknown) – and that\’s being really picky!
We would like to thank Cooler Master for this sample. Discuss this review on our forums
