|
Laptop Cooling by CoolerMaster: NotePal
by Richard Serbin
You’d think by now laptop designers would have mastered the cooling issues. Good question. Laptops tend to heat up or worse, overheat due to the confined space all the innards must live in. Symptoms can vary from simply a very warm case to crashes and lock-ups. CoolerMaster’s NotePal M1 is designed to address heat build up. A cooler system will assist your laptop to last longer and be more reliable. I’d also bet that this lower temp increases battery life.
This model is specifically designed for the newer, wide-screen (16:9 ratio) 15” and 17” laptops, although it can be used by a regular laptop. It is a sturdy, one-piece, extruded aluminum with an elevation of approximately 15 degrees - a healthy, lower fatigue ergonometric design. Two USB ports, cable and a power switch are standard. (The USB ports are non-powered.) A laptop has a flat feel to it. The angle is surely going to make it more comfortable to use.
How cool? I let the laptop just run WinXP for 30 minutes - it measured over nine degrees lower temp. I used the same system and transferred 3.8GB of files from the DVD to the HD - average drop in temp was a bit over seven degrees. As with any new or old design, temps will vary.
How quiet? It’s two 70mm fans run at 1500 rpm, moving a bit over nine cfpm sound is less than 25db, which is less than the level of a florescent shop light going bad - especially with the laptop ON - it very quiet. The fans blow upward and draw cooler air into the laptop. Be careful of the position of the laptop’s fan if it is near a cooler fan. You don't want to get into a situation where they compete against each others. The unit is less than 3.5 pounds.
One thing that you may be worried about a cooler is accelerated battery drain. That is, what effect two 70mm fans would have on battery life? Best I could determine it was insignificant.
I would like a variable speed fan feature and my “must have” is edge protection. The extruded aluminum design is well designed, but both ends are sharp. CoolerMaster please work on this hazard. The entire frame is well built with NO legs to fold out or break off. Granted, this means it is less flat than models with legs, but it is more stable. I’m impressed with this cooler and it is a priority for my laptop. Go to www.coolermaster.com.
Richard Serbin is a HAL-PC member who is an international commercial real estate broker. He may be contacted at txcomb@hal-pc.org.
|
