Laptop Cooler Reviews

How to Make a Solar Powered Laptop Cooler

2011-11-03T16:38:55Z

Whether you want to conserve your laptop battery, or you are trying to reduce your home power usage, a solar powered laptop cooler sounds like a fantastic idea. The downside is that nobody actually makes one.

The good news is that any laptop cooler can be turned in to a solar powered laptop cooler, simply by using a cheap 5V solar powered USB charger. These cheap devices generally cost around $30 and can charge your iPohne, MP3 player or camera as well as pwoer your laptop cooler!

To make a solar powered laptop cooler you can really use any of the best laptop coolers available, and simply insert the USB cord in to the solar charger, rather than your laptop!

This sounds too quick, too easy, but the honest truth is that it really is that simple.

Just remember, for this to work effective you really need good sunlight, if you work in a room that has poor light, or live somewhere that is not really that sunny, a solar powered laptop cooler is never going to work particularly well.

Cooler Master Note Pal U1/U2/U3

2011-08-31T04:23:04Z

The Cooler Master Note Pal U Series of laptop coolers is designed with cost and simplicity in mind.

Cooler Master Note Pal U Series

When I first looked at the Cooler Master Note Pal U3 laptop cooler I have to admit my first thoughts were ‘this is it?’

A basic metal frame housing a few fans, there didn’t seem to be very much here for me to review. A few minutes later though, I began to realize that despite the lack of functionality, the Cooler Master U Series is not actually designed with functionality in mind, instead it has been designed for simplicity and cost effectiveness. Despite how often words like this secretly hide poor design and unreliable components, the Cooler Master U Series seems to be fairly high quality, and very well designed.

But before I get ahead of myself, lets cover the basics. The Cooler Master U Series comes in three forms.

Cooler Master U1 Laptop Cooler

The Cooler Master U1 is designed for laptops up to 14 inches in size and has one cooling fan powering it.

Cooler Master U2 Laptop Cooler

The Cooler Master U2 is designed for laptops up to 17 inches in size and has two fans powering it.

Cooler Master U3 Laptop Cooler

The Cooler Master U3 is the big daddy, supporting laptops up to 19 inches in size, and with three fans providing copious amounts of airflow!

Cooler Master U Series Laptop Cooler Review

Now that I have the brief description of the small differences in the series out of the way, lets get down to the nitty gritty.

The Cooler Master U Series laptop coolers are very simplistic at first glance, a thin aluminum frame houses one to three fans. The aluminum frame helps dissipate heat away from your computer’s hotspots.

What is particularly unique about these Cooler Master laptop coolers is that the fans can easily be positioned in different areas underneath the laptop cooler, this helps to ensure the airflow is where you need it to be. Adjustable fan positions are a rare and unique feature in laptop coolers, which is surprising since they really do help you get the very best laptop cooling per fan.

The fans which come with the Cooler Master U Series are average 80mm fans. These are more than sufficient enough for most people, but it might not be enough for gaming laptops, or people who are looking for silent running fans.

The Cooler Master U Series also comes with an adjustable clip on fan speed controller, this also helps keep the cables tidy and will allow you to position your laptop cooler wire right by a spare USB port.

While in some ways the Cooler Master U Series laptop cooler is fantastic, it’s lack of features such as a USB pass through port may be an issue to some. The thin frame does also feel a little flimsy when compared to many of it’s more sturdy brethren.

Despite these minor drawbacks the Cooler Master U Series is a fantastic set of laptop coolers that is extremely low cost considering the flexibility and quality it provides

Logitech N700 Speaker Lapdesk

2011-08-26T16:45:40Z

Logitech N700 Speaker Lapdesk

The Logitech N700 is the latest laptop cooler to be released be released by one of the most stylish computer accessory providers in the world.

The Logitech N700 is not just a laptop cooler. To begin with it is well designed to sit on your lap, which slips it in to the ‘lap desk’ sub category. But what really makes the Logitech N700 special is it’s two high quality speakers built in to the frame. Logitech is well known for providing quality audio accessories, and the Logitech N700 Lapdesk is no exception.

The actual cooling capability of the Logitech N700 speaker lapdesk is a little sub-par compared to many other laptop coolers. This makes it unsuitable for extremely hot laptops.

The good news is that for most average laptops the N700 provides an amazing combination of flexibile use around the home, and much improved audio sound.

The utility of the Logitech N700 comes from it’s padded base. This means you can use your laptop on your lap, on your bed, or even on the floor without worrying about your airvents becoming blocked, and fans becoming damaged.

The Logitech N700 looks great, and while it looks fantastic on all laptops, it’s sleek curves make it particularly ideal for Macbooks, perfect for those who want a Macbook cooler.

Targus Lap Chill Mat Laptop Cooler

2011-08-17T17:08:38Z

Argus Lap Chill Mat Laptop Cooler

The Targus Lap Chill Mat is a simple but effective laptop cooler, especially designed to allow you to use your laptop on your lap, no matter where you are! It helps achieve this with a soft neoprene base which keeps things comfortable whether you are working or playing.

The Targus Lap Chill Mat is fairly standard internally. It has dual cooling fans which provide adequate airflow and cooling for most laptops, although these fans do not match up to some of their competitors for noise levels or reliability.

While the Targus Lap Chill Mat may be a fairly standard laptop cooler, it’s useful design and reasonable price make this a great choice for people who are looking for a basic laptop cooling solution without a high quality price tag.

One other thing worth mentioning is that the Targus laptop cooler, while not using the most long lasting fans, does seem to be built to withstand being dropped occasionally on the floor, which is an important bonus for any tool which will be primarily rested on your lap.

Top 3 Macbook Coolers

2011-08-16T00:46:32Z

Macs are fast becoming one of the most popular personal laptops in the world. They look good, they are easy to use, and plus, you have geniuses instead of mere technicians ready to fix your computer at a moments notice. Unfortunately overheating Macbooks are just as common as laptops, and with laptops such as the Macbook Air, which are much thinner than standard laptops, Macbook coolers are fast becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.

The Three Best Macbook Coolers

The good news is that there are some fantastic laptop coolers for Macs out there which will help keep your laptop cool even during the hottest of summers, with the thinnest of Macbooks!

I will be bringing you three fantastic Macbook coolers which look good with your Mac, and help keep your computer safe from overheating issues, which include

Slower performance
Errors
Loss of data
Hardware Failure

A simple $30 – $70 investment could help prevent all of these issues, keeping your Macbook running fast and safe!

Logitech N700 (or N100) Macbook Cooler

The Logitech N700 is a great 17 inch laptop cooler combined with some fantastic Logitech speakers to give you high quality sound, as well as acooler laptop. While the Logitech N700 is fine for Macbook cooling, it is not the most powerful laptop cooler on the market. On the other hand, the Logitech N700 is well designed for resting on the bed, or in other areas around the home where your laptops air vents may otherwise become blocked.

The Logitech N700 also comes in the form of the N100, which does not have the speakers, but is the same in nearly every other respects!

One thing I do like about the Logitech N700 is how unobtrusive it is. The curved stylings fit in very well with my Macbook, and the internal fan runs very quietly, which is good news for those who use their laptop to surf the web or work.

The Logitech N700 is well designed for someone who uses their laptop around the home, whether you want to chill out on your bed and check your email, or watch a movie.

Belkin F5L028 Macbook Cooler

The Belkin F5L028 might not have the easiest name to remember, but it is a good looking Macbook cooler that can easily handle most Macbook computers. This fantastic Macbook cooler is well designed for home use, with an underbelly which will sit nicely on your bedsheets or on your lap.

It’s sleek looks will also fit nicely in to an office environment, so if you use your Macbook for work as well as pley, this may be an ideal solution.

The big downside of the Belkin F5L028 is that it has the lowest cooling capacity of my top three Macbook coolers, which might make it a poor choice if you do a lot of graphical work or play games on your Macbook.

Despite the low cooling capacity, the Belkin F5 L028 Macbook cooler maintains it’s strong position on this list because it just looks so damn good, while being well designed enough for easy use around the home!

Zalman NC2000 Silver Macbook Cooler

While most of the Macbook coolers I have talked about so far have been more aesthetically motivated, the Zalman NC2000 silver not only looks good, but it also provides powerful and silent macbook cooling.

Zalman is one of the world’s best known computer cooling providers. They are known for unbeatable efficiency, unbelievably low noise levels, and long lasting reliability. Buying a Zalman notebook cooler is a great way to guarantee powerful Macbook cooling with low noise levels and a professional design perfect for home or office use.

A great addition to the Zalman NC2000 is it’s utility. With a combination of a fan speed wheel, on/off switch, and a four port USB hub, you have plenty of utility. The size of this laptop cooler is also perfect for 17 inch widescreen laptops!

One thing you will notice about the Zalman NC2000 is the feel of quality. The 3mm thick aluminum supported by a rugged but lightweight plastic frame make this a durable laptop, but also help transport heat quickly away from your laptops problem areas!

The one area where the Zalman lacks, is that it does not look quite as casual as other Macbook coolers. It is also not as flexible whne being used around the home. For many though, this is a small trade off for such a fantastic notebook cooler!

A Bamboo Laptop Cooler? Yes it Does Exist!

2011-07-20T23:37:31Z

Bamboo Laptop Cooler

I never thought I would see this, but there is a growing trend in Bamboo Laptop Coolers. Bamboo is not a particularly effective transmitter of heat, and it is not one of the strongest materials. The good news however is that Bamboo is very light, fairly cheap and unlike plastic and metal, it is an eco friendly renewable green resource.

There are a variety of bamboo laptop coolers out there, and there is a huge difference in quality out there. The best ones I have found are Macally laptop coolers.

For instance the Macally ECOFANPRO. This green friendly laptop cooler has three heaight settings, two 70mm fans, and a thermal coating which helps transfer heat, despite the material of construction.

The Macally ECOFANPRO will never win any awards for laptop cooling performance or low noise levels. If you are wanting to cut down that carbon footprint, and maybe cut down on petroleum use.

If you have a standard laptop then this laptop cooler will do an adequate job. If you want silent laptop cooling, or you have a high powered laptop, then this may not be for you.

One thing I do love about the Bamboo laptop coolers out there is how they look, I have always liked the natural look, and this reverses the trend for high tech styled laptop cooling accessories.

Cooler Master Storm Laptop Cooler

2011-07-11T16:36:09Z

Cooler Master Storm

The Cooler Master Storm is one of the newest laptop coolers on the market. It brings together some of the newest technology available to give you a cooler laptop, and most uniquely, a USB 3.0 hub!

What I do like about this top laptop cooler is just how well designed everything is, this really is a laptop cooler which has had a lot of thought put in to it, and unlike cheap laptop coolers, corners have not been cut.

To start with the overall structure of the Cooler Master Storm is very well made. It uses a sturdy plastic construction to keep weight down, and portability high, with a large aluminum mesh to help you transfer heat away from the hottest spots on your laptop. It’s large size also makes it ideal for laptops up to 19 inches in size, and that’s widescreen!

The design helps a little bit more with overall portability by including a built in carrying handle, which might not seem like a big deal for many, but is perfect for those who work or play on the move.

Inside the well crafted body of the Cooler Master Storm sits two large 140mm fans, while these are not as high quality as those found in Zalman laptop coolers, they are still very quiet, but don’t have quite the same epic lifespan of Zalman fans. The good news is that these fans are powerful enough to keep most high spec gaming laptops cool.

The features of the Cooler Master storm really are what make this one of the best laptop coolers. It is the first laptop cooler to incorporate a USB 3.0 hub, which is a pretty big deal for those who like to stay on the cutting edge. As well as the technological benefits, teh Cooler Master Storm laptop cooler also comes with a beautiful 7 color lighting system which realy does look amazing!

All in all the Cooler Master Storm Laptop Cooler looks fantastic and lives up to the reputation of the entire Storm series. While in many ways this notebook cooler is a little average, the care, attention and quality, makes this a fantastic choice for many laptop owners!

Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand Laptop Cooler

2011-07-07T18:01:54Z

The Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand laptop cooler brings you a unique versatility which lets you use your laptop in any situation, without worrying about it overheating.

Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand Laptop Cooler

Cooler Master might not produce the most powerful or the most quiet notebook coolers, but what makes them great is how they fill the niches that most brands ignore, with some fantastic features and some unique imaginative designs. The Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand laptop cooler continues this legacy by providing 5 different height settings which will help you get your laptop keyboard in to the most comfortable position for you to use.

Before this review gets too far ahead of itself though, lets go through this review of the Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand laptop cooler step by step!

First off, the frame is made out of plastic, with an effective heat dissipating metal mesh covering a large 140mm fan with it’s own speed control and on/off switch. The frame is well designed to allow your laptop full flexibility in the height range. It does this with adjustable sliding supports to keep any sized laptop stable, and with some conveniant cable clips to keep things tidy. This frame can support laptops up to 17 inches in size with ease, but it’s frame does not really feel sturdy enough for larger laptops.

Feature-wise the Cooler Master Notepal Ergostand keeps up with the standard kept by most of the best laptop coolers. This includes a four port USB hub, fan speeed wheel, and on off switch.

Not everyone needs the flexibility of the Cooler Master Ergostand. This does mean that for some people it may be better to seek out a dedicated powerful laptop cooler or quiet laptop cooler. For those who find normal laptop use uncomfortable though, the Cooler Master Ergostand could be an ideal solution forkeeping your laptop cool, and making it easier to use your laptop!

Top 3 Gaming Laptop Coolers

2011-06-04T18:47:15Z

A powerful gaming laptop cooler can help prevent overheating, and even maintain your gaming laptops performance!

Gaming Laptop Coolers

Not all laptop owners need additional cooling for their computer. If however you are a gamer, you might want to look in to the range of gaming laptop coolers available.

A Gaming laptop suffers from more overheating issues than a standard laptop. They generally contain more powerful, hotter, components, and they also tend to run more intensive programs which use the hotter components to their full capacity. While gaming laptops will usually have a little more internal cooling than your basic laptop (Maybe a heatpipe to take heat away from your GPU/CPU), they are still limited by the cramped space and limited airflow capacity.

A little external laptop cooling can help reduce the internal heat of your laptop, and help distribute heat away from the hot spots underneath your laptop. This gives a double benefit. It protects the expensive powerful components inside your laptop, and by keeping these components cooler, it allows them to run a little bit faster. Ever notice your games becoming a little laggy after half an hour of gaming? it is the heat that is causing those issues.

With my Top 3 gaming laptop coolers I will be showing you three of the very best laptop coolers for powerful gaming laptops. Any one of these laptops can help keep your laptop a little cooler and vastly improve both the lifespan and performance of your gaming laptop.

3) Zalman NC3000U Gaming Laptop Cooler

The Zalman NC3000U is by far the most quiet notebook cooler out there capable of keeping a gaming laptop cool. It’s large internal 220mm fan combined with a 3mm thick brushed aluminum frame makes sure that this fantastic gaming laptop cooler can dissipate heat quickly and effectively, without creating a huge amount of noise.

The Zalman NC3000U is one of the best laptop coolers out there, period. Unfortunately for some of the most powerful laptops it doesn’t provide as much power as some of the other laptop coolers on this list.

Where the Zalman NC3000U excels is it’s overall utility, if you use your laptop for work as well as play you will definitely find the low noise levels useful, and the fan speed wheel means you can switch on the highest cooling power when you need it, and drop the level of noise to practically nothing when you do not.

The one thing you can rely on with the Zalman NC3000U is that it is an incredibly high quality laptop cooler. From the construction to the fan, everything is built to perform, and to last.

2) Cooler Master Storm 19 Inch Laptop Cooler

The Cooler Master Storm 19 inch laptop cooler is a beautifully crafted gaming laptop cooler which provides great airflow with two 140mm fans, a unique mesh surface for heat dissipation, and a color changing LED, which doesn’t really have any affect on cooling, but looks damn cool. In addition to these features you can actually change the location of the fans themselves, so you can get the extra airflow where you need it.

The Cooler Master Storm is designed with gamers-on-the-move in mind. It can easily support a 19 inch laptop, but with an inbuilt carry handle, and a solid construction this fantastic cooler can easily be transported with or without a laptop bag. As part of the design for gamers, the Cooler Master Storm is one of the first laptop coolers to incorporate a USB 3.0 hub, giving you ultra fast data transfer through the USB ports.

The Cooler Master Storm also has a fan speed wheel, perfect for if you want to take the noise levels down a notch when you have to switch from gaming to work.

In my opinion the Cooler Master Storm is one of the best looking laptop coolers I have reviewed, and while it might not be suited to the business style, it is perfect for gamers!

1) NZXT Cryo LX Gaming Laptop Cooler

The NZXT Cryo LX Gaming Laptop Cooler is one of the most powerful laptop coolers available to buy. It contains three 120mm fans within it’s sturdy aluminum frame, which provides a vast amount of airflow for even the hottest of gaming laptops. If you have a high end gaming laptop this 19 inch laptop cooler can help provide the cooling you need to keep your laptop hardware cool, and your games running smoothly.

The large aluminum frame of the NZXT Cryo LX makes it perfect for laptops up to 19 inches widescreen in size, the aluminum also helps quickly transfer heat away from the hottest areas of your laptop.

The NZXT Cryo LX is often regarded as the best laptop cooler for gamers, while it is not quite as quiet as the two other contenders on this list, it definitely makes up for the fact with it’s fantastic laptop cooling performance.

Despite the bulky look of the NZXT Cryo LX it can actually be folded, greatly reducing the size for portability, and helping to protect those fans from damage during transit.

While these are my favorite gaming laptop coolers, there are hundreds of laptop coolers out there to choose from. Explore the rest of Laptop Cooelr Reviews to find reviews of some of the best laptop coolers available!

Top 3 Quiet Laptop Coolers

2011-06-02T15:26:02Z

The Top 3 quiet laptop coolers brings you three of the most silent fan based laptop coolers available, giving you high quality quiet laptop cooling without sacrificing cooling ability.

Quiet laptop coolers

If you laptop suffers from overheating you will undoubtedly end up looking for a laptop cooling solution. Finding a quiet laptop cooler is not always as easy as it seems though.

For those of us who regularly use laptops for work, quite laptop cooling is incredibly important. Loud fan noises can be irritating, and disturbing when you are trying to work. If we don’t deal with overheating laptop issues however, we stand to lose all of our data, an even bigger issue!

With my Top 3 quiet laptop coolers I will be bringing you three fantastic laptop coolers which will keep your computer cool, but won’t whine, whirr or annoy you while you try to use your laptop.

While quiet laptops are generally up to par on keeping even high spec laptops cool, if you are using an extremely powerful gaming or draughtsmans laptop, you may need a more poweful laptop cooler to deal with the intense heat that these machines can generate!

3) Thermaltake Massive23 Quiet Laptop Cooler

The Thermaltake Massive23 Quiet Laptop cooler sports an insanely huge 23cm fan, one of the largest available. This allows it to move a large amount of air with some sweet-on-the-ears low noise levels. The cooling performance of the Thermaltake Massive23 is the least of all three notebook coolers here, but it still provides a strong enough airflow to keep most laptops a little cooler.

What I really love about the Thermaltake Massive 23 is it’s design. It has been well crafted for both for portability and usability. It is large enough to support the biggest laptops, and it’s shape, and even it’s handles make it really easy to use, and slip in and out of your laptop bag.

The look of the Thermaltake Massive23 is really great, but it’s flashy sleek style with a blue LED might be a little bit too much for business users.

Both the biggest benefit and downfall of the Thermaltake Massive23 quiet laptop cooler is it’s price. While it is by far one of the cheapest of the best laptop coolers, it also contains relatively cheap components, which does mean it might not stay quiet for as long as other notebook coolers.

2) Antec 200 Notebook Cooler

The Antec notebook cooler 200 is well established as one of the best quiet laptop coolers on the market. While it is let down a little by it’s plastic frame and slighly cheaper components, it is still a reliable, sturdy, light and above all quiet laptop cooler.

As with the Massive23, the Antec 200 look s a little bit too much for business use. The blue LED light and angular plastic moulding might look good for tech fans, but it might seem a little out of place in an office environment.

The Antec 200 quiet laptop cooler has a large 200mm fan, which provides adequate cooling for most laptops, and does not create a huge amount of noise.

While the Antec 200 is made primarily of plastic (something I normally avoid in a notebook cooler) it is surprisingly sturdy, of high quality. The lack of a heat dissapating aluminum frame is definitely a drawback, however the high quality fan helps make up for this by sheer force of airflow.

1) Zalman NC3000U Quiet Laptop Cooler

The Zalman NC3000U is simply the best combination of powerful yet quiet laptop cooling. It’s 3mm thick aluminum frame suported by light yet sturdy plastic means the Zalman NC3000U is portable, yet still a highly effective quiet laptop cooler.

The benefits of the Zalman NC3000U are immense, the aluminum frame dissapates heat effectively, the large 220mm internal fan provides a large amount of airflow, without the noise, and an inbuilt fan speed wheel, 4 port USB hub, and on/off switch help make sure you have all the utility you need.

Even better, the Zalman NC3000U is the only laptop cooler on this list which really does look professional. It would not look out of place on an office desk, in a meeting or at a presentation!

While the Zalman NC300U was a slightly more pricey option than other laptop coolers, it recently dropped below the $50 mark, bringing it in to the same price range as other laptop coolers, without dropping in quality. And the Zalman NC3000U really is all about quality. Precision enginerring, and fans designed to last up to four times longer than cheaper laptop coolers make the Zalman NC3000U well worth the pricetag!

Choosing the Best Quiet Laptop Cooler

Choosing the right laptop cooler for you is as much about your personal tastes as it is about cooling capability. All three of thse can keep a standard laptop cool, without creating much noise. The big difference on each one is the looks. While the Zalman NC3000U is best for both professional and gaming laptops, those who just want a little extra quiet laptop cooling for thir computer may prefer one of the other laptop coolers based on looks.