Introduction

Got an old notebook that overheats or get really hot? Then you might need to figure out a way to cool it. You might experience the freezes and even shut downs due to the improper cooling. But my notebook was fine when i bought it, why is it overheating now? There could be a number of things that would cause your notebook to overheat, most common of them is the wear of the thermal grease on your cpu and gpu chips. Over time the bond between the chips and the heat sink get worn out and so the fans work faster and harder to keep temperatures down. To keep temperatures lower you might want to consider reapplying the thermal paste or try to find other alternatives. Today we are going to be taking a look at one of the newest product by Cooler Master, NotePal A1. NotePal A1 is designed to provide additional cooling for your notebook and also to elevate it to a better and easier angle. Lets take a look at the NotePal A1 and see what it has to offer.

About the Product

Following information is taken from the Cooler Master website.

Unique 3-way intake design for excellent cooling. Ergonomic design for comfortable viewing angle and improved posture. Built-in dual 70mm fans for optimal cooling performance. Stylish anodized alloy finish. Compatible with up to 15” notebook.
Stylish anodized alloy finish	Ergonomic design offers best comfort	Special design of three intakes

Now that we got basic information out of the way, lets take a closer look at NotePal A1.

Closer look

Box Front		Box Back

NotePal A1 comes in a rather simple packaging. With a big picture on the front of NotePal A1 is pretty explanatory on what you are looking at. On the top of the box there is Cooler Master logo which hasn't changed through out the years:) The package has a purple and white theme. The color scheme balances each other and make this package a neutral one.

Specifications		Features

On the back of the NotePal A1 we found some descriptive pictures of the unit and Features and Specifications of the NotePal A1. The information is very much helpful as many of us have a habit to know what we are getting:D. One thing catches the eye is the picture with air intake. The NotePal A1 is designed to in intake air from three different areas of the cooler.

Out of the box		Plastic/Aluminum

The actual unit is packaged in between of two foam holders and nothing else. Usually you see some sort of plastic wrap, but not in this case. The actual unit is make out of plastic and the middle of it has a aluminum plank if you will. I am going to have to assume that this should help the cooling of the notebook. Majority of the surface of NotePal A1 has holes for ventilation.

Back of the unit		Side of the unit

The back of the NotePal A1 is pretty simple, just four rubber legs and a row of holes for ventilation. NotePal A1 is powered by two 70 mm fans which are also powered by usb. You would need to connect an included usb cable to your notebook for power. In addition NotePal A1 provides a slight angle support for the users. This would elevate the notebook and provide wrist support and comfort.

3 Intakes		Rear panel

As mentioned in the instructional manual NotePal A1 is able to intake air from three different intakes and provide cooling to the notebook. It doesn't look like NotePal A1 will be providing cooling to all of your notebook but only to the back of your notebook where the cpu and gpu sits. On the back of the unit are two USB ports and one power button. NotePal A1 is powered by usb 2.0. Cooler Master provides the proper usb cable to connect NotePal A1 to your laptop.

Stylish logo		Ready to go

The top/front of the NotePal A1 is very interesting. The whole body is made from plastic but the middle beam is made of aluminum. I cant figure out what is the purpose of this but it has a cool Cooler Master logo LOL. NotePal A1 will support up notebooks up to 15 inches. So if you have something bigger than than, you might have a problem fitting the notebook on to NotePal A1. Now that we got the pictionary out of the way, lets take a look at how the NotePal A1 performs.

Testing

Before NotePal A1		After NotePal A1

We have tested NotePal A1 against our Asus F8 laptop with the help of Micro Temp temperature reader. The first reading was taken after the laptop ran in idle state for 20 minutes. The hottest spot was right in the middle and it came out to be 74.5 F. Our second reading was taken after the F8 was on the NotePal A1 for 20 minutes, also in idle state. The temperature totaled to 71.8 F. So basically NotePal A1 has helped us to lower the external temperature by 2.7 F. Not a crazy temperature drop, but its better than nothing i suppose.

Conclusion

Today we took a look at NotePal A1 and to be honest i did liked it. I think the design is very unique and it looks like it is efficient enough to basic or general use if you will. The actual unit is powered by two quiet 70 mm fans which, cannot be moved left right or up and down in the areas where you need most cooling. The fact that the NotePal A1 is pretty much completely made from plastic, takes a way from ability of providing maximum cooling for the user. If you are looking for a simple notebook cooler for a cheap price, NotePal A1 might be a good consideration. The price range of this unit is anywhere between 15 and 20 USD. I would like to award this unit a 7 out of 10.

Some pros we found:

Quiet operations.

Stylish design.

Some cons we found:

Doesn't provide enough cooling.

Cannot be adjusted.

Made out of plastic.

Requires power from USB port.