Cooler Master NotePal U3 Plus Review
When integrated cooling solutions aren’t good enough and temperatures rise, a notebook can begin to throttle the CPU and GPU. Excessive heat can also shorten the life of any laptop or notebook. After years of this process occurring, important components can prematurely fail, ultimately forcing you to buy another notebook. An external laptop cooler is a great and easy solution to these problems. Cooler Master, a leader in PC components and accessories, have provided a solution with their uniquely designed NotePal U3 Plus.
The NotePal U3 Plus
The NotePal U3 Plus is designed to be the ultimate notebook cooler, featuring three movable fans and an ergonomic aluminum design. Our test notebook is a late 2011 13” Macbook Pro, featuring a 2.8 GHz dual-core i7 CPU and dedicated graphics. Let’s first look at the packaging.
Front of the Box
The packaging is quite standard and shows off many of the unique features of the NotePal. It features a picture of someone using the product and lists the specifications. The box itself is fairly sturdy and has a clear window to show you exactly what color you are purchasing. The soft foam is nice and is preferred over a hard foam like Styrofoam.
The Packaging
Included in the box is the NotePal, the movable fans, the safety belt, and a manual/warranty guide. Even though an experienced user may not need the manual, it is nice to see exactly what is included and how to take advantage of all of the offered features. The NotePal is available in black or silver and it comes in either 17″ or 19″ variants. Our particular model is black and it supports notebooks up to 19”.
Full Specifications
The NotePal U3 Plus features a modular fan design allowing the user to customize fan placement precisely underneath the intake and exhaust vents. This can really help vital notebook components stay cool. To move a fan, just squeeze the button to unlock the pegs, and once the fan is where you would like it, release that button to lock the fan in place. 
The NotePal also features loops for tidy cable management, keeping everything clutter free.
A Close-Up of the Cable Management Loops
It doubles as a carrying case with included safety belt, although the NotePal is too big and my Macbook just slips through. The NotePal features a fan-speed control clip, allowing the user to control the fans as needed. The NotePal uses one USB connection to power the device. We like that it includes a USB passthrough, especially since my Macbook only has two USB ports. Let’s look at performance next.
The USB Passthrough
Why did you use Mark of the Ninja to benchmark for the higher temperatures? It’s not exactly a system smasher by any stretch of the imagination.
Agreed. However on my macbook pro, it got temps plenty high. The goal was to take playable games and compare temperatures. There isn’t much else that my mac can run smoothly.