Cooler Master’s NotePal I100 Review
Cooler Master’s latest line of cooling pads features the ergonomic NotePal I100. The NotePal I100 has the features pads need: portability, a stylish design, 7 different color choices, and functionality. For a mere $19.99 (Amazon) the NotePal is a steal. The NotePal looks a lot more expensive than it is – at most local stores a cooler at $19.99 will buy a cheap plastic body and a loud fan.
NotePal offers a lot without the high asking prices of other brands. This lightweight and functional pad is a must for any laptop user that wants their machine to last and doesn’t want to spend a lot.
Package
NotePal is extremely thin at 23mm, light at 1.4lbs, contains an 140mm fan, and has a well-designed cable management system. The Notepal also has a very nice metal mesh top that holds laptops up to 15”. NotePal is USB-powered with an 18.5” cable that also contains a USB port. This extra USB port is a major plus as our biggest gripe with most coolers is the port they steal.
Use
The mesh top on the NotePal I100 is stylish but it’s also slick. We had our doubts about its ability to keep a laptop in place; however, our equally slick Samsung laptop had no issues staying put on the cooler.
This slickness may be an issue for some people as the lack of a more “gripping” surface can cause laptops to shuffle. Our laptop only shuffled with force, but overall the NotePal handled movement well.
The cooling pad features two “kickstands” that gives users two angles – great for typing sessions and watching videos. Even without these opened, the NotePal is already at a slight angle.
The bottom of the NotePal contains the cable management system at the top. NotePal’s underside gripped surfaces well and wasn’t uncomfortable sitting on a pair of legs.
There are a lot of people who like a laptop’s portability and using it in places like a couch or a bed. The laptop is usually on their knees, and it’s usually burning hot.
Heat not only harms the laptop over time but its also uncomfortable for the user. Using the NotePal, our laptop was cooled from 7 to 9 degrees – a major difference. The mesh design really allowed the laptop to breath. During long editing sessions or with regular use, we never felt our laptop’s heat.
The 140mm fan is always on at a low hum. Cooler Master’s packaging advertises a silent fan and we were never annoyed by the fan. Some coolers will fluctuate between speeds or hum at very high and annoying levels. NotePal was barely audible, yet it is surprisingly efficient.
Verdict
At $19.99 (Amazon) the NotePal I100 is an obvious buy. The stylish design and extreme portability made it an instant favorite out of the box. There may be an issue that some might run into with the slick surface but we didn’t.
The fan kept itself at a very controlled volume, a feature we truly appreciated. Cooler Master brilliantly added a USB port to their cabling that erases the “one less USB port” concern. The 7 different colors also match any personality and look great. We highly recommend this to any laptop owner looking for a cooler on a budget that is not willing to compromise just to get a bargain.
Pros:
- Affordable and sleek
- Quiet and efficient
Cons:
- Slick surface may pose problems for some
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