Cooler Master NotePal I100 Review

In Cooler Master’s latest line of standard cooling pads, we find the ergonomicNotePal I100, which is available in 7 different colors. Simple and efficient in design, this pad is also lightweight and, therefore, very portable. As someone who strongly values simple, functional aesthetics, the design itself scores bonus points with me.

Packaging

                                

The product comes packaged inside a matte-finish white and purple Cooler Master box, along with two foam protectors and the user manual. No fuss, no muss. On the back side, you’ll find the specifications and features, along with some useful images. The box face also clearly denotes that this cooling pad is meant for laptops up to 15”, which means it’s perfect for my 14” notebook.

Product

      

The NotePal I100 is an ultra-slim, portable cooling pad, measuring in at only 23-39mm thick. It is equipped with a singlequiet 140mm fan placed at the very center of the product, beneath an all-metal mesh top surface.This USB-powered unit comes with an 18.5” USB cable, which includes both a USB port and its handy built-in extender. When not in use, the USB cable and port may be stored within a special compartment on the bottom of the cooling pad.

Users have the option of two angle settings with two adjustable hind legs. Without flipping the legs open, the NotePal I100 still hasan angled platform to assist users with viewing and typing. The rubber feet on the bottom also provide a stable grip atop your desk.

Testing

I used this cooling pad for a few days, both at the office and at home. Duringlong-duration usage while running multiple programs, the NotePal I100 has effectively kept my notebook CPU around 7 to 8 degrees cooler. I was thoroughly impressed by the significant heat reduction during a 2-hour video-editing session. At idle, the temperature was lowered by about 3 degrees.

As advertised, this cooling pad is virtually silent. Granted, there was a constant low hum, but it wasn’t enough to cause distraction or annoyance. One possible drawback for users would be the lack of rubber gripping on the top surface. Notebook computers typically always come with rubber grips on the bottom panel, which would stabilize the notebook atop the cooling pad. However, if for any reason the rubber grips on your notebook are missing, the pad would not provide much help.

With a 76 F ambient temperature, I went about testing the unit with my MSI X450 Notebook and I started without the NotePal . To monitor the temperatures I used speed test. To stress test I used Prime95 in “blend” mode for the first pass of tests. While I could leave the test to run longer, we find the thirty minutes or so it takes to get through the first seven tests is plenty of time to heat things up.

The idle or “low” temperature is obtained after turning the laptop off and rebooting, waiting ten minutes, and then I open Core Temp. I allowed it to sit for just a couple minutes more to settle out at the lowest temperature. I then commence testing with Prime95 and once the first set of testing is complete.

This is what I did not expect to see! Most of these laptop coolers don’t really make any difference on the idle temperatures, well at least not with this MSI Notebook, but the Notepal did dropp temps to thirty degrees at idle! That’s a five degree drop – the highest temperature I could reach with the Notepal was still 3 degrees celsius lower than without the cooler. While this unit is simple, it definitely packs a punch.

Final Thoughts

At the retail value of $19.99, the NotePal I100 is an excellent standard cooling pad. With its simple, functional design, this product serves its purpose without any gimmicks or complication. I recommend the NotePal I100 to any user seeking a very basic and effective product to protect their systems from overheating.

Pros:

– Great Value

– Performs well

– no gimmicks