Cooler Master Notepal Infinite

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Notebook coolers are slowly but steadily gaining popularity.Keeping a notebook PC cool is very important to enhance its life and gain maximum performance out of it.The Cooler Master Notepal Infinite is the latest notebook cooler from Cooler Master and claims to provide a “truly comprehensive cooling mechanism” which I will surely put to test.

Cooler Master Notepal Infinite specifications:

• Material : Aluminum and Plastic
• Dimensions :  38 x 30 x 1~5 cm
• Adjustable fan speeds
• Bearing type : Rifle bearing
• Fan noise level : 15-20.5 dBA
• Weight : 700g
• Power : 5V USB
• Operation degree : 8.5 degree
• Approx Price : $40

I tested this laptop cooler on my HP Pavilion dv6516tx laptop which is a 15.4″ notebook PC.Cooler Master claims that this will work for any laptop size between 12″ to 17″ though I doubt if 17″ notebook PCs would fit on this cooler properly.The Notepal has a metal mesh surface which absorbs the air and the rear side of the cooler intakes the air.The Notepal Infinite has a operational degree of 8.5 degree which makes typing very comfortable.Also the top surface has been fitted with anti-slip rubbers which prevents the notebook from slipping.

The build quality of the Notepal Infinite is good but it could have been better.Plastic has been used in many places which is not of high grade quality and does affect the overall build quality.The air intake from rear makes it usable on any surface and even on your lap as the intake air is not blocked.Also you would not find any sharp edges and the edges are smooth.
The Notepal draws power from USB port but the loss of the port is compensated as another port is provided on the cooler.Cooler Master also provides hooks to bundle the extra cables, a nice move! The Blue LED on the start/stop button does look nice but might trouble some during night.

The Notepal Infinite features three adjustable fan speeds.Min,Mid and high which have fan speeds of 1000 rpm,1500 rpm and 2000 rpm respectively.The noise levels are just OK but not as low as I would have expected them.The noise level at lowest fan setting is inaudible at daytime but at night you can hear the fans rolling.At the highest setting they are very much audible but they do the job effectively.

Coming to the tests that I performed,here are the results.

HDD :

Without cooler : 43 degrees

Cooler : 41 degrees

CPU(idle) :

Without cooler :  55 degrees

With cooler : 48 degrees

CPU(stress):

Without cooler :  70 degrees

With cooler : 60 degrees

So the cooler does its job pretty effectively.Also I found that in my case the three fan settings didn’t affect the temperature much but only by a mere degree or so.

Pros:

• Light Weight
• Adjustable fan speed
• Great performance
• Works on any surface
• Tilt makes typing much easier

Cons:

• Not very good build quality
• Not super quiet
• Not truly compatible with 17″

Final Thoughts

The Cooler Master Notepal Infinite does a fine job at cooling and is always expected with Cooler Master products you do get additional benefits like 8.5 degree tilt,cable holder etc. in this case. The product is truly value for money.So if you want a laptop cooler get this one without much thought!

Rating : 4/5