Cooler Master Notepal U Stand Review

Testing:

I tested the Cooler Master NotePal U Stand the same way as all the other coolers that I have tested, which are listed below. While the U Stand has movable fans, I placed them in the middle of the cooler since there isn't a lot of room to move them around anyways. I also set the cooler on it's first elevation level, since that is similar to how it would have to be used with a MacBook Pro in normal use. I then let my laptop run in an idle state, running a temperature monitoring application (iStat Pro). This allowed me to get both my CPU and GPU temperatures. I then repeated the test with the cooler and with the laptop straight on my desk. To get load temperatures, I chose to run Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, which stresses the hardware of my Macbook Pro, causing them to generate heat. Again, this was repeated on the cooler and on the desk. While the results I got are specific to this laptop, similar results should be found with most other laptops.

Testing Setup:

• Apple MacBook Pro 15" Generation 3
• 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo
• nVidia GeForce 8600M
• 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
• 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
• AirPort Extreme 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n
• 8x Slot Loading Super Drive

Comparison Coolers:

• LaTosta Laptop Stand
• NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler
• Lapworks Attaché Laptop Stand
• Antec Notebook Cooler 200
• Evercool Hermes
• NZXT Cryo S
• Thermaltake Massive23
• Xclio One
• Evercool Fit
• Xclio Hovercraft
• Evercool Hawk 1
• Evercool Zodiaz II
• Cooler Master Notepal U3

The graphs below show that the U Stand held its own against the majority of other coolers. I believe this has partly to do with the fact that it's elevated, which allows for greater air flow.

Lower numbers are better.

While the U Stand didn't preform as well as some of the other offerings, it still had a somewhat significant effect on temperatures.