Tech Reaction

A laptop creates a lot of heat, which can make it uncomfortable to use on your lap while working.  The Cooler Master Notepal U3 sets out to stop the bothersome heat and sweaty legs. With the introduction of the U3, the Notepal U series can support 7” – 12” notebooks with the U1, 14” – 15” with the U2, and now 17” – 19”. It comes with three mobile 80mm fans and a fan speed controller clip which are all powered by a single pass-through USB cable. This should help keep the laptop nice and cool, but we’ll find out for sure once we start conducting our tests.

Packaging:

The Cooler Master Notepal U3:

Specifications and Features:

Installation:

Once you get everything unpacked, you will hopefully have what you see above in front of you. To install the fans, all you need to do is push the button that you see in the picture at the top left. Once it is pushed down, find the location of where you want to install the fan, then push it against the mesh until the 4 prongs find a hole. When they are in, you can release the button, and it will lock it in position. Once all three fans are locked in place, you will get something like what’s shown at the top right. There are plenty of options for you to choose from to help cool your laptop. However, make sure these fans do not sit directly under any exhaust fans in your laptop. In the pictures below, you can see the clip that attaches to the Notepal to help hold the fan controller in place. It also has a USB connection on the back of the Notepal USB, this way you will not lose a connection slot by using this device. On the clip itself is the fan controller which allows you to control how fast or slow you would like your fans go.

Usage:

With our laptop on top of the Notepal U3, you can see that it fits quite well. The rubber pads on the Notepal help hold the laptop in place once you set it on top, and in case you’re worried, rest assured the rubber pads do their job very well.

In the back of the Notepal, there is a hole to assist with wire management if you should need it. If not, then it just looks like a cool design. On the right, you will notice the fan controller clipped on, and you can see the fans installed underneath the laptop. You will also notice that the wires are under control and not all over the place, which is to be attributed to the design of the Notepal, not me.

Once again, you can see that the USB connection replicates a USB port of it’s own, allowing the user access to the same number of ports they would have had originally. On the right, Cooler Master has included a strap to wrap around the laptop using the Notepal to help hold it in place. This will help make the Notepal more portable and easier to take with you on-the-go.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Notepal U3 does what it is supposed to do. It helps lower the temperature on the bottom of your laptop which, prior to the Notepal, was extremely warm to the touch.  Once we used it with the Notepal, the notebook was barely even warm. We were happy with the performance of the three 80mm fans. They certainly spun fast enough to get the job done, and the best part was that you could not even hear them while they were on.

With those important and positive points being mentioned, we also need to point out two things. While we were reviewing the Notepal, we received an email stating fixes for the two problems we ran across while working with the Notepal:

1. The Fan Control Clip won’t hold on to the U3 (Fix: added a rubber insert inside the clip to assist in gripping the U3)
2. The Fan cord lengths may be too short for some configurations (Fix: Fan cord lengths will be increased)

These were the somewhat annoying problems that we ran across while reviewing our sample.  However, Cooler Master has stated our email with them that these problems are already fixed on the Notepal U3’s that are available for purchase – great news! With our review sample, the cord was definitely too short to test out fans in every available area, and as a result we had to keep them somewhat close together, as you saw in the pictures. Assuming they fixed this, as they stated they have, then the fans should be perfect for any type of setup that you could have.

The fan controller clip is also on the list for Cooler Master to fix, as it slips off easily. Once they add the rubber pads to the clip, it should stay on very well if the rubber pads that hold the laptop in place are any indication.

Once again, we hope that they have sufficiently resolved the issues that we stated above. If they have, we really have no complaints with the Notepal U3. It does what it is intended to do and is lightweight and easy to move where you want it. If you have it on you lap for extended periods of time, which we did, surprisingly it doesn’t become a nuisance like some of the other heavy laptop coolers on the market can.



The Cooler Master Notepal U3 receives the TechREACTION.net Silver Silicon Award!




You can find more information on the Cooler Master NotePal U3 on its product page.