Zalman NC-1000B notebook cooler Mini review

ragnar · Post by **ragnar** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:58 pm

1. Construction
Colour: Black or "silver"
Material: Aluminum and ABS-plastic
Weight: 1195 grams
Dimensions(L*W*H): 308 x 330 x 40mm
Noise: 18 - 25,5 dBA
Current: 5V (Connects to USB)
Fan type: 2 centrifugal fans 70mm. (1100 - 1500 rpm)

The construction of the NC1000B seems very sturdy. It has a sloping design which helps ergonomic concerns. Though the cooler seems to be designed for notebooks up to 15.4" inches, it hasn't been any problem using it with my 17" wide screen notebood.

The two fans are powered through an USB slot and it's up to user preference how it's being powered. During my testing I've used both power from my notebooks USB and external power (via a cheap noname MP3 charger). When the notebook is on battery, the cooler reduces battery life considerably.

2a Function - Cooling
The cooler does a really good job at keeping the notebook cool, especially the bottom of the computer. There is a tremendous difference in temperature even if the fans are set to their lowest setting (1100 rpm). Setting the fans to higher rpm:s doesn't seem to be making that much of a difference in performance.

2b Function - Noise
At the fans lowest speeds they are barely audible. Since they are placed under the cooler (and effectively under the notebook), they don't produce any turbulence noise either. Since the fans speeds are adjusted by an analogue knob, it's very pratical to turn the fans up to user preference and find the desired balance between noise and cooling. Sadly, The acoustic qualities of the fans at low speeds aren't kept when speeds are turned up. At their maximum of 1500 rpm:s, the fans make a high pitched noise which is very unpleasant.

3 Conclusion
This notebook cooler is really a gem if it's fans speeds are kept low. One thing to keep in mind is that as soon as the fans becomes audible over any eventual fan inside the notebook, there may be situations of the fans coming close to each others frequencies and thereby causing irritating sounds (reminds me of when tuning a violin, you know that reverbing sound when the A string is just a little off).

cyberknight · Post by **cyberknight** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:01 pm

I've been looking for a laptop cooler, so I gave this one a try.

Personally, I think it's a little loud, even at the lowest setting. I've always found Zalman fans had this aggressive "whirring" sound. And I can definitely notice the sound cut through my notebook fan of my Fujitsu Amilo 1437G.

I dunno if I should take it apart and try to replace the fans or just return it.

Maybe I should have considered just getting a simple stand like this Matias iFold:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php? ... ure=Matias

Too bad we don't have much discussion about notebook coolers on the forum.

qviri · Post by **qviri** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:20 am

cyberknight wrote:Too bad we don't have much discussion about notebook coolers on the forum.

SPCR posters are likely to buy a notebook that can stay fanless at idle in the first place, invalidating the need for a "notebook cooler".

I find that with my notebooks, the hard drive noise is the largest problem due to location close to the user and lack of silencing options.