Decent performance with good design - at a price
Written: Jan 26 '08 (Updated Jan 27 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: decent performance, nice design, sturdy
Cons: expensive, heavy
The Bottom Line: If you are willing to pay a little more, you will get a nice looking cooling pad with decent performance.
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| twofish72's Full Review: NB COOLER ZALMAN|ZM-NC1000 SIL RTL (ZM-NC1000 SILV... |
Some while ago I bought an ASUS Pro60v notebook and I still use it today. It comes with a 1.6 Ghz CPU a 80 gig drive and a ATI Radeon X700 Graphics card with 64 MB of videomemory (some come with a 128MB version). Said notebook was considered a "entertainment notebook" when it came out. Of course, with it's primary focus being games, graphics and music that also meant that when you used it for that, the cooling fans in the Pro60v would keep running at full capacity.
But even if you ran programs that demand less power from the system, the fan would still turn up to full power pretty often.
So after a while, I decided to get a notebook cooler not only to keep the temperature down but to also keep the fans in the notebook from going full speed even with less demanding applications.
The Zalman ZM-NC1000 design
If you look at available notebook coolers, you will notice that most units (cheap or expensive) are basically only a platform with two or in rare cases three fans that shoot air upwards. Zalman went a slightly different route with their design. They have placed two fans under a aluminium surface with lots of holes in it (actually, there are 679 "high capacity vent holes" according to the packaging... Well, to me they are just a lot of holes.)
The goal is to create a "cushion" of cool air under then notebook rather than two "jets" of air from just two fans. Paired with two high quality fans that run with no more than 25.5 dba that means the Zalman is a very quiet notebook cooler. In fact on full power it's so quiet that when the fans of my notebook itself run on full power, they are a lot louder than the cooling pad. The idea is that your notebook should "feed" from that air cushion instead of getting a jet of air shot up into it's intakes. Zalman is not the only one using that design but one of the few.
The Zalman ZM-NC1000 is 308 x 330 x 40 mm big and almost 2.4 lbs heavy. It's basically made for 14" to 15" inch notebooks. If you have a smaller one, don't bother getting the ZM-NC1000 as it will be bigger than your notebook and might pose a problem if you have a bag for your computer that doesn't have enough room.
The ZM-NC1000 is powered over one USB port but hosts a separate USB port so you don't lose a free port when plugging in the Zalman. That is a nice feature that I am really missing with most other pads I have tried (The Zalman is my third).
Also, you can adjust the speed of the fans to match your liking and need and comes with a button to turn it off entirely. Again, a feature that is not a standard among cooling pads.
And last, the ZM-NC1000 is angled to give you a more relaxed hand position when you type.
Using the ZM-NC1000
I have used the cooling pad for a good year now and I am very pleased. Without it, my notebook used to turn it's fan off and on periodically if was just doing "office work" like word processing, typing reviews, checking email - things like that. Needless to say, having my notebook fan spin faster and then slow down again was quite annoying. With the Zalman, the fan of the notebook spins on idle-speed and rarely speeds up.
Of course, when I run the notebook at full power (when I play a 3D game for example), the Zalman cooler doesn't prevent the notebook fan from going full power... but that is something that no notebook cooler has managed so far. I have to say though, the area where my CPU is (top left, a little under the keyboard) stays cooler that it does without the Zalman.
With the ZM-NC1000 being angled I have to say I like typing on it a lot better. Sometimes I use the pad even when I don't plan to turn it on, just because it sits perfectly and typing is a lot more ergonomic for me. This is dependend on your notebook design though. If your computer features an angled design then it might get a little too much. Check that out before you buy it.
Performance
I also did some other temperature tests. Here are the results:
Notebook used: ASUS Pro60v, temperature measure with Notebook Probe by ASUS, room temperature 22°C / 72°F.
For every test, I used the following procedure: Cool down notebook to idle temperature with Zalman cooling pad on. Then start the test and wait until highest temperature seems to be reached. Wait 5 minutes under current workload to confirm temperature. Rinse and repeat.
CPU Temperatures with...
- no workload (idling), cooler turned off: 53 degrees C / 127 degrees F
- no workload (idling), cooler turned on (full power): 51 degrees C / 124 degrees F
- slight workload (surfing the web, watching a YouTube Video), cooler off: 65 degrees C / 149 degrees F
- slight workload (surfing the web, watching a YouTube Video), cooler on: 58 degrees C / 136 degrees F
- heavy workload (playing "Titan Quest"), cooler off: 77 degrees C
- heavy workload (playing "Titan Quest"), cooler on: 75 degrees C
HDD Temperatures with...
- no workload (idling), cooler turned off: 40 degrees C / 104 degrees F
- no workload (idling), cooler turned on (full power): 39 degrees C / 102 degrees F
- slight workload (surfing the web, watching a YouTube Video), cooler off: 43 degrees C / 109 degrees F
- slight workload (surfing the web, watching a YouTube Video), cooler on: 40 degrees C / 104 degrees F
- heavy workload (playing "Titan Quest"), cooler off: 44 degrees C / 111 degrees F
- heavy workload (playing "Titan Quest"), cooler on: 40 degrees C / 104 degrees F
As you can see, you benefit the most from it when you do office work and want to keep fan noises and temperature to a minimum. Obviously, a cooling pad won't bring much when your computer is idling as it doesn't do any work and therefore does not heat up significantly. Also, when running at full speed, your notebook fan can only handle so much air-throughput, no matter how much air flow is under the notebook.
Misconceptions and false promises
In order to really rate the Zalman ZM-NC1000 I have to clear up some myths that are out there regarding cooling pads for notebooks.
First off, a cooling pad can only support the cooling system of your notebook. It cannot take over its function or deliver wonders. When your notebook is constructed "not optimal", a cooling pad might not have any real effect at all. For example: If your HDD is near your CPU, cooling that will be much harder. Also, no matter how good your cooling pad is, the heat pipes in your machine might always be hot to the touch or at least really warm, even though the rest of the system is relatively cool. It goes so far as to consider buying more RAM for your machine. Why? More RAM means less use of the hard drive. Less use of it means less heat buildup which means a cooler system overall.
In addition, the fan in your notebook has only so much air throughput. No matter how much air gets blasted against the bottom of your machine, the airflow over the heat sink of the CPU will most likely not change much. If you have a "cheap" fan in there or an undersized heat sink, it is likely that a notebook cooler will not offer much relief. Sadly, a notebook is not one of those machines that can be converted easily, if at all.
And lastly, if you are working in a room that has a temperature in the high 80s or even 90s, don't complain that your cooling pad doesn't work.
That said, you have to decide what you want to do with your machine and what you want the cooling pad to do. Do you want a quieter office where your notebook makes less fan noises? Or are you always operating the computer at a 100% and complain about a hot machine and you don't care if the fan makes noise?
Recommendations and tips
When you buy a cooling pad, pay attention where your air intake on your notebook is in relation to the fans of the pad. It's no use if the airflow gets directed against a closed plastic surface only to be deflected to all sides.
The Zalman and some other coolers don't have the fans blow air directly upwards but rather generate a cushion of air that your notebook sucks in. This way, it does not matter as much where your air intakes are, but your notebook should cover the entire area to maximize the effect.
Also, make sure that your notebook is built smart before you buy it. That means ask the sales person where the CPU is located and where the hard drive is built in. Those are the two components that heat up the most. If you have a gaming notebook, paying attention to the location of the GFX chip is important too. If the sales person cannot help you, try to find the information on the internet. Why? Because a CPU or HDD built in where you rest your hand will make typing very uncomfortable - and no cooling pad will change that.
If you can't find any information on the web and the sales person has no clue either, a trick can help. Ask the sales person to show you how much power the notebook has by having him run some demos. Preferably 3D animations, movie playback or for maximum effect, let him show you a game or a multimedia animation if one is on the hard drive (I doubt a Best Buy sales person will install a game for you). Let him show you the notebook for at least 10 minutes doing all kinds of stuff. The fact that those things run the entire day paired with that small presentation will give you a good hint where the components are located when you touch the notebook yourself. Also, look under the bottom side where the air intakes are.
Also, buy a cooling pad that matches the size of your notebook. You don't want the fans sticking out the sides of your notebook, blowing air in your face. And you also don't want a too small one where you can't position the notebook air intakes over the cooler fan outtakes the right way.
Final opinion
For what I am using the cooler, namely mainly office work and some gaming... I can recommend it. The fact that it generates an air cushion that my notebook fan "feeds" off keeps it cool under most circumstances. It also aides a lot in cooling the notebook down faster when it did run on full power.
Also, I like the fact that it's angled and that it has a spare USB port for the one it takes up. Especially of you are short on USB ports, that is a big plus. You don't want to start using a USB hub just to connect your cooler, right? Oh, and forget the ones that have a separate power supply unless you never plan to move your notebook.
The design is good. It doesn't look cheap and goes well even with more expensive looking notebooks. I have seen nice looking office desks with sleek looking Sony Vaio notebooks on them... and a $20 targus cooling pad under it that looks like a plastic anti-tank mine.
It is sturdy. Since the surface the notebook stands on is anodized aluminum, you will hardly be able to break it unless you drive your car over it.
The size and weight might be a problem for some people. It is 2.4 lbs heavy and almost as big as a 15" laptop.
Me personally? Aside from my notebook (which is roughly 5 lbs) I carry the power adapter, an external mouse, a car power adapter, the most important software (5 CDs), a USB cable, my iPod cable, 2 memory sticks, an small external HDD from Maxtor (read my review on that one), a power plug adapter for traveling and the cable to connect my PDA/phone. Do you really think I mind the additional Zalman cooler?
Plus, if you want to balance the notebook on your lap, you will actually thank Zalman for making the ZM-NC1000 cooler square shaped and that big because you won't have trouble working with it on your lap.
The price. Zalman has always been known for providing exclusive cooling devices. Their heat sinks for CPU's are powerful, but also extravagant in design. They also demand a price higher than most other manufacturers. Being disappointed with two other coolers from different brands before, I have to say 'though that the ZM-NC1000 is worth it. Again, evaluate your needs and compare before you buy.
So unless your notebook has severe thermal problems or you tend to use it on full power all the time (high-end gaming notebook), I can recommend getting the Zalman ZM-NC1000. It will not provide wonders, but it will keep your notebook at a nice, cool, steady temperature and reduce stress on the machine (less fan work) and on you (less noise and cooler notebook).
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
twofish72
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Member: Michael Opitz
Location: Wisconsin
Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 0 members
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