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Choiix Air-Through Thin Notebook Cooling Pad Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Conclusion
Laptop coolers are hit or miss when it comes to how effective they are, however most do a decent job. Static coolers are typically nothing more than a hard surface to provide additional airflow to the internal cooling fan. Active cooling solutions seem to be a smarter solution by circulating fresh air under the laptop so that the internal cooling solution can work more effectively.
In our testing we did notice a considerable drop in temperature but in a non-standard sort of way. Temperature drop was not measured in actual degrees but rather in time it took for the CPU fan to operate. Under normal circumstances with the laptop flat on a hard surface the cooling fan would operate almost consistently at idle and under load. After placing the laptop on the Choiix notebook cooler the internal cooling fan would still come on but for the first time ever would shut off at regular intervals and almost never operate when the system was at idle.
This is a big plus as that tells us the additional airflow is allowing the laptop to cool down faster. We did mention that the 2x 60mm fans are a little louder than the internal cooling fan, if this noise is bothersome you can turn them off via the small switch on the side. A helpful feature would be an RPM control that might be accessible from the USB connection. That way if the laptop is under load the fans can spin up and turn off if not needed.
The Choiix cooler sits at an angle to allow air to freely flow under the laptop, this also helps to expose the keyboard and place the laptop in a more ergonomic position. Of course there is more to ergonomics than keyboard position so please do your research and find a solution that is proper for you.
Now for the ever popular list of Good things and Bad things.
In our testing we did notice a considerable drop in temperature but in a non-standard sort of way. Temperature drop was not measured in actual degrees but rather in time it took for the CPU fan to operate. Under normal circumstances with the laptop flat on a hard surface the cooling fan would operate almost consistently at idle and under load. After placing the laptop on the Choiix notebook cooler the internal cooling fan would still come on but for the first time ever would shut off at regular intervals and almost never operate when the system was at idle.
This is a big plus as that tells us the additional airflow is allowing the laptop to cool down faster. We did mention that the 2x 60mm fans are a little louder than the internal cooling fan, if this noise is bothersome you can turn them off via the small switch on the side. A helpful feature would be an RPM control that might be accessible from the USB connection. That way if the laptop is under load the fans can spin up and turn off if not needed.
The Choiix cooler sits at an angle to allow air to freely flow under the laptop, this also helps to expose the keyboard and place the laptop in a more ergonomic position. Of course there is more to ergonomics than keyboard position so please do your research and find a solution that is proper for you.
Now for the ever popular list of Good things and Bad things.
Good Things
Active Cooling Solution
Fits up to a 17" laptop
Classy White Color
Tilted for keyboard access
4 port USB hub
USB Powered fans and fan switch
Fits up to a 17" laptop
Classy White Color
Tilted for keyboard access
4 port USB hub
USB Powered fans and fan switch
Bad Things
Not portable
Fans are louder than expected
Classy white color
Fans are louder than expected
Classy white color
Ninjalane Rating
We would like to thank Cooler Master and Choiix for helping to make this review possible
