-Cooler Master Notepal Infinite Review- Lots of pics:D

By Johnny Tse (tse727)

Cooler Master Notepal Infinite∞ Review

Reasons for buying:
Absolutely none! I saw the Infinite at a computer convention in Hong Kong and also saw the amazing special price ($24USD, $185HKD, £12 GBP). So... I bought it! I had a ordinary NotePal before this.

Specifications and a few pics:



Material Aluminum and plastic
Dimension (W / H / D) 380x300x10~50 mm
Fan Dimension (W / H / D) 90mmx90mmx25mm
Fan Speed High, Middle, Low
Bearing Type Rifle bearing
Fan Life Expectancy 50,000 hours
Fan Noise Level (dB-A) 15~20.5dBA
USB Port USB2.0/1.1 x2
Power USB 5VDC
Weight 700g
Connector USB2.0/1.1 (Max current:300mA)
Compatibility Supports all 12”-16” notebook as well as 17”
Operation degree 8.5 degree



Bird's eye view

Front

USB power connector, extra USB port and Fan speed control

On/Off button

Inside


Build & Packaging
As mentioned above I had the original NotePal (also by Cooler Master). The NP is made from aluminium which meant it was very well build and strong ( see the NP W1 review for more details my NP was the 2 fan version).
The Infinite is made mostly from plastic except for the mental mesh. There is a certain amount of flex on the mesh itself, I wouldn't recomment putting a heavy weight on it. Notebook is fine just don't try to stand on it, or whatever floats your boat . There are minimal amount of flex on the outer plastic shell.

Out of the box the ∞ is held in place and protected by 2 foam blocks similar to the ones used in laptop packaging. A 50cm cable is provided for powering the ∞. Also a user guide which included basic instructions and warranty info is also provided, and in 17 languages .

Features

''NotePal Infinite ∞, the latest achievement in the NotePal series, as the first notebook cooler with a truly comprehensive cooling mechanism in the market: increases the cooling area by 150%, thus managing to cool down multiple heat sources at once.
It perfectly meets the need of those notebook users who require the ultimate thermal solution to be able to enjoy a stable yet comfortable environment. Additionally, its uniquely designed air intake at the rear side allows convenient usage anywhere, on the sofa or in bed, without blocking airflow.''

Thats what they all say...

Cooling area is increased by 150% really means that the cooler can actually cool the majority of the notebook rather than 2 or 3 spots when compared to the older models by CM.





One problem with my old NP is that I can't really use it on my lap or on a couch because the air intake is from the bottom, and so killing the point of ''laptop''. on the other hand the ∞'s bottom is not open, and the air intake is from the back of the cooler as shown a picture above, and so I can now use it on my lap !

The CM website also claims that it can cool you notebook up to a amzing 17C. NO would be the answer to that, unless you used your notebook on a bed where all air intakes are blocked.

The 8.5 degree tilt is very nice to type on, the amount of tilt is also similar to the NP. The 4 ''anti-slip'' rubber strips works very well in holding my notebook in place. The old NP is curved at the front to stop your notebook from slipping, which brought another problem. As mention in the NP W1 review it has some very sharp edges which is dangerous to you as well as to the aesthetics of your notebook.





As you can see from the picture my notebook is scratched because my notebook was slightly wider than the NP and so whilst moving it it was scratched. Since the ∞ does not hold the notebook in place using the front ''curve'' this is not a problem.

The fan speed could be adjusted which reviously can't be done on the NP. It is helpful for cound management (differences mentioned below is next part). The fan speeds are High~2000rpm, Mid~1500rpm, and Low~1000rpm.

Since the ∞ is larger than the NP and also my notebook, my notebok now actually fits on the cooler. The cable management hooks were mentioned as a feature on the website. I found them of no use what so ever, but it might come into use for some of you.



Size comparision

Sound

The noise levels are claimed to be 15~20.5dBA compared to the NP's 21dBA. But the noise level when the fan speed is set to high is very noticeable, without any background noises (ie. music) the fan noise could get annoying. on the other hand when the fan speed is set to low the noise is almost inaudible which surprised me. At medium speed th fan is audible, and is slightly louder than the NP.


Test - Old V New (CPU & HDD temp.)

Room temperature was 24C as shown by my AC remote

Temperatures and monitored using Notebook Hardware Control and HD tune.

Stress test and HD bench mark is done by CPU Stability Test 6.0 and HD Tune.






HDD temps (Hitachi Travelstar 80GB 7200rpm)

Idle with -
∞ = 30C
NP = 33C
No cooler = 33C

Clearly the HDD is cooler with the ∞. But with the NP the temp is same as without any cooler, I think this is because the fan is located is the upper half of the NP, but the HDD is in the bottom right corner of my notebook and so the NP does cool it effectively. But in the bench mark the temp difference is minimal, as shown below.

HDD temp after HD Tune bench mark with -
∞ = 36C
NP = 37C
No cooler = 37C










CPU idle & test

Idle with -
∞ Max fan spd = 38C
∞ Mid & Min spd = 42C
NP = 42C
No cooler = 45C

Stress test with -
∞ Max fan spd = 58C
∞ Mid & Min spd = 61C
NP = 64C
No cooler = 68C



For some reason the Mid and Min fan speed didn't really make a difference in the temperature.

Conclusion
From the results it is safe to say that the ∞ does a better job at cooling my notebook than the old NP. And also making a large difference when the CPU is under load .

The old NP had the ''stability'' problem which meant that the notebook can tilt backward quite easily which obviously isn't a good thing. The Infinite on the other hand is lager tha the NP and th eback doesn't slop off like the NP therefore solves the problem. The cooling is also more effective as seen from the results. Having used the NP for over a year I have to say that Cooler Master have came up with a excellent product with many improvements over the original NotePal.

But one thing I am not too sure about is whether a 17'' wide screen notebook would actually fit properly on the Infinite, my Compaq is a 15.4'' 4:3 which has the depth of a 17'' widescreen but not the width obviously.

Pros:
- Adjustable fan speed
- Lighter than the NP
- Effective overall cooling
- 15.4'' fits wonderfully
- Can be used on surfaces other than a desk (sofa, bed, etc)
- No sharp edges

Cons:
- Not as well build as the NP
- Fan noise can get irritating on max fan speed
- Currently unavaliable in the US and Europe (from what I can find in Google)

Sorry for any spelling error!
Any mistakes please PM me and I will correct them!

Thanks for reading!

EDIT:

As per request here is a picture of the bottom of the cooler

 

Great review. I hope I can buy this one online

 

Id like to see a head 2 head of this vs the ever so popular zalmans and see wich performs better. The zalmans is supposed to do alot of the same stuff and looks better in my opinion so it all comes down to performance!

I guess you dont have a video card to try comparing gpu temps with?

 

No for some reason I can get any temps from my Mobility Radeom 9700, I tried ATItraytool, ATI tools, and NHC....no good.

 

My friend just bought a ASUS G1S (like 30min ago) so maybe i can ask him to borrow his notebook to test as well Than that would include everything!

 

its actually a pretty good review. better then i was expecting i have to admit johnny

 

Good review.

As far as I know a lot of ATI's GPU can't monitor the temperature (I can't monitor my GPU temperature either).

 

It looks bigger than the Zalman, which is good for anything above 15.4"

 

I might just make a review of my own of the zalman nc-1000 for comparison reasons!

 

but then again we dont have the same notebook.....

Oh well! BRING IT ON! lol

 

It's up now And of course the results aren't really comparable since, you are right, we don't have the same notebook

 

It's actually good. Well done johnny. And for that price, it cools pretty well. But how much is the regular price? If it is like $60 or $70, the few degrees it cools doesn't really feel worth it.

 

A thorough review. Well done.

 

Good Review! Rep to you...

At almost half the price of the Zalman, you can't go wrong with this!

 

A reminder to all who are asking for prices or guessing prices that the $24 was a special sale price at a convention, and therefore not a reliable price to base upon! I would say the cooler will be around $35~$45 is retail, but thats just a guess so don't blame me if the price is actually different when it is released in the US or Europe!

 

I think its selling point is the intake from the back so you can use it in bed or easily on your lap. I dont know if the zalmans does that or not.

 

Weekend bump!

 

this looks like it might be the cooler for me, zalman like cooling with the ability to actually use it on your lap...thats what im talking about

 

This looks like the perfect cooler for my Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (well - it could be *slightly* more perfect if the USB cable connection was on the left, so it had a shorter distance to run, but...)

Only thing is trying to find somewhere to get one. It looks like they're available in Malaysia and Germany, but so far nowhere else. Hopefully they'll be available in the USA soon, so I don't have to buy an inferior product from a competitor...

 

long time no....bump!

 

From the background of your pictures, seems like you are in China lol, good memories

 

Hong Kong to be precise what a great place

 

I thought it was singapore but your first post gave it away... LOL..

 

We all have those same tall ass apartment buildings

 

hehe....thoughs are only around 20-25 floors...the real tall ones are around 50-60

 

hardly any here in the UK... lol...

 

Even less in sweden. But shanghai's full of them

 

same with Beijing, that's where I'm from. When I said, "we all have them" I was refering to the asian countries

 

If anyone sees a reseller in the US could you guys let me know. I spent 1hr looking for it before I realized it wasn't here. *Cough* Real nice CoolerMaster.com put it on the USA front page and none of your websites for Cooler, USA, Online Stores/Reselers have them

 

Guess this still isn't available then... *sigh*

Johnny, if I were you I'd run down to Golden Shopping Centre, or the place in Mong Kok, or whatever the current computer mecca in HK is and see if you can get hold of a bunch of these to Ebay. I bet several people here would snap them up in no time, since Cooler Master can't be bothered to let us know when the product will ship in the USA...

 

hehe.... i would but....I am at school in the UK at the moment

 

Ha - typical.

My bro's in Hong Kong, if I can't find a source for these soon I might have to see if I can get him to ship me one...

 

hehe...hdd temp 28C atm

 

Must be nice. Mine's 43C - and that's with the back of my laptop propped up on a piece of wood to try and give it some air between desk and laptop.

 

Too bad it's not available in the US...

 

GREAT NEWS!!!

http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=154090

If you click on description and scroll down to the bottom it says the release date is 3rd Oct 2007 !!!!

 

Its out, I was just there and you can buy it. I like it, it looks very competitive to the leading Zalmans unit wich is nearly 20$ more. However not one review of this thing really shows it has good performance or has any performance numbers at all.

I need somebody that has the zalmans to do a head 2 head comparison of the two and see wich is better, I would gladly pay the 20$ more for the zalmans if it works better (plus I do like it better anyways)

 

Would you please post a picture of the bottom of the Infinite? My brother has the Zalman, so I may be able to do a comparison soon.

 

How could you do a comparison without the notepal infinite???

 

I won't have an Infinite until I see a picture of the bottom so I can decide if I like it, thus the us of "may" and "soon" because I may not get a picture, but I may get the picture and like it, and then I'd get one to compare as soon as it's ordered and delivered.

 

I can 't upload any pic's at the moment since I am at school (boarding) but i'll try....

I'll PM you when they are up

 

Thanks for posting the bottom of the cooler. It looks perfect to me. Hopefully I have one in my hands before the next weekend.

 

Hey do you think now that this is released that this will fit a NP9261? Dimensions are. 393.7 x 298.45mm. It's a little over the side but not sure if that would cause any impairment in the performance. From pictures It looks like it wouldn't matter too much. little more than .25 in off each side.

 

I think it should be fine since the infinite has rubber pads on the surface of the cooler even if the rubber feet of the notebook doesn't touch the cooler, the pads should support your notebook high enough

the cooler is actually bigger than my notebook by about 2cm each side lol

 

cool
thanks for the review
I'm thinking about getting one.

 

Yeah you should...

although i must admit...its is pretty noisy sometimes in a quiet room .....

 

according to CM this will not be released in the US.
lucky us.

i think everyone in the US market should send them an email telling them that we want this. makes sense to me!

 

Here in the US of A:
http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=154090

 

UPDATE: I actually received my Notepal Infinite on October 11 from www.mobileplanet.com. I had pre-ordered one about a monthe earlier with no real promise of it ever being sold in the US. It works great and fits my 15.4' widescreen laptop perfectly. I would still recommend this over a Zalman. It's wider, and about twenty dollars cheaper. It ships from Illinois, so there's no overseas shipping fees. In fact, the shipping was free for me. Get one.

 

wow...i guess the guys at CM need to work on their communication