Notepal Infinate EVO Author: T_H_Schafer -- Posted: 2011-08-01
If you read my prior laptop cooler review, the Notepal LapAir, you'll recall that I stated how laptop coolers don't generally excite people. Well, that opinion holds true for me today even though the NotePal Infinate EVO certainly attempts to raise the bar when it comes to laptop coolers.
The EVO is a full featured cooling pad with some pretty unique design choices. You can really tell that Cooler Master put in a lot of thought into this thing, and while it certainly looks as though it should outperform the Notepal LapAir, as it has twice the amount of fans and a gaping hole in the center for airflow, my tests don't necessarily indicate that.
I think what it comes down to is the design of your particular laptop. For my tests I used an old Compaq from around 2005 which had a fan placed left of center which did not sit in the middle of the EVO, where I would assume the best cooling would be going on. If I shifted my laptop over it would sit somewhat in the intended area, though it wasn't perfect.
After adjusting my laptop, the EVO definitely lowered temperatures although The LapAir still outperformed it. I credit that to the LapAir's wide area of coverage where the mesh grille pulls air through, allowing just about any laptop to place the laptop fan in a proper place.
The EVO certainly offers a more refined look than most of the other laptop coolers out there with its aluminum top and nifty design. It also offers a few more features than other laptop coolers, including fan speed adjustment and extra usb ports. One complaint I had was with the usb power cable, which isn't connected. This could be a good thing, as it is replaceable in case of damage, however it is easy to lose as well.
As far as noise goes, the EVO stays pretty quiet even when you max out the fan speed. Taking the fan down to minimum makes for a relatively noiseless experience where you might not even know the thing is on.
Here are some temperatures to give you an idea of how the EVO performed
Average Temperatures (Without EVO)
IDLE: 49 C
HIGH: 60 C
Average Temperatures (With EVO)
IDLE: 45 C
HIGH: 47 C
What's important is where the fan on your laptop is located. The EVO certainly has a sound design, and is pretty powerful with its twin fan design and cool aluminum top. It is definitely capable enough to keep a laptop cool, but with my far off center fan on my 6 year old Compaq, it didn't really fit perfectly, which is definitely something to consider before buying. Other than that the EVO is a stylish, well designed laptop cooler with enough extra features to make it a strong contender in the market.
