ZALMAN Ultra Quiet Notebook Cooler Model ZM-NC1000 Black

See it at Amazon.com for $43.05

Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)

Amazon Customer Reviews

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As Good as I had Heard

I recently purchased an HP dv9000 laptop with almost all of the bells and whistles. The problem, one common in this age of super-powered laptops, is that it could start to run very hot. It even shutdown at one point due to the heat. I knew I needed to do something to remedy the problem.

After doing some research, I decided to give the Zalman NC1000 a try. I'm amazed at the difference it's made. Even during the heaviest gaming session when every part of my system is running, the Zalman keeps the temperature in check. I have no more worries about my machine overheating.

Pros:
- Cools down notebooks as well as advertised
- Adjustable fan setting for your level of use
- USB powered with an extra USB port for an additional USB accessory such as a mouse
- Nice angle makes the laptop keyboard more comfortable
- Slick design looks great

Cons:
- A way to adjust how high the notebook sits over the cooler, especially in the back, would have been nice

If you are looking for an effective cooling pad for your laptop, I would definitely consider the Zalman NC1000. It's well worth the money.

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EXCELLENT Cooling Pad!

The Zalman NC1000 notebook cooler has to be amongst the best out there right now. This thing actually cools along the ENTIRE top surface area of the cooler (as opposed to one or two spots MOST other coolers focus on) so it really cools, at even levels, the entire bottom-side of the notebook. This is a huge plus in and of its own. Although I didn't see a 30% drop in temps (thats rather unrealistic), this thing does keep me at adequately safe temperatures even during the most CPU and GPU-taxing processes (in some situations, I saw drops of 10-15 degrees C).

The cooler is truly "silent". I can barely hear the thing at all except when I have the fans going at the maximum level (and even then, I hear nothing more than a gentle "whirring" sound - usually, the sound of the notebook running completely drowns out the fans altogether). This brings up another "PRO": the fans have multiple levels. Most of the other units simply have "On/Off" functions or 2 different levels. This unit has a jog wheel with varying speeds (much like a volume wheel) so you can adjust it according to what you're doing with your notebook.

The build quality is pretty remarkable. Although it's not a very heavy piece, it FEELS substantial. I haven't dropped it, but I'm certain that if I actually did, it wouldn't suffer from the fall. Most of the other coolers I was contemplating purchasing were made of plastic and just felt "cheap". Granted, the Zalman is one of the more expensive units, but the build quality, design and overall excellent functionality makes it more than worth it. I have no regrets spending the extra $15-20 on this thing.

The ONLY "CON" I can possibly list is that it's pretty much made for 15" notebooks. I have a 15.4" machine, so this doesn't really concern me at all, but, when fully centered, my notebook sticks out about 1/2" on either side. If you have a larger notebook, you may want to take this into consideration.

Overall, I'm thrilled with this purchase. I didn't really see myself spending $50 on a notebook cooler, but after actually using it, I have no doubt I made the right choice.

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Cool Cooler

What's not to like? I've had this for about a month and I highly recommend it. Helps keep your laptop cool even without the fan on and does even better with the fan. You can barely hear the fan, anyone writing who complains about hearing the fan it is just plain nuts, too darn picky, works for a competitor or has a broken model.
The wedge design also make typing on your laptop more comfortabe, as though you had your computer propped up on a 3-ring binder.
I know you can buy other coolers for $20 or less, but this one is solid and sturdy.
What attracted me to this model is that the aluminum top doesn't have just two holes where the fans are, but a grate with hundreds of holes to allow the cooling action of the fans to directly affect a far greater percentage of the underside of the computer, and the holes help dissipate the heat better. It just makes more sense, it's a superior design worth the extra money.

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Works well, slightly uncomfortable

I like this cooler--it works well, very quiet, nice angle. My only objection is it is the back is not entirely closed-the top edge sticks out from the top and curls down to your lap, leaving the plastic edge to dig into your legs. Without that, it would be perfect. It's still usable on your lap, but not as comfy as it could be.

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Four degrees cooler

This cooler tends to keep the CPU on my Asus G1S-B1 four degrees Celsius cooler than the bare tabletop. Importantly, when using the laptop on my lap, it keeps the air vents clear for the CPU and GPU fan on the laptop's excitingly chunky bottom, and provides stand-off distance so the hard drive doesn't warm up too much. I don't have metrics for hard drive temperatures, but I expect that to be much lower because of the placement of the output vents (toward the user, at the bottom of the wedge).

Good features:
- USB powered
- Variable speed control
- On-off switch with LED indicator
- Pass-through USB port (you don't lose a port)
- Comes with an 18" USB cable for laptops with hard-to-reach plugs--I could get by with a six inch on my Asus
- Rubber feet on the bottom stick well to most surfaces
- Rubber strips and pads hold laptops securely

Bad features:
- Unpadded back edge (mentioned in other reviews) which could cut into legs--or wooden table tops if you're not careful. No surface is actually sharp, but this won't pass any CPSC tests for suitability as a toddler toy.
- Its two fans can be choked if you're using it on pillows, blankets, loose clothes or other yielding surfaces
- A little smaller than the typical widescreen: a 15" laptop with a 1680x1050 screen will hang over the edges by about half an inch
- Placement of air output best when the CPU or hard drive is under the wrist rest, but not as good when batteries or removable media are there

I feel the notebook cooler was worth the cost in extending the life of my laptop's hard drive and that it would be potentially more useful with flat-bottomed metal laptops (like the MacBook Pro).

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