Enermax Aeolus Notebook Cooling Pad Review

Product review of Enermax's Aeolus Notebook Cooling Pad (Model CP001-B)

A cooling pad is used to help move air underneath a notebook computer to keep the temperature in and around the notebook within safe operating range.

Enermax's Aeolus cooling pad combines style and functionality to keep air flow under the computer but is it the best pad on the market?

At prices ranging from $35 to $50 dollars this is one of the higher priced basic cooling pads on the market.

Design and size:

The first thing I noticed about this cooling pad is the style and the design. The pad itself is made of brushed aluminum and comes in silver or black. The entire center of the pad is a metal grate with a very large plastic fan underneath.

Laptops up to 15 inches fit comfortably on top of the pad and the pad props the computer a good 1 and 1/2 inches off the desk. Larger laptops may hang off more than 1 inch on each side. The design places the computer on a downward slant so that the keys and palm rest slants towards the user. Combined with the nice aluminum palm rest built into the front of the cooling pad, this setup is very comfortable to type on. There was no sliding either once the laptop was in place.

Blue LED lights line the fan and can be turned off and on based on user preference. In a dark room, the blue light coming out from underneath the computer is a nice aesthetic touch. The pad is powered by USB connection.

Cooling:

Sure this unit looks great and feels solid, but does it help lower a computer's internal temperature? I'm using the Aeolus cooling pad with a Macbook Pro and was able to see temperature readings while using the pad.

The fan's placement is ideal for computers with vents or fans on the bottom of the casing or towards the center. However the fan is big enough to get a little air to the back of the laptop, where Macbook Pros and some other laptops have their vents and fans.

When turning the unit on, the fan can barely be heard. The cooling pad has two speed settings but really high is the only setting that you need.

The fan blades move a bit slow and so the airflow is not very noticeable. But it is important to note that a cooling pad also works by lifting the computer off of the desk and allowing surrounding air to flow under the computer. Enermax's grated design lets air flow up right against the computer's underside.

When running Mac OS X on my Macbook Pro I noticed only a slight drop in temperature numbers. However when running Windows XP while playing a graphic intensive 3D video game the cooling pad was really put to the test.

Macs always run hot, the aluminum casing helps dissipate heat making the case hot while the inside stays cooler. Since the Aeolus is also made of aluminum, heat can dissipate across the computer's case onto the cooling pad.

The keyboard was slightly cooler to the touch when using the pad and the top of the computer where the Mac's fans are located was slightly cooler as well. Number wise, the cooling pad reduced internal temperatures by 2-5 degrees on each area. Since the Macbook's video cards are located directly in the center of the computer the fan hit this area quite well.

Overall the cooling wasn't as dramatic as a I expected and honestly with the fan turned off, the pad still allows air to flow naturally under the computer. The fan, while large, made only a small difference during normal use and a noticeable but not as big of a difference as I would have hoped for during intense tasks.

The Aeolus pad's looks, comfortable design, and lift are worth the money. Hopefully in the next version, Enermax will make the fan a bit more powerful.