Cooler Master NotePal X3 - Laptop Cooling Pad with 200mm Blue LED Fan

I intially ordered a 6 fan laptop cooler that had way more reviews than this one, many more positive reviews as well, for my HP Spectre Folio (3 years old, horrible overheating issues, already tried cleaning). I then came to realize that many of the reviews appeared to be fake. When I received that product, one of the fans started making a grinding sound after about 1 hour and one of the red LEDs stopped working. So, yeah, I returned that piece of junk. I then spent more time than is healthy trying to find a laptop fan that wasn't just "cool" looking and would actually make a difference. So, I started scouring the internet for this important measurement: CFM. The rated CFM for this fan from the manufacturers website is 76.5 maximum (has variable speed knob). That CFM rating is one of the highest I could find in this price range after all my research, though there were laptop fans released 7/8+ years ago that were higher. Another reason why I settled on this one is b/c I've owned the CoolerMaster X-Slim for about 4/5 years now and the fan on it still works flawlessly, even after I would purposefully abuse it sometimes (force stopping the fan, etc.). That models CFM rating is 70 CFM and I don't like how the USB plug is built-in to it. The wire on mine started to short, so the fan was becoming unreliable unless I jiggled the wire quite a bit. Back to the product I'm actually reviewing... Pros: 1.) High CFM for price (76.5) 2.) Doesn't have an annoying built-in cord, meaning I can swap out cords as they become old, then just plug them in like any other USB device 3.) Variable speed knob 4.) The LED light is cool, though I don't use it. 5.) Extra USB slot for another device 6.) IMPORTANT: I've watched countless review videos of people holding paper over their fan to see if the airflow would move it. This one's airflow DOES lift paper, so it will actually have a use beyond just being a cool looking paperweight with an LED. I tested this with notebook paper, toilet paper, and a paper towel. All three were lifted by the airflow. Cons: 1.) The front fan vent that "keeps your hands dry" is more for looks than anything. When I place paper over it, it actually seems like it's pulling air in, not blowing it out. It's a non-issue for me, and I guess that technically, any air movement would keep one's hands dry. 2.) Would be amazing if they added a 2nd open USB slot to add two additional devices 3.) I would have preferred USB-C instead of micro-USB. Again, not much of an issue me for me. I hope this review was helpful for everyone frustrated over the junk and marketing for most of these laptop "cooling" fans, most of which do absolutely nothing at all, or breakdown prematurely.

I purchased this cooler for my 15-inch Macbook Pro. If you're not a macbook owner, then you should know they get extremely hot due to a lack of a proper cooling feature. Performance: I figured the NotePal X3 would be the best cooler out there for my Mac. The fan is huge and hits the entire bottom of my Mac evenly to somewhat cooldown the surface temp. (My computer relies on it's aluminum casing to "wick" heat.) Put simply, heat wicking alone doesn't work at high performance levels. The X3 helps as much as it possibly could considering my laptop's poor design. The fan can only speed up to 850 rpm +/- 15%. The breeze you get definitely isn't akin to a leaf blower...but I figure it's okay. All in all, this would work much better with a laptop that has a cooling design of pulling IN air through bottom vents and OUT the back. Build Quality: The X3 is constructed of lightweight, sorta "cheap" feeling plastic. Seems durable enough though. Just don't drop it. The top is a metal mesh that's perfectly flat. It relies on your computer's rubber feet to sit it up off the cooler and let the heat get out and/or...blow it into the computer's intake vents. (no rubber supports on the X3 itself) Since my mac's "feet" only sit it millimeters up off the surface, the former doesn't work too well either. (no intake vents on mac) The X3 also features sturdy rubber feet to keep it steady on whatever (flat) surface you put it on. These are on the flip-up feet to prop it at an angle as well. Once again, seems sturdy enough. Says it fits up to 17" laptops. I put my mom's 17" computer on it and it only went over both edges of the X3 by a half inch or so. Therefore, it would seem like it's suitable for cooling a wider area such as that. Go any larger with your laptop though and it'll look like you're trying to balance a book on a baseball. Noise: At top speed, the fan gives off 23 db (according to box). It's not exactly white noise...it's a little different. There's a lower "rumble" to it. At first I thought something was wrong, but things seem fine. I suppose it's the large blades whipping the air. That's good right? Other features: Lights...okay cool feature. I don't ever really see them unless I'm gaming in near darkness. It's really just an "ooo" factor for your friends. USB Port: Yes it has a low power USB on the side by the fan speed dial labeled "USB Out". It powers my wireless mouse. Given that the Macbook only has 2 USB ports, this was a win for me. It won't power anything like a webcam though...stuff like that requires more juice. All in all, I give it 5 stars if I were using it with a PC laptop with proper cooling design. However, for my use, It'll have to suffice for 4 stars. But that's not it's fault. Go Cooler Master.

i have gone through 3 other cooling pads, the coolermaster U2, the thermaltake massive, and this other unbranded one that had 2 big fans, well this looks a lot nicer then the thermal massive one, and it cools a looot better. the way the blue LED's light up the fan looks pretty sexy actually, now it is very big, and it isn't very portable, now if you don't care about looks then get the u2/u3, those fans are actually really strong and are a little more quite then the fan on this one, they basically cool the same though, its just the base isn't as nice. Some people say they have a laptop slipping problem but mine doesn't slip off... also the "palm cooler" dosn't really blow out too much air, but it keeps the hands a little bit cool, especially if your laptop gets hot... but overall the product is really nice, a little pricey but good non the less edit/week 2 -well some things i have noticed in the past week, the first think is the serial number sticker came right off, the rubber feet on the bottom of the laptop are unsticking and are somewhat fallng apart, and now when i have it on full with my laptop on it makes a weird sound... im sure it is fine but the sound scares me edit/week 4 -well i have noticed that the fan is actually supposed to make that sound when it is on full blast so that's fine, also the rubber feet aren't glued on the bottom they are actually clipped on in some way so that's why it looked like it was unsticking, i have moved it around a lot and it still works great, but another thing thing bad that i noticed was that it makes a nasty burning plastic smell, i don't know if its just because it blowing the hot air and it just smells like it or not, but whatever, also the metal top on it is actually getting quite slippery, when it is at the normal angle it is fine, but when you raise it with the pegs it slips very slowly down it, which is quite dangerous, overall i'm happy with this product, Definitely the best laptop cooler i have used i would also like to add how well the fan works so here are the temperature of my CPU's 4 cores (in Fahrenheit) W/O Fan (Regular Use) Core 1- 100-110 Core 2- 93-109 Core 3- 97-109 Core 4- 104-112 W/ Fan (Regular Use) Core 1- 93-102 Core 2- 84-100 Core 3- 90-102 Core 4- 93-106 as you can see in terms of everyday regular use like watching videos on youtube or just surfing the web it did keep the laptop about an average of 8 degrees cooler W/O Fan (Gaming Use) Core 1- 156-176 Core 2- 154-174 Core 3- 153-174 Core 4- 151-180 W/ Fan (Gaming Use) Core 1- 140-163 Core 2- 135-158 Core 3- 140-165 Core 4- 140-172 As you can see the fan does help when you are hardcore gaming, keeping it around an average of 10 degrees cooler, which is significant I would also like to add that this is not very comfortable on the lap with the back pegs sticking out, but with its regular position it feels okay, overall i lowered the rating to a 4 because this basically cools a little better thn the u2 that i had bought for 12 bucks, the only difference is that this cooler looks very cool and works when its on the lap, i will update this review next week as well if there are any other problems that arise UPDATE: May 4, 2014 Still using this laptop cooler after a year and a half, still works and looks awesome! I don't just use it as a cooler but as a lap stand too! edit/ i have done some more tests on how well the fan works, i have updated the above information

I'm going to start of by saying anything good about it. Then anything bad about it. At the end I will tell you how I truly think about this product. First, it looks real nice. Very stylish and sleek. So if you're into that then you will like this. What I also like is the the USB cable can go at either end. You can also change the speed of the fan and also turn the fan off with a push button. As well as the LED light. The top is a mesh material and the bottom a plastic. Same with the fan and the inside is very space-ish. Which makes it very light weighted. At the bottom, has rubber stoppers so there wont be any accidental and unnecessary moving. And, are two legs towards the back so it can stand at an angel. Also equipped with rubber stoppers. Now on to the bad. The condition it came in was nothing short of poor and frustrating. At first it would not turn because a wire was hanging in it's way. I was able, but do not suggest, fishing it back into place using a paperclip and a flat head screwdriver, small. When I fixed that, the next thing that happened was t started to bang against something sounding metal. At this point i was pissed. I took it apart. I found more wires out of place and a little piece of metal that fell out of it. Seemed to be something like scrap metal. Really small piece. Now if you don't know what your doing, I would suggest just sending it back and complaining. But, I took it apart and fixed it. Since I fixed it, now it purrs like a kitten. Quiet but functional. Now for the part you all are waiting for. As far as condition goes. Again, poor. But, as far as functionality and design. Great. As far as doing it's intended job, I can say that for as long as I have been writing this review, I can say that my computer is nice and cool. It works just as it's supposed too. Reason I didn't just say that is I did not want someone to read, "it works!" and get it. Then have to deal with the same problems I did. Just look out for the problems and enjoy the product. I would buy from the company again, but be prepared for anything. Only other thing is I can't say it was cheap, though cheaply made. I am enjoying it though and happy to have it. It's less expensive than most. Just things to keep in mind.

I have Alienware 17 GTX 770M, and fitment is perfect. This is just what I was looking for; It is very nice and sturdy. It supports heavy gaming laptop without any problem. I have been using this 12~15hr/day everyday for the past two weeks and it seems to be operating perfectly fine. Whenever I play latest game at Ultra setting, my laptop fan goes violent and all crazy. This cooling pad decreased the GPU temperature by 3 Celsius when running at max speed(games are running at Ultra). Although this big fan and design works incredibly well, I'm not sure about the LED and wrist breeze feature. I can't even see LED light. Maybe it's because I have big 17" laptop covering all the surface. If you have 11", 13", 15.6" or something small like that, maybe you can see the light coming out from the bottom. (I personally don't care about LED since it just drains my laptop battery. I don't turn it on and it's no big deal for me). For the breeze coming out from the bottom, you would literally have to stick your hand between the two legs in order to feel it. The idea there is creative and cool, but not functional at all. Overall, I just needed something to cool my laptop since it's always on. This works astonishingly well for my needs. If you have gaming laptop and you just want to cool it down, you can never go wrong with this. P.S. I also have Cooler Master Storm QF mechanical keyboard, and their product quality is top notch. This brand is trustworthy.

So I purchased this having seen my friends NotePal X1 or X2, so I knew what I was getting. But this is much better and I am so happy that I put in a little extra money to get the X3. Now, the cooling fan for your hands is not too great. Firstly, because your hands don't really get sweaty when you are scrolling or clicking. They get sweaty when you type because your hands are pressed against the computer. Secondly, because it doesn't blow enough air. Honestly, I wouldn't even know that it blew air unless I was told it did, it is so faint that even holding my hand in front of it while the fan is on full, I can't feel a thing. But that was always just a little pointless bonus. Now, for the real point of this. The cooling of the computer. This point hits a home run. My computer doesn't get warm at all anymore. I keep the fan on high and I can't hear it at all. The LED light is pretty, but pointless due to the fact that your computer should be sitting on top of it the whole time, but it's just an aesthetic thing and a feature that you can turn off with a push of a button. For my final point, sitting it on your lap. For me, it rests perfectly. The pad itself is not uncomfortable at all, the only discomfort for me, is when the fan is on, you can feel the air movement on your lap, so depending on where you have it (if you get what I mean) it can feel like an odd vibration. But a simple readjustment and it's nothing. The pad also has foldable legs on it, but I have not had to use these yet because the pad itself has a nice angled lift to it. Overall, exactly what I wanted. I will update this review if I have anymore information.

Pros Moves a good amount of air. My temps have come down across the board while playing games like Rift, Saints Row 3 and GTA 4 which is notorious for overheating not just laptops but also desktops. With this running it doesn't just lower temps overall it also keeps my laptop from getting too hot in general. The speed control is not only really nice it works well too. The one thing that I don't like is that at max speed it has some vibration to it which you can feel through the laptop. Considering the size of the fan this isn't surprising. The plastic itself is a bare finish that scuffs up very easily but at least it's not painted so you don't have to worry about it flaking everywhere on you. Cons Design is terrible. It is super uncomfortable not only for on your lap but also in general. The edges are sharp and awkward. When I say sharp I mean pointy plastic that jab into your hand and wrist if you don't have it at the right angle. There is no padding or cushioning anywhere aside for 4 small pads on the bottom for when you have it on a desk. This does absolutely nothing for you if plan to use it on your lap. Also my laptop trackpad is further left than most laptops which are more centered in comparison to the screen and I can see that being even more uncomfortable. No laptop grip. I used to use a Targus Chill Mat which held the laptop in place extremely well (but didn't move much air). This is the complete opposite. You shouldn't have to add your own grip to a laptop pad. You should be able to have confidence that the thing you put your laptop on will at least have a little grab to it if you bump it, tilt it a little bit to one side or even just move the two together. Hand vent is gimmicky. I have a 17.3" Acer Aspire and to have the hand vent accessible I have to push the laptop back to the very edge of the pad. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but as you just read about the lack of grip on the pad itself it is an issue to not have the laptop completely centered on the pad. On top of that there is very very little air that is pushed through it. It would have been nicer to have the edge follow all the way through for support instead of having the space for the almost useless hand vent. Four little pads. The four tiny rubber pads on the bottom are not permanently attached and actually cause you issues if you try to move the fan on a hard surface like a desk or table or a soft one like a bed, pillow, carpet or sofa cushion. They immediately pop off when they encounter resistance of any kind and the real issue with that is that the top of the pad offers zero grip for your laptop. I can see where someone could easily get it snagged, have a grip pop off, go under the pad and then have the laptop slide off while all of this is going on. USB and LED. The USB/micro cable that comes with the pad to too short to plug in anywhere other than the left side of your laptop. The LED is also gimmicky and isn't visible unless you are in a completely dark room (no TV on or street lights shining in). Final thoughts If you asked me to recommend you a laptop pad I would say for the price it works well strictly as far as moving air goes but that's it and if you can wait for a newer better functioning model I would do that. The problem right now with pads that you are facing is that there are ones like this one which isn't exactly expensive and works well enough but could be improved upon in so many ways. Then there are the "higher end" pads which approach triple digits in price and not a lot of people, myself included, are willing to spend that much on a laptop pad when most of them don't get great reviews either. Grade If you asked me for a letter grade I would give it a D. Giving it a F would be too harsh for how well it works to move air but anything higher than a D might give people the illusion that it is a well designed pad, which it is not. If you look at my pros two of then have small cons to them so my grade would be more like a D minus minus but you get the point. To not rush to judgement I have used the pad for 45 days before I wrote this review. I hope my 2 cents helps you make your decision one way or the other.

First off let me begin by how beautifully designed this product was, not to mention it keeps it's inspiration of jet plans as the product itself is visually, EXTREMELY attractive and appealing. The functions of this cooling pad are simply outstanding, a button for the fan, a button for the lights, and a speed setting for the fan itself? This was simply just marvelous! (By my personal experience it was still EXTREMELY quiet on any speeds! And I mean fastest and slowest) The rubber paddings are great, big enough to keep itself stable along with the height settings included to suit your comforted needs of position. Another thing though to mention is how obviously this product could vary in terms of a model compared to the images depicted in sorts for advertisement, the product for my case had the fan rimmed with a welded big plastic ring I believe, which means the ends of the blades were covered but that gave me less worry of anything that would try to break one of the blades off, unfortunately this, I believe, denied my feature of keeping my palms cool from the front vents, but that's not much to worry since I often keep my place chilled anyway. (And due to the laptop covering the top unsurprisingly the air does though still managed to flow through, and onto my hands) I wish I could say much more to compliment this amazing product but CM has just left me speechless with this item alone, but besides that and to give a short summary for those who couldn't spend much time, aka: "tl;dr", this product is definitely WORTH the buy, not just because it has one of the biggest fans either, but just because of how great this model itself is, and worry not potential consumers, with a fine product such as this, your laptop would be kept happy, and your wallet left with no regrets.