Vizo Ninja II notebook cooler review



Testing
All tests were done with a Dell Inspiron 6000, this is a 15.4" widescreen notebook. My notebook fits well on the Ninja II and I'm pretty sure that the Ninja II is big enough to handle 17" notebooks.



To test the performance of this cooler I measured the idle and load temperatures of the Inspiron 6000. I first tested the notebook without any additional cooling and then I compared these results against the Ninja II and the Jetart CoolStand 2. All temperatures were taken with Speedfan. Idle temperatures are taken after letting the notebook rest for about 20 minutes in Windows XP and load temperatures were taken after performing three PCMark05 benchmark cycles. For each test, I also measure the ambient temperatures so we can make a fair comparison between the coolers.

Here are the specifications of the test system:

Dell Inspiron 6000
  • Intel Pentium M 750 (1.86GHz) processor
  • ATI Mobility Radeon X300 128MB
  • 1GB DDR2 533MHz memory
  • 100GB 5400RPM HDD
  • First the idle results:



    The CPU temperature remains the same but the Ninja II managed to cool the memory and GPU 1°C better than the CoolStand 2. The HDD even stays at 29°C, which is 4°C less hot. Compared to the temperatures I recorded when the notebook wasn't cooled by a notebook cooler the differences are a bit bigger. The CPU temp dropped 2°C, the GPU 3°C, memory 2°C, and HDD 5°C.



    While the idle temperatures are always interesting to know the thing we really care about are the temperatures under heavy load. In this test, the CoolStand 2 outperforms the Vizo Ninja 2 but the difference is very insignificant and could in part be related to the slightly higher ambient temperature. The HDD benefits most from the Ninja 2, its temperature drops by 8°C. The CPU temperature dropped only 3°C but memory and GPU temps dropped 6°C and 5°C, respectively.

    Another advantage of a notebook cooler is that it makes it more bearable to use a notebook in your lap. If you've ever used a notebook for a long time on your lap you've probably already noticed that these machines can get uncomfortably hot but with a notebook cooler this isn't the case. However, as the fans of the Ninja II aren't fully protected you should be careful that your clothes (or other objects) don't get stuck between the fan blades.

    Noise test
    Besides the temperatures I also take a look at the noise levels with my AR824 decibelmeter. These readings were taken at a distance from 30cm with an ambient noise level of about 35.6dBA.



    In idle the noise level is the lowest without a cooler but the Vizo Ninja 2 is fairly quiet and its fan increases the noise level by only 0.2dBA. However, while the Ninja II fan is fairly quiet according to the decibelmeter I did notice that it produced a distinct whirring sound. Fortunately, the fans can be easily shut off with the power switch - this will reduce the noise level and cut power consumption.

    In the load test, the Vizo Ninja 2 is the least noisy solution. Without cooling the notebook's cooling ramps up to 46dBA, with the CoolStand 2 to 42.9dBA, and with the Ninja 2 the noise level didn't top 40.8dBA during our benchmarking test. During the load test I didn't hear the whirring sound from the Ninja 2's fans, as the notebook's internal fan gets louder the whirring sound blends in.

    Conclusion
    The Vizo Ninja II does a decent job at keeping your notebook cool, under load this cooler managed to decrease the temperature of the notebook's hardware by three to eight degrees Celsius. The biggest disadvantage of this product is the whirring noise made by the fans, this is quite noticeable in idle but blends in as your notebook's fan ramps up. Perhaps Vizo should have used two big 120mm fans on this cooler, this could improve the cooling performance and may also result in less noise.

    The Good Stuff
    - Good performance
    - Lowers the noise under load
    - Big enough for large notebooks
    - Fans can be shut off with power switch
    - Has a passthrough USB connector


    The Bad Stuff
    - Fans aren't fully protected
    - Fans make a whirring sound

    I give the Vizo Ninja II notebook cooler a 8.25/10.

    Added: January 15th 2008
    Product reviewed: Vizo Ninja II notebook cooler
    Reviewer: Thomas De Maesschalck
    Score: 8.25/10
    Page: 3/3



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    About the Author

    Thomas De Maesschalck

    Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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