In recent years CoolerMaster has focused on expanding its product line to also include gaming specific and portable oriented products. Generally, they have been tight lipped about many of their latest releases but we have recently found out that they will be rejuvenating part of their notebook cooler line at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in a couple months.

For now we got a hold of their latest cooler, the Notepal E1 which was released back in August. With new materials and a fresh face we will be examining the E1 to see what else is new and how it may be the first shift in CoolerMaster lineup of notebook coolers.

Specifications

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A Closer Look

From the box the product appears to be your run of the mill CoolerMaster product. In no way do we mean this negatively. What we mean is that CoolerMaster products tend to come in a white box with purple accents and basic information about the product, and that is true in this case as well. Inside the box sits the E1 along with a USB to USB cable and nothing more. There are no instructions included neither in form of a pamphlet or printed on the box. Yet, this is not a concern in our opinion. The product is straight forward and for most users should not require any instructions. Simply plug and play.

Once we pulled the Notepal E1 out of the box we realized how different this cooler really was and how great it looks. For quite a while now CoolerMaster has used similar materials in some of their coolers such as the X series and it was these materials which led to previous criticism. Although the materials were not necessarily unacceptable, there were points that could have been improved upon. They have demonstrated willingness to do so with the Notepal E1.

One of the points that could have been improved upon in the case of the Notepal X1 and 2 is the mesh material. Although rather firm its appearance was not the most satisfying, especially since the small holes and glossy paintjob led to a semi-slippery surface. With the E1 the grill material has been revamped. This time CoolerMaster has used a thicker grill with no flex and features larger holes than those of the X series preventing notebooks from sliding off as easily.

As for the actual design and shape of the cooler, it is near perfect blend between sleek styling and gamers’ appeal. It is based on sharp edges and obtuse angles that create large faces (flat surfaces) which gives the cooler an aggressive touch that also accentuates its futuristic appearance.

The size of the cooler surface is aligned with the fan size but widened to support the modern wide screen notebooks. We tested the cooler with a 15.4” notebook and, as you have and will see in the images throughout this review, the notebook fits very comfortably. Basically, any notebook up to 15.6” or even 16” should fit great on the cooler.

The matte black plastic that constructs the body of the cooler is ridged and, when lifted with a notebook, the cooler holds shape with ease. The plastic is not of the greatest quality like the one commonly used for high-end peripherals, but for $25 the quality of plastic used seems rather generous. As for the feet of the cooler, it is similar to many other coolers: it features four rubber feat and a pair of prop up feet in the back. As normal as this sounds CoolerMaster actually did upgrade the feet. As the image below displays, the feet are not a simple U shaped foot like on the X2. Basically, CoolerMaster added an extra support which immensely strengthens the feet when in use. Even the rubber feet have been updated, they are lower profile and provide better grip in most circumstances.

Moving to the rear of the cooler, there are two USB 2.0 ports and a power button. This is where we saw how much effort CoolerMaster actually put into this cooler. Both USB ports and the power button are angled the same as the rest of the cooler. This is not something we expected out of a budget cooler and it is great to see them put that extra effort into it. One of the two ports is used to power the cooler while the other can be used for lower power devices such as an external keyboard. Besides, the power button itself has a better feel than that of previous Notepal coolers. It is not as deep, it is not loose and it has a solid feel to it like much for the rest of the cooler. Overall the aesthetic design has added a new yet familiar look to the CoolerMaster lineup.

The cooling system itself follows a recent trend that has been increasing in the market: the single fan design. CoolerMaster has been developing such coolers since the release of the Notepal Infinite and carried it on to other lines such as the X Series. The advantages of such fan style is that it provides ample airflow at a lower sound level. On the Notepal E1 the intake is on the base and it blows air out the top using a 230mm fan. Additionally, a neat little feature they included are the vents at the front. Not only do these vents accent the cooler’s already appealing design but they also provide a stream of cool air flow towards the user and are great for those long gaming or study sessions.

The airflow out of the surface of the cooler is smooth and constant in the areas in which the fan is laid out. As for noise levels, the E1 is not exactly quiet but the noise levels are acceptable and can be ignored as it is only one fan. All that one hears is a monotonous “whoosh and hum” noise which is easier to ignore than the same noise created by two fans. We would recommend users to turn on the cooler whenever need b, such as when the system is under load rather than running it constantly if you are in an office environment.

One point about the fan and cooler itself is that it does not feature any LED lights. In our opinion it was a good call by CoolerMaster not to include them, as it keeps the cooler’s appearance mature and avoids distractions.

The only concern that we found with the fan and essentially the cooler is its power draw. If we had another peripheral with a higher power draw, for example an external hard drive, the E1 would shut off. This is insofar not a major issue as it can happen with other coolers as well; nonetheless, it is something to be aware of.

Cooling Performance

When we were set to benchmark the E1 we expected it to perform average and hoped for better.  Fortunately the latter came true as the E1 did fairly well.  The idle performance led to drops up to 10C with a minimum drop of 7 which was pretty impressive.  It should be enough to keep the temperatures of most notebooks low enough to avoid the fan from turning on.

As for the cooler’s performance under load we saw similar drops but with a higher average drop over the components.

In the end for the price range and it being a a universal cooler (will work with almost any notebook equally), it’s performance was good.

Conclusion

If the CoolerMaster Notepal E1 is any indication of CoolerMaster’s future notebook cooler line than they are headed in the right direction. Although it may not be the best cooler on the market, the updates provided to the E1 are plentiful and make it a top cooler in its class by setting a new benchmark for the $25 notebook cooler range.  With its only drawback being the noise level, it is effective, looks great, built out of decent materials and is priced right; for those reasons we have awarded the CoolerMaster Notepal E1 our Editor’s Choice Award.