Zalman ZM-NC1000 Review
The Zalman ZM-NC1000 is an ultra quiet notebook cooler. The ZM-NC1000 is Zalman’s first notebook cooler after a huge line of other quiet pc cooling components.
I have used other notebook coolers in the past, such as Vantec’s LapCool3, and have never been too impressed by them, especially their build quality, with cheap creeky plastic and fragile build.
From the very first instant the ZM-NC1000 was impressive, both to look at and hold. I chose the silver style to match my laptop, it is also available in black.
The ZM-NC1000 is very solid and conducts heat well, we can tell this as the cooler is cold to touch. As well as looking smart and well designed it is very sturdy and secure, holding the notebook at a very comfortable angle to type on, with large rubber pads.
The ZM-NC1000 is powered by a single USB port providing 5 volts for the two fans, with a power button with LED to turn it on and off. This is a nice feature, enabling the user to leave the cooler plugged in but off when the notebook is suspended which we like to do often. There is also a spare USB port on the cooler, so you can plug in another USB device without the cooler taking up any.
As well as a power button, there is as a dial to control the speed of the fans, from 1,100 - 1,500 rpm and 18.0 - 25.5 dBA noise. There is a marker in the middle of the dial to indicate the center position. When the cooler is on minimum it is extremely hard to notice that it is even on, the center position is a little louder but still very comfortable. The maximum speed increases the volume quiet some what, but it is still much quieter than my laptop’s internal fan.
The ZM-NC1000 notebook cooler does a very good job of keeping my laptop cool. I tend to run mine somewhere between the minimum and the middle speed, which is quiet and stops my loud internal fan turning on at all (If the cooler is not used, the internal fan will be on almost all of the time). The cooler stays cool to touch even after many hours of use, and also keeps the bottom of the laptop cool to touch, which would get normally very hot, leading to heat rising up through the notebook and to the touch pad.
I would rate the ZM-NC1000 10 out of 10. It is very solid and well built, great design and features, plus it does it’s job very well, it keeps the notebook cool and does it very quietly.