Enermax Aeolus CP001 Notebook Cooler Review

Notebook computers tend to get hot.  Some are even considered to be “desktop replacements” because of all the advanced hardware thrown into such a small space.  With desktop systems, we have the luxury of adding large and advanced heatsinks with fancy LED fans, but laptops pretty much have to rely on the OEM cooling that the manufactuer has decided is “good enough”.

Enermax says “nay” to this philosophy and introduces the Aeolus CP001 notebook cooler, which is made from all aluminum, and has a large 250mm fan to blow a lot of air to the underside of your notebook and remain silent while doing it.  The fan is also equipped with blue LEDs to produce a nice glow in your man-cave.  Aeolus is the god of the winds, in Greek Mythology, so Enermax apparently thinks highly of this product.

Integrated slim monster fan up to 22 degrees cooling performance Wide cooling area no more hot spots on NB as with small fan cooling pad Adjusted fan speed high/low/off fan speed control 5 blue LEDs with on/off function matching your style Massive brushed aluminum highest durability and lifetime Diamond-cut edges timeless design

Full size wrist rest minimum pressure on your wrists while typing Ergonomic angle tilted angle for maximum typing comfort 4 rubber feet prevent scratches on any desk Heavy 1.3kgs won’t move while typing USB power no extra power supply needed Compatible up to 17″NB (wide screen)

The Aeolus Notebook cooler is rather attractive.  The frame is one solid piece of black anodized aluminum, and has been shaped to form a wrist rest and cooling pad.  The cooling pad is a metal mesh, which is screwed in place on the underside and allows unrestricted airflow to its large 10-bladed cooling fan.  The underside of the cooler has four large rubber feet, to help prevent slippage. The Aeolus can easily accomodate large notebooks, but anything larger than 15″ will hang off the edges slightly.

The back of the unit has a USB connector, 3-way fan speed switch, and LED switch.  The fan is powered by your laptop’s USB port via the included USB passthrough cable.  Once plugged in, the fan can be switched between High, Low, and Off.  The fan’s five blue LEDs can be toggled on with the press of the LED on/off button.

The fan is so quiet that I actually had to feel underneath the pad to make sure it was working.  There is no LED indicator that the fan is powered, so if you have the fan’s LEDs off then you may not be certain that the pad is actually cooling your laptop.  When the fan is switched into High mode, it is slightly audible, but your attached notebook is likely louder, so the pad’s fan will hardly be noticable.

So how does the unit fare in terms of cooling?  Of course, any amount of airflow should help cool the underside of the laptop, but does this translate into lowering ambient or CPU temps?  It absolutely does.  Within 10 minutes, the chipset was 20 degrees cooler, the CPU was 21 desgrees cooler, and the GPU was 10 degrees cooler.  Under load there wasn’t as big of a difference, but it does help.  The chipset was 6 degrees cooler under load, the CPU was 2 degrees cooler, and GPU was 7 degrees cooler.  The Aeolus did not appear to get warmer with use, even though it is metal.

	without cooling	with Aeolus
Chipset idle	154	134
CPU idle	136	115
GPU idle	145	135
Chipset load	145	139
CPU load	150	148
GPU load	180	173

My gripes about the back panel are that there is no power indicator, and only one USB port.  Some laptops only have two USB ports, and people are more likely to use them when sitting down for a while… which is the assumption of someone who would use a laptop cooler.  Laptop coolers that are powered by USB should have at least one additional USB port… period.  The cooling pad has no adjustable angle, which some users may look for.

On the plus side, this cooling pad has a very large cooling surface.  Some pads we’ve tested have limited cooling areas, which is making an assumption about which part of the laptop gets hot.  A large area like this ensures that all parts of your computer’s underbelly gets airflow.  Another great plus about this cooling pad is its attractive finish and excellent feel.  The Aeolus has the same great sturdy feel as the Enermax Aurora keyboard (reviewed here), which gives you a longer wrist rest.

	REPORT CARD : Enermax Aeolus CP001 Aluminum Notebook Cooler category rating comments Quality 5 Great construction with diamond-cut edges and great finish.  Very sturdy Innovation 3 Controls should have a power LED and additional USB port at a minimum. Performance 4 Helps cool your laptop and is extremely silent. Installation 4 Plop your laptop down and the lip keeps it in place.  You have to plug up USB and do a reach-around maneuver Value 3 Not cheap at nearly $40, but better quality. FINAL VERDICT:4 out of 5 stars