At its lowest setting, the cooler introduces 21 dBA of noise, which is practically inaudible in an average room. At full setting, the cooler is slightly audible at 23 dBA, which is surely quieter than a typical laptop’s fan. Although it is very quiet, the ZM-NC1500 is slightly louder than the Enermax Aeolus.
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Regardless of my preconceived notions about the cooler’s position, it appears to cool just as well as the Enermax Aeolus. Zalman appears to produce just as much airflow as its competitors, although it uses two smaller fans compared to Enermax’s large 250mm fan.
We like that you don’t “lose” a USB port when using this cooler, but it would have been nice if a permanent or retractable cable were attached. It is very light since it is mostly plastic, but because of that it doesn’t feel as sturdy as an all-metal cool. Its light weight may tempt you to take this cooler with you to the library, but its permanently-extended feet may make snag in your laptop bag.
Overall there is a lot to like about this cooler, you just have to decide which features are important to you. The Zalman ZM-NC1500 Ultra-Quiet Notebook Cooler does have great performance, accomodates today’s large notebooks, and is practically silent.
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