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Review: Cooler Master ErgoStand II

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What do you look for in a product? Looks? Functionality? Feel? I am happy to say that the Cooler Master ErgoStand II seems to deliver on all these fronts. I have tried this for about two weeks, and so far it has been very good.

So, what is it?

The ErgoStand II, after the success of Ergo Stand (the first), is an ergonomic stand for your laptop, which not only includes a fan to cool your laptop even further, but it also packs in a 4 way USB hub, as well as some blue LEDs to tell you when it is on. And, oh yeah, the fan speed is also variable.

Look and feel

While you probably won’t be carrying this around much, it looks beautiful on your desk, is made of beautifully designed metal, with just the right amount of detail in there to keep you interested. It is also light enough to be moved around quite easily.

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The stand:

First and foremost, this is a stand. It can be kept in a horizontal position, or at five different angles of tilt. Little folding tabs allow you to make sure that your laptop doesn’t really slip off when it is on it. This is a good feature since I have found laptops do slip off, despite the rubberised feet.

I found it works quite good at the lowest angle of tilt, but this would vary for different people.

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The USB Hub/Fan Control

At the back of the stand is a 4 port USB hub, a speed control for fan, a button to turn the fan on and off, and a blue LED to indicate whether the power is on or off. Also, there is a port to plug in a micro-USB cable in. This is in case you have a phone charger (Android/Blackberry/Windows Phone) lying around not doing anything, and would like to plug it in to the back to run the fan and provide power to the USB hub. I haven’t actually tried plugging both my computer’s USB in as well as a charger in the unit, but I imagine (hope) that both will be isolated, and hence will not cause any damage.

[pullquote]It provides a good drop in temperature, gives you a great stand, and packs in a USB hub![/pullquote]

In my current mode, I actually plug in the USB cable that comes with the stand into my computer, and use the other 4 hubs on the stand to plug in my mouse, keyboard, and USB sticks. It works exactly as you would expect, and the fact that it packs it in to this stand is quite good.

The fan power and speed control is a great idea, as you may or may not want to adjust it. Personally I have had it running on full speed, and haven’t really played around. The option is good, but I am not sure if many would like it to run at a slower speed.

The LED strip

At the front of the stand is an LED strip that turns on when the fan is on, which is a handy feature, as you don’t really want to peek at the back. However, the fan can easily be heard when running on full speed, and the LED is handy but not necessary.

The Fan

The unit packs in a ‘silent’ 140mm fan. The word silent needs to take in account the measurement of the fan. Thing is that most fans this size are quite noisy. This fan, however, isn’t. It, though, isn’t absolutely silent either. You can hear it, though I have found it is a lot softer than my laptop’s fans, so it is definitely at an advantage there. And this is where the fan speed control comes in handy, where you can slow it down, which will lower the fan sound.

So, now that we know about this, how well does it cool?

I have mentioned this in my previous reviews as well, but I have attached a thermometer on the vents of my laptop, and that is where I measure the temperature from. Using this stand has given me an average temperature of 40-45 degrees C, compared to the 60 degrees it hits without the stand. A good drop in temperature, and the best part is that it means my laptop’s fans don’t have to work hard to keep it cool. A bit like having a bumper to take the hit instead of the rest of the car.

I like it, where do I get it from?

You will be able to buy this from Cooler Master’s website at the following link:

http://www.coolermaster-mobile.com/notebook/notepal-ergostand-ii/

More information:

More information, pictures, and specifications for this can be had here:

http://www.coolermaster.com/product/Detail/mobile/notepal-series/notepal-ergostand-ii.html

Verdict:

This stand is a one unit does all, solution, and definitely hits the spot when it comes to that. It comes with a definite recommendation for any office or home environment. The stand is great, the fan is good, and the USB hub is just the touch you need!

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