For some of my earlier reviews, I looked at laptop coolers and notebook stands. As a MacBook Pro user, I am always in search of ways of keeping my laptop running cooler. Today, I will be looking at the Ninja II Notebook Cooler from the folks at Vizo.
The Ninja II is the latest version of Vizos notebook cooler line of products. While the original Ninja was designed for 8 to 15 laptops, the next version fits 15-17 large-size widescreen notebook PCs.
Lets get started..
Review: Vizo Ninja II (Sumo Size) Laptop Cooler
Reviewed by: Tomas Ratas
Sponsor: Vizo
You can check out our earlier review of the original Ninja HERE.
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
NCL-211
Ninja II ( Sumo Size )
15" ~ 17" Notebook Cooler
NOISELESS HEAT KILLER
DESCRIPTION
For many notebook PC users, the overheating unit is an ongoing point of frustration and worry. Often times they are hard at work while their notebook literally is on fire.
VIZO notebook cooler, NINJA II, is aimed at your 15~17 large-size widescreen notebook PC and designed to draw a continual flow of cool air across the computer’s hottest surface, plus, the aluminum housing offers the best heat conduction. NINJA II can kill the unit’s temperature in a flash. NINJA II works at low dBA level as cat walking. NOISELESS HEAT KILLER, NINJA II, is the best guard for your 15~17 large-size widescreen notebook PC.
FEATURES
For 15~17 Large-size Widescreen Notebook PC
Reduce the temperature of your notebook PC for best performance
Aluminum housing for best thermal heat dissipation
Dual fans provide the maximum airflow and air pressure
Low dBA level
Powered by USB, no adapter necessary
Ergonomic designed angle for easy typing
Easy to install
SPECIFICATIONS
Housing Dimensions : 400mm x 300mm x 40mm
Housing Material : Aluminum
USB BUS Power : 5V / 500mA
DC Fan Dimensions : 70 x 70 x 15 ( 2 PCS )
Bearing Type : Sleeve Bearing
Speed : 2000 RPM
Noise Level : 20 dBA
Max Air flow : 13.72( Min:11.22 )CFM
Rated Voltage : DC 5 V
Rated Current : 0.24 ( Max:0.34 ) A x 2
Compatibility : 8" ~ 17" notebook PC
Weight : 1250 g
SYSTEM REQUIREMENT
N/A
PACKAGE INCLUDES
Notebook Cooler
USB Bus Power Cable
{mospagebreak title=A Better Look at things}
A Better Look at Things
:
While the original Ninja was Silver and came in a black box, the Ninja II for review is black and comes in a white box with a plastic handle. It should be noted that the Vizo website does advertise the Ninja II in the silver version, also.
The front of the box features a picture of the Ninja II and lists the features on the bottom portion of the front.
The back of the box features the Specifications of the Notebook Cooler, along with a product description and a full list of features.
Upon opening the box, the Ninja II is safely nestled between two pieces of Styrofoam. Underneath the cooler, one will find the USB Bus Power Cable. There are no instructions, but it does not take a Rocket Scientist to figure out how to use it.
The Ninja II is composed of aluminum, thus acting as a massive heat sink which will dissipate heat away from your laptop.
A Better Look at Things
Continued:
The finish is a matte black, with the Ninja logo in the center of the cooler just underneath the vents.
A Vizo logo resides in the top right corner. Through the cooling grill, two 70mm fans with the Vizo logo can be seen. This layout should seem familiar to those who have used the original Ninja.
The Ninja II measures 40 cm x 30 cm by 4 cm and weighs 1.25 kg. Flipping over the Ninja II reveals two 70mm fans spaced about 10 cm apart. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the Ninja II lacks a full fan guard. So watch your fingers when picking up this cooler.
The back edge features the power switch and the USB power connector. The bottom surface has four rubber feet to keep the Ninja II from sliding on the work surface.
Structurally, the Vizo Ninja II is composed of a centimeter thick aluminum. It weighs a little over two pounds, so it is lighter than any laptop that will reside on it, yet can support a lot of weight. The angle of the Ninja II allows good airflow underneath the cooler and also keeps the laptop at a comfortable working angle.
The USB cable is approximately 19 inches in length and has a USB input adapter at the end of the USB plug, which keeps one from losing a USB port on their PC.
Installation, Testing and Comparison
The Ninja II requires the USB port to be plugged into the laptop and the I/O plugged into the rear of the cooler.
Now as an owner of a MacBook Pro, I am used to a silent laptop, so I was quite surprised when I could barley hear the Ninja II while it was running.
For testing, I ran the program that stresses out my MacBook Pro to its max Parallels Desktop for Mac, which runs a virtual Windows Environment on the Mac. To really pump up the stress, I played an encoded AVI in Parallels and a Quicktime Movie on the Native OS X Desktop. To measure temperature, I ran the CoreDuo Temp Program.
Without the Ninja, and my MacBook Pro just sitting on the desk my temps were:
Idle: 64C
Load: 78C
Using the Ninja II with the fans on, the MacBook Pros temperatures were:
Idle: 58C
Load: 73C
This is a nice improvement and will spare my MacBook Pro from some unnecessary heat.
The angle of the Ninja II is comfortable for typing and some of this review was done while using this very notebook cooler.
However, there are some drawbacks with the Ninja II. It is heavier than other notebook coolers and more difficult to carry around due to the non-retractable stand. The second issue is that the black surface seems to be a magnet for finger prints.
I realize the stand is usually covered by the laptop, but I still prefer to have clean looking peripherals. Finally, since this cooler plugs into the laptops USB, there will be a price to pay in terms of battery performance.
Summary:
The Ninja II from Vizo is a great product. Silent like, well, errrr, a ninja, this cooler does a great job of keeping the heat away from your laptop. In addition, the Ninja II is well constructed and seems like it could deal with lots of wear and tear and come out unscathed. Between the cooling performance and the silent operation, the Ninja II works as advertised.
DragonSteelMods gives the Vizo Ninja II Laptop Cooler a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.
Pros:
-Keeps the laptop cool
-Quality Construction
-Fantastic Appearance
-Silent Operation
Cons:
-Fan guards would be great
-Draws power from the battery via USB
I would like to thank Vizo for the chance to review the Ninja II and for their support of DSM.
review#309