I’ve reviewed my fair share of notebook coolers and stands in the past, so you could say that I know a thing or two about what is currently available on the market. In reviewing these different coolers, I inevitably come across a gripe or two that I will have about each one. An aluminum stand, for example, may not have any slots cut into it and as a result, the vents on your laptop are blocked. Not good. On the other hand, I’ve also seen some decent powered solution, but they are made of some awfully cheap plastic.
It’s almost as if the developers at NZXT went through all of my previous notebook cooler reviews to see what I thought of them, because the Cryo LX addresses many of the issues that I have had with other products. You may better know NZXT as a company that produces power supplies and desktop computer cases, but they’re starting to expand into other realms as well. Based on my experience with the NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler, this is a good move on their part.
Key Features
Before we proceed, let’s have a look at the official spec sheet for the NZXT Cryo LX aluminum notebook cooler.
- Built with thick aluminum with sturdy construction
- Brushed aluminum finish
- Rubber finish lifts the notebook up to allow less heat pockets and better airflow
- Cools your notebook with three adjustable large 120mm fans
- Four USB ports for your media, storage, and input devices
- Ability to power devices such as external hard drives.
- Folding design for easy storage and transportation
- Support for power notebooks with 15″, 17″ and 19″ wide screens
- Dimensions (W x D): 16.6″ x 11.6″
Indeed, big and beefy is an understatement. The NZXT Cryo is definitely LX, or rather XL!
What’s In The Box?
The NZXT CryoLX comes with not very much. Inside the box, you’ll find the notebook cooler itself, along with two cables. The first is used to provide DC power to the cooler via your notebook’s USB port, whereas the second provides connectivity for the integrated four-port USB hub. There is no instruction manual, but if you can’t figure out the two cables, you’re pretty much a hopeless cause.
Big Black Aluminum with Rubber Grips
The first thing that you’ll notice about the Cryo LX is that this is one big honking thing! When I place my Dell Inspiron 640m (14.1-inch widescreen) on the notebook cooler, there is about two inches of extra space in every direction. That’s because the Cryo LX has been designed to accommodate laptops as large as 19-inches. You can tell that NZXT has serious power users in mind with this product and it really shows.
The build quality is absolutely exceptional. They didn’t go with cheap plastic or a thin sheet of aluminum. Instead, the entire Cryo LX is made of very thick aluminum and it has high quality rubber grips on the surface for holding your notebook in place. This rubber also ensures that the base of your laptop is slightly elevated from the surface. The black brushed aluminum (it’s also available in silver) looks great and feels very strong.
The bottom third of the Cryo LX can be folded away for ease of storage, and you simply flip this portion out when you’re ready to use your laptop. There is no locking mechanism, so it can be a little frustrating if you’re trying to set up the cooler using one hand. The large size prevents the Cryo LX from being a good candidate for portability.
Three Large 120mm Fans with Adjustable Speeds
There’s not just one fan. There aren’t just two fans. NZXT has decided to include a trio of 120mm fans in the Cryo LX notebook cooler. Some people may think that this is overkill, but it does provide for some rather even cooling. Each of the fans has been enclosed in an aluminum grating to prevent the chopping of children’s fingers. This is one detail that is missing from many of its direct competitors.
Along the right side of the Cryo LX is a small dial that can be used to adjust the fan speed. The difference between the lowest and highest setting is quite substantial, but even at the lowest setting, the fans can be quite noisy. This is not for the feint of heart. It’s also unfortunate that the dial cannot be used to turn the fans off altogether. This would have been a nice inclusion.
Four-Port USB Hub
Because it is a powered solution, the NZXT Cryo LX does require some source of juice to get those fans going. Around the back of the cooler are a series of ports. One of these is marked as DC and there is an included cable that will connect this to an available USB port on your laptop. To the left of this is another USB port. This, again, is connected to your laptop using a second available USB port.
The second connection is so that you can make use of the generic four-port USB hub built into the Cryo LX. Because the cooler already takes up two ports on your laptop, it’s only fair that they give you a few back in return. This hub can then be used for any of peripherals, flash drives, or anything else that needs a USB connection to your computer.
Cooling Performance
All this is well and good, but how does the NZXT actually perform when it comes to keeping your notebook nice and cool? Quite well. It should be noted that while your natural inclination is to center your notebook on the Cryo LX, this may or may not be the best configuration for you. Try to line up any exhaust or intake vents with the fans for optimal performance.
The above information is in degrees Celsius and was measured on a Dell Inspiron 640m (T5300 Core 2 Duo, 80GB HDD, 2GB RAM) using minimal resources. CPU usage at the time the measure was taken was at about 2-3%. As you can see, there was minimal effect on the hard drive and temperature sensor, but there was substantial cooling experienced by both cores of the processor.
Again, experimentation with the placement of the CryoLX may be necessary as depending on where the vents are on your laptop, you may get better (or poorer) performance.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
There are a lot of notebook coolers on the market and this segment will continue to grow as more people choose to either abandon their desktops or supplement their computing with a laptop. Keeping your notebook cool is important because it can improve performance and extend the longevity of the components like the CPU and hard drive. Having either crap out on the road is just not an option for most people.
NZXT has done a terrific job with the Cryo LX. I love the thick aluminum construction and the trio of fans with speed control. The four-port USB hub is an added bonus as most coolers simply rob you of an extra port, while the cooling performance is reasonably good. The two things that would deter me from making the purchase, however, are the price and the fact that the Cryo LX is quite big and heavy. It’s best suited for use in the home rather than on the road. It’s also unfortunate that you need a flat surface to use the Cryo LX, and there is no way you’re putting this on your lap despite the fan guards on the backside.
In the end, the NZXT Cryo LX notebook cooler comes well recommended for any power users looking for an effective cooling solution for their notebooks. I just hope they don’t mind the noise because silent it is not.
Pros
- Exceptional build quality with thick aluminum construction
- Adjustable speeds for three fans
- Four-port USB hub is handy
- Perfect ergonomic angle for keyboard typing
- Reasonably effective laptop cooling performance
Cons
- One of the more expensive notebook coolers on the market ($75)
- Fans are loud even at lowest speed
- Too large and impractical for actual portable use
- No locking mechanism for fold-out section
- No switch to turn fans off completely
Overall Rating: 8.5/10.0
Help Us Improve Our Reviews By Leaving a Comment Below!