In Use (continued):

The images below show a couple of other laptops placed on the Choiix C-HL01-WS. The below left image shows that a 17" widescreen laptop will also work just fine on this cooler, while the below right image shows that due to the opening in the middle that smaller notebooks (a 7" netbook in this case) may not work. The ASUS EEE PC 4G 701 looks like a toddler being potty trained that isn't quite ready for the big kid's toilet.



Conclusion:

The Choiix C-HL01-WS Air-Through laptop cooling pad definitely earns style points as one of the cleanest looking laptop coolers I have used. The look is distinctly Mac inspired, although it will obviously work with other brands of appropriately sized laptops.

During testing, the temperatures of the processor, graphics card, and hard drive were all lowered thanks to the use of the cooler, although none of the improvements were extreme. Other positives include an integrated 4-port USB hub and a pair of 60mm fans that can be turned off with a push of a button. Unfortunately, there is no other fan speed control and the noise created by the two fans was just too much for me to consider using for an extended period. While the unit is rather lightweight, it is far too large to truly consider portable, so I wouldn't recommend this to people that wanted a cooler to that can slip into their laptop's bag.

Searching the Internet finds that places like Buy.com and Newegg.com carry Choiix products, and presently the C-HL01-WS can be had for about $35 (US). With tax and the most basic shipping available at Newegg.com, I would be looking at about $49 total to buy one of these. While it is stylish and has some nice features, that seems a bit much. If you happen to want a cooler to match your Mac or other similarly themed notebook computer the price might be more appealing, but perhaps only if you could tame the noise a bit.

Pros:

» Dropped CPU, GPU, and HDD temperatures by about 4-6 degrees Celsius
» Attractive styling... Intended to match Mac notebooks
» Creates comfortable typing angle
» Lightweight

Cons:

» Fans are too loud
» No fan speed controller
» Too big to really be considered portable