Introducing the Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad
What can I say about fans? We’ve been using them all our lives, so much so that we take them for granted. They’re used in so many places, so many applications that we often overlook them. So how does this relate to a laptop cooling pad review? Stick around, you’re about to find out.
It’s Summer here in North America. Many of us wake up with a ceiling or floor fan cooling us down in the house. Ignoring you bicycle riders out there, we drive to work in our cars, cars which use 1-2 engine cooling fans. We arrive at our workplace, where the air-conditioning employs the use of cooling fans. At said office, we perform our daily tasks on our desktop computers which use no less than 2 cooling fans. And all this takes place before lunch. We can skip the afternoon and evening as they continue on this track.
Now think about this for a moment. Without adequate cooling, none of these devices would function for very long. And we can count this time in minutes on 1 or 2 hands.
This brings me to the following thought. Your desktop computer uses many fans to keep everything functioning. Yet your laptop may only use one, or none in most cases. So why should you expect your laptop to function as advertised when there are so many horror stories out there involving overheating? The answer is You Shouldn’t. Hence the need for proper laptop cooling.
A Bit of Research
While conducting research on laptop cooling pads, I noticed two things:
- There was a shortage of written reviews.
- There was an abundance of video (YouTube) videos.
To my surprise, Enermax is not widely known for its laptop cooling pads/products. After searching under the phrase “Laptop Cooling Pads” on Newegg, Enermax appeared only 3X in the Top 50 listed products. This is quite unusual as they’re well known for their cases and power supplies, both of which heavily rely on cooling fans. If there’s one brand out there that knows cooling, it’s Enermax.
Within this Top 50 search, the high majority of cooling pads listed are poorly constructed, cheap, and flimsy. This is one reason for their low pricing, typically in the $20-30 range. If you’re in the market for a cooling pad, it is highly suggested to get one that is well-constructed and durable. Having owned 3 cooling pads over the past decade, take it from me. Firsthand experience will show you the need for this type of product, and a well-constructed one at that.
Features, Specifications & Pros/Cons
There’s plenty to like about the Aeolus cooling pad, and little to dislike. The biggest benefit is that proper cooling extends the life of your product.
The Pros are as follows:
- The Enermax Aeolus is the most durable, well-constructed cooling pad on the market today.
- There’s smart cable management on the upper two feet. All 4 feet (edges) are non-slip rubber.
- There’s an extending USB port
- A moveable magnetic 4-color, 4-pattern (Sparkle, All-On, Flash, & Off) super-quiet LED fan. With this moveable fan, you can target the cooling more effectively.
- The pad has a wide cooling area capable of handling 17″ laptops.
The Cons are as follows:
- I would have preferred a 200 mm fan over the 180 mm fan provided.
- Offering feet (edges) in a variety of colors would have been preferential. The colors Blue and Purple come to mind. Red has a tendency to stand out.
- Portability–see the section titled Traveling.
Technical Specifications:
- Compatibility: 17″ Notebook (Laptop)
- Material: Aluminum + Metal Mesh
- Color: Black
- Fan Size: 180 x 180 x 20 mm
- Fan Speed: 900 rpm ± 150 rpm
- Fan Noise: 18 dBa
- Power Source: USB Bus Power +5V
- USB Port: USB 2.0 x 1 (For Power Input)
- Cable Length: 500 mm
- LED Color: 4-Color (Blue, Red, Green, & White)
- LED Modes: 4
- Dimensions: 464 x 386 x 59 mm
- Weight: 2.3 kg (5 lbs)
- Product warranty for the Aeolus Vegas CP007 pad is 1 year.
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My History with Laptop Cooling Pads
A decade ago, I purchased an HP laptop for my dad. On any given day, the laptop would just shut down after 1-2 hours use. On warmer days, the laptop lasted even less. At first I didn’t know the cause of the problem. After a bit of research, I came up with a solution, and an inexpensive one at that. How did I resolve this problem? Well, I purchased my first laptop cooler. Problem solved.
A handful of years later I purchased a second laptop, this time a Toshiba, for my mom. I’ll give you one guess as to what happened next. The very same problem with overheating and shutdown occurred. How did I resolve the problem this time? Well, I purchased my second laptop cooler. Problem solved.
If you’ve done any research on this topic, then you’ve probably come across numerous articles on laptop overheating. A quick Google search under the phrase “Dell laptop overheating” yields thousands of results. I mention Dell because 5-6 years ago, I had one of their laptops cook on my thighs. At that moment, I knew exactly how an egg or a pancake felt. Would you pour hot coffee on your own lap? I think not. You may have even seen the video of a Sony VAIO laptop whose battery caught fire during a work conference. Just imagine that starting on your lap.
So here’s my professional advice. If you or your company have purchased a pricey laptop, then I highly recommend you invest in a reputable laptop cooling pad. You’ve spent good money on the laptop. Now go spend a little more to cool its engines. And as I mentioned a couple of times already, do yourself a favor and get a well-constructed one.
If you’re a DJ, a heavy gamer, an architect or a designer, you already know what I’m talking about. Nothing is more frustrating than your laptop overheating, shutting down and losing your data.
BTW, both of my laptops mentioned above work to this day, although the batteries are pretty much shot.
Traveling with a Laptop Cooling Pad
I’ve been scratching my head over this one. Is the Aeolus cooling pad too big to take on a business trip? If you’ve actually seen/held the pad, then your immediate answer would be Yes. But the truth is, the answer is a bit more complicated than this. Let me provide two examples and discuss the challenges:
- Let’s say you’re taking a trip by air (or maybe rail–Amtrak still runs) for a few days or less. Typically, the suitcase you bring is a carry-on. Finding room for the pad, or maybe even fitting it into a carry-on will be a problem. Likely outcome–you leave the cooling pad behind.
- Let’s say you’re taking a trip by air (or maybe by car) and your length of stay is a week, or longer. The suitcase you bring may be quite large. Now there’s no space restriction in the luggage. If you came by car, your car’s trunk is like an ocean–there’s ample room. Likely outcome–you bring the cooling pad with you.
There’s also the matter of how long you’ll use your laptop for, and under what conditions. It’s these types of concerns, some minor, some not, that you should think about before you travel with/without a cooling pad.
[envira-gallery id=”3225″]Where to find the Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad
The Aeolus cooling pad is available for sale at a variety of websites, many of which are on the Enermax website. My advice is to look no further than Newegg and/or Tiger Direct. The price of the Aeolus cooler is $50. While some of you may think this is a bit pricey for a laptop cooler, I would say think again. Remember all that talk about construction and durability?
Should you happen to be at a large gaming convention like PAX East, then you can see the Aeolus cooling pad firsthand. Plus, you’ll have the chance to speak with one of their product specialists. A win-win in my book. If you would like more product information, please visit the Enermax website.
Final Notes
I’d like to thank the management at the Microsoft Store in Burlington, MA. They allowed me to use their largest laptops with the Aeolus cooling pad for review purposes. This way, you’re able to see photographic proof of how current product fits with the laptop cooling pad. The employees I interacted with were blown away with the Aeolus. It’s too bad that Microsoft Store doesn’t sell any laptop cooling pads. I bet they could sell plenty.
For those of you wondering if this laptop cooling pad was named after the sidekick in the Hercules TV series from 20 years ago, I have the following two responses: 1) Excellent memory, and 2) It was not. That characters name was Iolaus, not Aeolus. I bring this up because this question was actually asked to yours truly and I wanted to dispel any myths.
All photos are the property of Beantown LLC.
FTC Disclosure: A press sample of the Aeolus laptop cooling pad was provided to Beantown LLC for the purpose of this review. The sample in no way affected the authenticity of the review.
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