Cooler Master NotePal X3 - Laptop Cooling Pad with 200mm Blue LED Fan

I intially ordered a 6 fan laptop cooler that had way more reviews than this one, many more positive reviews as well, for my HP Spectre Folio (3 years old, horrible overheating issues, already tried cleaning). I then came to realize that many of the reviews appeared to be fake. When I received that product, one of the fans started making a grinding sound after about 1 hour and one of the red LEDs stopped working. So, yeah, I returned that piece of junk.I then spent more time than is healthy trying to find a laptop fan that wasn't just "cool" looking and would actually make a difference. So, I started scouring the internet for this important measurement: CFM. The rated CFM for this fan from the manufacturers website is 76.5 maximum (has variable speed knob). That CFM rating is one of the highest I could find in this price range after all my research, though there were laptop fans released 7/8+ years ago that were higher.Another reason why I settled on this one is b/c I've owned the CoolerMaster X-Slim for about 4/5 years now and the fan on it still works flawlessly, even after I would purposefully abuse it sometimes (force stopping the fan, etc.). That models CFM rating is 70 CFM and I don't like how the USB plug is built-in to it. The wire on mine started to short, so the fan was becoming unreliable unless I jiggled the wire quite a bit.Back to the product I'm actually reviewing...Pros:1.) High CFM for price (76.5)2.) Doesn't have an annoying built-in cord, meaning I can swap out cords as they become old, then just plug them in like any other USB device3.) Variable speed knob4.) The LED light is cool, though I don't use it.5.) Extra USB slot for another device6.) IMPORTANT: I've watched countless review videos of people holding paper over their fan to see if the airflow would move it. This one's airflow DOES lift paper, so it will actually have a use beyond just being a cool looking paperweight with an LED. I tested this with notebook paper, toilet paper, and a paper towel. All three were lifted by the airflow.Cons:1.) The front fan vent that "keeps your hands dry" is more for looks than anything. When I place paper over it, it actually seems like it's pulling air in, not blowing it out. It's a non-issue for me, and I guess that technically, any air movement would keep one's hands dry.2.) Would be amazing if they added a 2nd open USB slot to add two additional devices3.) I would have preferred USB-C instead of micro-USB. Again, not much of an issue me for me.I hope this review was helpful for everyone frustrated over the junk and marketing for most of these laptop "cooling" fans, most of which do absolutely nothing at all, or breakdown prematurely.

I purchased this cooler for my 15-inch Macbook Pro. If you're not a macbook owner, then you should know they get extremely hot due to a lack of a proper cooling feature.Performance: I figured the NotePal X3 would be the best cooler out there for my Mac. The fan is huge and hits the entire bottom of my Mac evenly to somewhat cooldown the surface temp. (My computer relies on it's aluminum casing to "wick" heat.) Put simply, heat wicking alone doesn't work at high performance levels. The X3 helps as much as it possibly could considering my laptop's poor design. The fan can only speed up to 850 rpm +/- 15%. The breeze you get definitely isn't akin to a leaf blower...but I figure it's okay. All in all, this would work much better with a laptop that has a cooling design of pulling IN air through bottom vents and OUT the back.Build Quality: The X3 is constructed of lightweight, sorta "cheap" feeling plastic. Seems durable enough though. Just don't drop it. The top is a metal mesh that's perfectly flat. It relies on your computer's rubber feet to sit it up off the cooler and let the heat get out and/or...blow it into the computer's intake vents. (no rubber supports on the X3 itself) Since my mac's "feet" only sit it millimeters up off the surface, the former doesn't work too well either. (no intake vents on mac) The X3 also features sturdy rubber feet to keep it steady on whatever (flat) surface you put it on. These are on the flip-up feet to prop it at an angle as well. Once again, seems sturdy enough. Says it fits up to 17" laptops. I put my mom's 17" computer on it and it only went over both edges of the X3 by a half inch or so. Therefore, it would seem like it's suitable for cooling a wider area such as that. Go any larger with your laptop though and it'll look like you're trying to balance a book on a baseball.Noise: At top speed, the fan gives off 23 db (according to box). It's not exactly white noise...it's a little different. There's a lower "rumble" to it. At first I thought something was wrong, but things seem fine. I suppose it's the large blades whipping the air. That's good right?Other features: Lights...okay cool feature. I don't ever really see them unless I'm gaming in near darkness. It's really just an "ooo" factor for your friends.USB Port: Yes it has a low power USB on the side by the fan speed dial labeled "USB Out". It powers my wireless mouse. Given that the Macbook only has 2 USB ports, this was a win for me. It won't power anything like a webcam though...stuff like that requires more juice.All in all, I give it 5 stars if I were using it with a PC laptop with proper cooling design. However, for my use, It'll have to suffice for 4 stars. But that's not it's fault. Go Cooler Master.