Akasa Gemini Notebook Cooler review

9 January 2008 11:00 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

If you own a desktop replacement notebook, it's likely that when you're using it for long periods of time, you'll find the casing grows warm, if not hot, to the touch. The addition of a cooling stand can often make this disappear.

A cooling stand may seem little superfluous but we found this latest version from Akasa helped keep our long running test machine cool. Designed to be large enough to fit a machine with a screen up to 17 inches but if you’ve a larger notebook than this, you’ll find it will balance satisfactorily.

The twin fans run at 1200rpm and are powered by your notebook using a cable connected via a USB cable. We were impressed with how quietly the fans ran, as they hardly perceptible over the hum of our test notebook.

There is an additional USB port for connecting peripherals but as this isn't a host device, you won't be able to run anything too powerful, such as an external hard drive, through it but it's ideal for having an external mouse attached.

Weighing 600g, this white plastic tray has ridged fins that help draw the air underneath your machine. So, even if you don't make the most of the attached fans you'll still find your notebook cooling down.

Verdict

The Akasa Gemini Notebook Cooler is a great improvement over the previous version the company had. It looks good, it runs quiet and most important of all, and it keeps your notebook running cooler for longer.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Akasa
Price as reviewed: £18
The good: Cool design (no pun intended), near-silent fans
The bad: Could be sturdier
Quick verdict: It's a neat design and the addition of an extra USB port makes it even more versatile – possibly the best cooler we've seen to date
Score