Date: April 14th, 2010
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Titan
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PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
Titan calls this a “3 in one” cooling pad and the first option uses the fan module and retractable USB cable to cool the laptop from below, as well as give it a bit of a tilt for more ergonomic keyboarding. The fan module is equipped with a USB port, green activity LED and an on/off switch. Connecting the cable between the laptop and the fan supplies power to the fans but due to the limited USB ports on many laptops, I would like to see a USB hub feature here.
The cooling pad can be used in conjunction with the fan module on a desk or table, or by itself for using it on your lap. It folds in half and two steel clips (green arrows) slide across the hinge to give the pad more rigidity and the fold-out lugs (red arrows) interface with the fan module to form a single unit. Buttons on the side of the fan module release it from the pad for storage and portability. While the pad has a thin aluminum veneer, it's basically a plastic platform and doesn't appear to be very sturdy, even with the metal clips deployed.
As you can see in the above graphic, the G9T can be used with the fan module alone, or in conjunction with the plastic/aluminum pad on a desk or table. The pad can be used by itself to protect one's thighs from uncomfortable laptop heat.
PRODUCT TESTING
The G9T is just about the right size for 14- to 15-inch notebook computers, and netbooks would also be right at home here. Larger machines will obviously fit on the G9T as well, and any airflow under any size notebook is always welcome.
The fans are essentially silent, and any ambient noise at all will likely make the fan noise indiscernible. The G9T works as advertised and was sturdy enough when used on a desk.
Cooling performance was pretty good. Using a laser temperature probe, the bottom of the notebook measured 32C during load conditions with the fan off. With the fan on, the temperature dropped and stayed consistent at 28C. A 4C drop in load temperatures is fairly significant and shows that Titan's G9T can have a beneficail effect on notebook temps. I also found the angle of the cooler, when used with the fan module in place, to be perfect for typing; much better than trying to use a notebook computer on a flat surface.
