cm Storm SF-17 - Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad with 180 mm Fan and 4 Ergonomic Height Settings

Disappointed on the speed of fan much lagging for its price and name-STORM ?, and the laptop slides past the small hurdles at bottom if the pad heights are raised. I use large jump clips to prevent sliding at the cost of the keyboard getting obstructed.

Just what you'd expect from CM. Great product. Cools well and is nice and sturdy.

The USB wire provided with CM Storm, is not working properly.

My Review score is based on.1. Cooling2. Stand FunctionalityPreliminaries. Note that I did not give a score for this part. I am only providing this information for prospective purchasers.This one did not come with a separate power adapter. But it will power from a USB cable connected to a USB Hub or a USB port on your device. I use it connected to a USB 2.0 port on my USB hub to preserve my USB 3.0 ports on my laptop and the hub.. From what I have learned in from the reviews for this product, the earlier models came with a separate power supply. There is a micro-USB port for an optional separate power supply that is labeled 5V for 5 Volts on the right side. But, the label on the package indicates there is no separate power supply included. You can purchase a separate power supply but it works fine by connecting the included USB 2.0 cable. After connecting by USB cable to your device or hub, the 4 USB 2.0 ports on the right side will become available. Also, on the right side is a button switch to turn off/on the red LED lights on the lower front of the stand and a dial for selecting the fan speed, 700 rpm to 1200 rpm 180 mm fan. The dial can be used to turn off the fan and it makes a click sound when turned fully off or turned on when fully off. The fan noise is minimal but increases with very slightly higher rpm. You will not hear it with headphones on and it is my subjective opinion that you can watch video without headphones without disturbance even when the fan is at high speed.Here is my System:HP Envy 17t Touch Model K200.17.3" HD Native MonitorCore i7 5500U with Intel HD Graphics 5500NVIDIA GTX850M with 4GB RAM. - There is no temperature readout in CUPID for the GPU. C16GB DDR3 1600MHz RAMUsing CPUID HW Monitor1. CoolingThe test is performed under approximately 50% CPU load running Netflix streaming, Amazon Instant Video streaming and Cyberlink Power Media Player 12 Blu Ray and two Chome tabs on two HD Displays.There is no temperature readout in CPUID for the NVIDIA GPU. Note that the SF-17 cooling improvement at CPU usage below 25% are unnoticeable. It may be much better at CPU usages over 50%. And, there is no system fan interaction during this test, According to CPUID the system fan ran at 0 rpm throughout the test. Again, I only tested at 50% CPU usage and lower usages but there was imperceptible temperature improvement below 25% CPU usage.CPU Temperatures Fan Off for 10 Minutes - Range Min 70 Degrees Centigrade to Max 79 Degrees CentigradeCPU Temperatures Fan On Full Speed 10 Minutes - Range Min 66 Degrees Centigrade Max 72 Degrees CentigradeOn the min temperature the improvement is 4 Degrees Centigrade - 7.2 Degrees FahrenheitOn the max temperature the improvement is 7 Degrees Centigrade - 12.6 Degrees FahrenheitThere are several vent holes on the bottom of my laptop. The bottom of the laptop is slightly warm to the touch without the SF-17 on and cool to the touch with the SF-17 fan on full speed. Part of the improvement may be through convection and not entirely from airflow. There is no interaction between the SF-17 fan and the System fan. CPUID indicates the System fan speed to be zero throughout the test.2. Stand FunctionalityFirst, the bottom of my laptop tapers upward smooth upward. So the fold out retention tabs on the front of the stand surface are not as useful at steeper stand settings for my laptop. The fan has rubber pads that span the full length of the left and right hand sides of the stand surface. These are bout 2" wide and help retain my laptop. On the front of the stand surface there is a 5" wide 1" wide rubber pad that helps retain my laptop. On the rear of the stand surface there is a 4" by 2" rubber pad that helps retain my laptop. There four stand settings, 0 through 3. 0 is with the stand catch folded completely down. 3 is with the stand fully extended upward. At stand positions 2, 3, my laptop is easily dislodged from the stand surface. I have the stand set at level 1. I do not have a huge gripe about the laptop retention at 2 and 3 because at level 1, my laptop screen matches my preferred external monitor height.Conclusion:1. Cooling - Moderate, Satisfactory 3 Stars2. Stand Functionality - Moderate, Satisfactory for my purposes.Future Update: I have some CPU load testing software but I am working on tuning the options so that it does not lock up CPUID during the tests. I need CPUID to gather temperature readings. I will update this post.UPDATE: I found some system stress test software. I downloaded HeavyLoad from JAM software.These are the test settings:1: CPU - Use all 4 Cores. My CPU has 2 Cores but it shows up as Cores - one for each thread.2. Thread Priority - Normal. Otherwise the system will lock up and CPUID will not display ttemperatures.3. Memory - Free Memory 8,000 MB. Intensity max MB/s.4. Test File for Disk Drives: 50,000 MB. Test file write speed - 160 MB/s - max wrrite speed for my drive is 210 MB/s.5. Misc: End test after 10 minutes.Results:1: 10 Minute Stress test with fan on maximum speed: Max Temperature 70 degrees Centigrade - CPU temperature2. 10 Minute Stress test with fan off. Max Temperature 78 degrees Centigrade - CPU temperature3. 10 Minute Stress test with fan on maximum speed: Max Temperature 70 - Overall System Temperature3. 10 Minute Stress test with fan off: Max Temperature 75 - Overall System TemperatureTo convert to Fahrenheit, multiply the max temp differences by 9/5.CPU temperature improvement with fan on in Fahrenheit = 14.4 degrees FahrenheitSystem temperature improvement with fan on in Fahrenheit = 9 degrees FahrenheitConclusion - Moderate Temperature Improvement. Your mileage may vary. My guess is that it will be better with fan vents on the bottom of the laptop that draw air from the bottom up. I have yet have my system fans run despite a great deal of high load usage. So, although there are a great number of vents on the bottom of my laptop, I have no idea as to whether they draw air inward or vent air outward. There is a large vent on the left side of my laptop and I am guessing it is for outward flow by the design and it seems logical that it would be an exhaust vent since heat rises from the bottom of the laptop to the top of the laptop.

Now this may sound odd for someone that returned the product, but I really liked it. I took one star off, only because I think the description should be a little more clear. I have a 15.4" laptop. When I saw this cooler show up in my search for one, I thought the fact that the description says that it is compatible for laptops "up to" 17", implied that it would be compatible with sizes beneath 17" as well. Now, technically, sure, it operated, but my laptop slid off of the cooler, even at the lowest possible height. That is due to where the rubbery material is on the cooler, that keeps your laptop secure from sliding off. The two vertical strips, one on each side of the metal screen, are that rubbery material. It is spaced far too widely for a 15.4" laptop. My laptop's feet wouldn't even sit level, let alone both sides not touching those areas.Now, I have to say, I REALLY, really was impressed with this cooler.. and I felt so bummed to have to send it back. Even though it wouldn't work for my laptop, I almost hesitated to send it back. I really was that impressed. I thought the build was solid, sturdy, and really effective. It is a large pad.. much larger than any cooling pad I've ever owned., so that might take some getting used to if you've always used slimmer models. It is definitely not terribly portable. It does have a great handle for easy carrying, but I don't know about fitting this puppy into any laptop bag. It is also a little weighty for that. The fan is QUIET. All the way up, it is QUIET. I had to check to make sure I turned the thing on. The LED light does have an on/off button.. and I actually like the LED. It is very subtle. not at all distracting.I searched high and low.. researching laptop coolers for 6 solid months. Despite the fact that my old cooler died in June, and it's now November, I let it go far longer than I'd wanted. It is ridiculous that it's damned near impossible to find even one or two laptop coolers that you know, will work on your ACTUAL LAP. Why? Seriously.. why the h*ll is that?? That is the only way I use my laptop.. and it's on my lap for about 14 hours a day. I took a chance on this one, reasoning that since you can raise the surface at a tilt, so that air can easily move beneath it, even while on your lap, it would work for me. On that, I was right. The base is just as sturdy and solid as the rest of it, so you can put it on your lap without having to worry about some flimsy little frame getting broken somehow because of where you positioned it. I should mention that I use my laptop, on top of a long stuffed animal that sits on my lap... so it wouldn't be digging into my lap anywhere. Hey, don't judge, man. It creates the perfect surface to rest my laptop on. I also like that the fan blows cool air towards you. I'm always hot.. and having a laptop on me doesn't help. So. In the end, I sent this laptop cooler back, because it wouldn't do my laptop any good while sliding off of it.. and I intended on ordering the 15.6".. or 15.4", whatever it is. I am a loyal customer. When you hook me, and have great customer service, lots of choices, great prices, and great shipping, I don't stray. Unfortunately, Amazon was out of the smaller model. There were two individual sellers, and they had no reviews, and charged 18 or 19 bucks to ship. No thank you. So I wound up ordering elsewhere. :-( If you have a 17" laptop and are looking for a sturdy cooler, I highly recommend this one. If you have an average sized/smaller laptop, get the smaller model when available through Amazon.

I searched the Web in vein trying to find useful information on the SF-17, but only found a video about unboxing it. Who needs a video about unboxing? After reading a boat-load of reviews on laptop cooling pads, including the SF-19, although not impressed; I decided to take a chance and order the SF-17.For me, Prime isn't an option, and I always opt for free shipping. I have learned to be patient. Shipped from Houston, the unit arrived sooner than advertised via Prime. I didn't need a video to unbox it. First impression was favorable until powered up. The unit ships with a 26.5 inch USB cable and draws power from the attached PC. The unit can be powered from a 5v DC wall adapter, but is not included. Power up the PC and the red LED light strip indicates power is being supplied to the SF-17. Initially, the fan is off. Rotating the Step less fan speed dial, with an audible click, turns the fan on. Initially the fan is at its slowest speed, and as the dial is rotated the speed increases.Now here is the rub: When turned to the max position the fan stopped. Turning the speed control down, the fan started up again. Clearly we had a problem and we hadn't even set it up to do what it was purchased for. Already, this SF-17 had dropped from 5 stars to one. After patiently adjusting the speed control dial to obtain the max fan speed achievable, I set the unit up for a burn-in. The fan completely failed in less than 24 hours.Contacting Cooler Master for support has been fruitless. Five days after receiving an automated conformation, I am still awaiting a reply from Cooler Master. Fortunately, I also contacted Amazon for a replacement, which is being delivered today. Part two forthcoming . . .Part two: 24 hours later . . .Like the first SF-17, the second arrived sooner than expected. Wasting no time, I powered it up via one of the USB ports of my Qosmio X505-Q893. Rotating the Step Less Fan Speed Dial brought the SF-17 to life. Reaching the max setting didn't kill the fan, so far so good. As expected the superfluous foobar (red LED strip) lit without a problem. The adjustment from min to max of the fan speed is miniscule. Fortunately, the amount of noise produced on the highest setting is not objectionable, and no further adjustment is necessary.After completing the initial inspection, I mounted the Qosmio X505 and got down to the business of testing the performance of the SF-17. Testing was accomplished using two software programs: Core Temp to monitor temperatures, and Si Software Sandra to stress components and produce abnormal temperatures. Depending upon what is being processed, a computer's temperature will vary wildly. My benchmark is based on the highest temperature produced without and with the SF-17 respectively.Without the SF-17, using Si Software Sandra's CPU benchmarks, the highest temperature reached was 174 degrees Fahrenheit. After allowing the computer to cool down, the SF-17 was powered up and the same benchmarks run. With the SF-17, the highest temp produced was 169 degrees Fahrenheit. Repeating the test produced comparable results. After a twenty-four hour burn-in, the SF-17 is still functioning, only time will tell if it is capable of the long haul.After completing the test I received a message from Cooler Master's support. The message didn't address my concerns and asked me to verify what was already stated in my communiqué to them. Needless to say, I was not impressed with Cooler Master's late response. On a scale of one to ten: Amazon ten . . . Cooler Master zero for customer service.My only concern now is that of cleaning the SF-17. Fans and dust are bedfellows. The SF-17 doesn't come apart easily, and cleaning will be a challenge. Had I received this unit initially, I would have rated the product with four stars, but my experience with the first unit only allows me to upgrade my one star rating to three.At this time, I would recommend this product with the following caution: Don't depend on Cooler Master for support. Be prepared to send the unit back to Amazon for a replacement, or a refund. Quality control is an issue that needs to be addressed by Cooler Master. The first unit I received shouldn't have been allowed to leave the production line.

This product does work well in keeping my Xidax XM-10 cool.Pros:-Sturdy. Does not feel cheap.-Helps keep Xidax XM-10 very cool, even overclocking and the highest settings.-Light Looks Nice-Very Quiet. So quiet in fact that if the light was manually turned off on the panel, I probably would not remember to turn it off.-Has very large range of settings for the height of the fan. I am not entirely sure of the practicality of using anything but the lowest height setting, unless it is used separately like a Desktop running to a monitor and wireless keyboard. But if that is the case, why buy a laptop?Cons:-Did not come with an AC power supply. Came with a USB A to Mini B to power it. Not sure if it was expected of me to use my laptops power supply to power it. Luckily though there is 2 power inputs on the device. An A to Mini B as well as a port to receive a cell phone charger ( like a Samsung i537). And it just so happens that it is the same voltage and amps. So if you have a spare phone charger you are set.-Really bulky. Not very portable.-The extra USB ports on the side aren't very practical. There is not enough available power to use all of them at the same time.-Creates a high profile. At the very front edge and at the lowest height setting, my laptop is just over 3 inches from the desk. Not that big of a deal with a good tall chair though

I bought this cooling pad for my laptop about a month ago, so it has been thoroughly tested. I don't do much gaming on my laptop. However, I do use the graphics components and the CPU in my laptop a heavy lot for 3D animation, photography, and visual effects compositing. With that said, this cooler does work in terms of reducing temperature on the laptop and internal components by about 3~5 degrees C while on heavy and prolonged use.One caveat I found from this cooler is that at a minimal fan speed setting, the fan produces a screech-like sound that does not go away even after it being on for a long period of time. This sound will go away as soon as the speed dial is turned to at least approximately 1/4 or 1/3 of the full speed. This is a bit of a nuisance since sometimes I'm not doing anything rigorous on my laptop to need full power, as the temperatures do not throttle and are perfectly normal but I would still like to keep the fans running not only to prevent dust accumulation(my laptop isn't on the move too often), but also to keep the temperatures at the coolest, even when idling, to hopefully prolong it's life time to the max.At first, I thought the screeching sound meant it was a defective unit, so I order a replacement only to find out that both units were like this(I did compare them side to side, and also tried different power cables, for each). Also, I did read extensive reviewing before purchasing this, and watched many video reviews. None of them made a claim such as mine. I debated sending it back yet again, but preferred to just keep the pad since I don't quite mind fan noise past half it's full power and also because the pad doesn't make that much of a huge difference at max power, so I doubt it can make much of a difference at minimum power, even at idle. So when I'm not doing anything power-hungry on the laptop, I just turn the pad off instead.I still think it should be able to be on at minimum speed and keep the noise at a minimum, as opposed to being the loudest at minimum speed, hence the 2 stars. I may have received 2 defective units, but I find the odds for that hard to believe.