Zalman ZM-NC3500 Plus Notebook Cooler Review

Congratulations on making it to the conclusion, if you’ve skipped any pages out then you may have missed some useful information – so we encourage you to go back and read those. To start off with we want to discuss this product as a whole, price aside. The cooling performance of the Zalman ZM-NC3500 Plus is very good, it does very well to keep the average notebook around 5 degrees cooler without much noise at all. The fixed placement of the fan could be a nuisance for those who would like it further to the left or wherever the cooling is most needed. However, the large size means good airflow is provided all over the cooling stand anyway.

The audio of the Zalman ZM-NC3500 Plus is refreshingly good. It provides a significantly better experience than both notebooks we tested on it. The sound is high quality not tinny or weak like most notebooks. The 4 port USB hub is also nice for those users who have lots of USB storage drives, peripherals and other devices. The whole aesthetic of the product is very nice too, the design is sleek and classic.

If we were just rating the product alone then it would be easy to give this a award. However, we aren’t. We have to assess whether this product offers you, the consumer, good value for money for what it is. Given the average notebook cooler costs £20-£30 and provides a smaller cooling fan and a 2 USB port hub, you’d expect this notebook cooler to be a bit more expensive given the fact it provides more USB ports, a larger fan and integrated high quality speakers. Personally, when I saw the £55 price tag (price correct at time of writing) I was quite disappointed. I’d say £40-45 is the price I think this product is “worth”, maybe £50 at a push as there aren’t many alternative notebook coolers with audio. The fact Zalman also expect you to buy a 5v adapter separately (model name Zalman ZM-AD100) can add another £10 to the cost should you find you need the extra power for your USB devices. This brings the total cost to £65 – just too much.

Zalman have really served a market segment that has yet to be served. The product concept is great, the product is great and the average user will be delighted at the opportunity of making their notebook run cooler, provide much better audio and allow for more connectivity. Yet at a price tag of £55 Zalman are some way off the ball. I’d definitely recommend picking up this product if you can get it for £45 or less, but at £55 – I’d say you’re still better off buying a notebook cooler and getting a decent pair of 2.0 or 2.1 desktop speakers for the equivalent price. However, if you need a convenient all in one solution that is a lot more portable and you’re willing to pay the premium – then this could be for you.