To test the effectiveness of the cooling provided by the Evercool FIT I will be testing with my HP notebook using Everest Ultimate to monitor temperatures and Prime95 to load the CPU.

HP Compaq 6715b Notebook
Processor AMD Turion 64 X2 (2 GHz Dual-Core)
Memory 2048MB DDR2
HDD 30GB OCZ Vertex SSD
Screen 15.4” WSXGA TFT

At idle the notebook was left for 1 hour before temperatures for Motherboard and CPU were measured and recorded from Everest.
At load Prime95 was left to run for 1 hour before the same readings were taken as for the idle temps.

Results







As can be seen the temperatures with the Evercool FIT are at best a couple of degrees better than without it, whether at idle or under load. The FIT is designed to work in tandem with the existing cooling and hence there will be variations between idle and load (as there will between different notebooks) based on the cooling profiles of the inbuilt fans etc. In the case of my notebook as shown in the results above if we look only at the motherboard temps then it can clearly be seen that when idle the additional exhaust capability of the FIT does play a part, but when under load the internal fan ramps up to full speed and it then clearly becomes the defining factor in this case – it appears to simply overpower the FIT! The CPU temps show a similar drop at idle and under load when the FIT is used, suggesting that here at least the FIT is providing some additional cooling.

When running the Evercool FIT has no visible indication but unfortunately that\'s not really needed anyway as you can quite clearly hear the fan running – it\'s not overbearingly loud by any means, I would say it is about the same as my notebook\'s internal fan when that is running on full, but that is the problem – the FIT is that loud when the internal fan is merely idling... it\'s always that loud!

Conclusion

Whilst it is obvious that the Evercool FIT has contributed some additional cooling to my notebook I would have to question the benefit of losing only a few degrees at best for the hassle of carrying (and using) additional cooling around with me – however small and light it might be! Perhaps my notebook is a particularly hot running one? Perhaps the average traveller who this device is really aimed at would have a smaller, lower powered notebook? Personally I\'m not so sure. Given the claims to be compatible with notebooks from 9” to 18” I think my 15” dual-core should sit squarely in the middle of Evercool\'s target market. Whatever the reason, in my tests the Evercool FIT seemed to lack some of the expected performance.

It does nonetheless have many redeeming features – it is uniquely configurable and for such a small device to be able to adapt to such a huge range of notebooks and still to reduce temps, even if just by a degree or two is no mean feat! It is very small and light, and is also extremely inexpensive and so should be considered for tucking away in any travellers laptop bag. And on that thought, perhaps it\'s performance would fare better when used in warmer climes than it has done here at the tail end of an uncharacteristically long and cold British winter! (Ok boss, you can send me abroad to test it if you insist!)

The Evercool FIT is a deserving winner of Vortez Hardware\'s Bronze Award!