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There is no doubting that the CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 Laptop Cooler is a mega performer. The airflow intensity is crazy at the highest settings, ensuring that even the hottest running machines will be getting supported across the full width of the chassis design.
As a design showcase, the SF-19 certainly stands out in a crowded marketplace. Angular edges and rubberised grips pollute the circumference, offering a radical appearance and delivering high levels of system stability. It certainly felt as if it was designed to work with the Alienware M17x R3, which we have currently sitting in our labs.
While the review has been extremely positive so far, there are a few points I would like to address before coming to a close. There are several ways that Cooler Master could actually improve the product further. My main gripe is the fairly high level of noise from the fans. Performance could be kept at the same level, but noise reduced, if they incorporated a large 200-220mm fan. This could spin much slower, but generate similar levels of airflow to the 2 x 140mm fans installed. I also noticed that there is a small amount of air turbulence, due to the fans pushing air against each other on the adjoining axis, this further raises noise levels, particularly when set to high speeds.
The inclusion of a power adapter is unavoidable, these fans will not get enough power from a USB port, however this may be seen as a negative for some people interested in a purchase. Obviously 2 x 140mm fans would suck a laptop battery dry very quickly, but in a mobile environment, the SF-19 can really only be used as a support platform, rather than a dedicated cooler. For a desktop replacement machine this won't be a problem however as they are only really meant to be moved around a home environment.
Pricing for the product is set at $80 in the US, with no stores in the UK currently with stock. A simple conversion to pounds sterling indicates a £55 price point, although with high levels of VAT, this will assuredly be higher. This is a lot of money for a laptop cooler and certainly at the higher end of the spectrum. That said, if you own a £2,000+ laptop, it would make for a very worthy investment. When all is considered, its a fantastic product, but there are limitations right now which mean it will only target a niche, strictly performance related audience.
KitGuru says: A very high performing cooling, but it is not portable, requires a lot of power via the adaptor and can generate fairly high levels of noise.
Update: Just before going live, we have been informed by Cooler Master that the UK price will be in the region of £85 when it is released next month. If we get any more updates on UK pricing we will update this page.
Dear lord, thats insanely big !
Very nice engineering work from Cooler Master, but its far too expensive.
It looks as if Dell made it for their alienware laptop range !
Firstly, this is brilliant,. it is about time some company turned the boring concept of laptop coolers on its head with a performance design capable of cooling hot running hardware.
The only negative is the price? why is it going to be 85 quid in the UK and its 80 dollars in the US? thats 50 pounds ! almost a 90% mark up there
I get annoyed with the UK pricing at times. I was looking at this product today elsewhere and thought, great UK pricing should be 55 quid. but its 85 quid. No thanks. I want one for my XPS, but im not paying the price for a new battery just for something to help cool it.
Looks good, but very expensive for a cooler. Maybe if id spent 3 k on my laptop I might be more willing to spend it, but 400 quid is enough for me on a laptop
Quality product from CM, but I dont think this will suit many laptops. looks great with alienware, but my HP would look terrible on it.
I’m in the market for a high-end laptop, and Alienware is on the shortlist. Fan noise is significant, but is there a “net” benefit? i.e.: does the additional cooling keep the laptop’s fans from spinning up louder? Presumably it will vary from laptop to laptop, but how does it fare for the new Alienware?
the problem is i can’t find in in the uk anymore ,and amazon.com doesn’t ship it to uk