TITAN Serina

Introduction

How many of you own laptops? I sure do. Laptops are so popular and powerful these days that OEM companies are providing “desktop replacements”. These are so powerful in performance that it trounces my gaming system! How sad is that? The downside to that is the bulkiness and weight. These “desktop replacements” are not ideal for computing on the go. For enthusiasts who want something much more portable, there are thin notebooks that measure within an inch of thickness. Laptops are getting crazier by the minute. I have a fairly thin notebook and it suits me quite well, allowing me to bring my work with me wherever I go. Unfortunately, thin notebooks also have a downside. They get rather hot. My CPU fan has three speed settings–low, medium, and high. It always runs on high no matter what task I am doing. The CPU heatsink is small so the fan needs to spin at maximum speeds, which in return, emits quite an annoying sound.

TITAN has been a long time cooling maker, providing good cooling solutions for all your needs. This time they bring us the Serina, a cooling product dedicated for your toasty laptops. Since it does not actually connect to the hot parts of your laptop, will it really help?

TITAN Serina

TITAN seems to be naming each one of their new products after a girl. It sounds nice and the box does look pretty.

Included in the Serina package is the laptop cooler, power cord, and USB 2.0 adapter. There is no instructions manual, but that is not needed. Operating the Serina is straightforward. If you don’t know how to use it, you need to seek some help.

The Serina is designed to be rise at an angle. This angled elevation provides easier typing on your laptop, depending on your seating position. There are three small 60mm fans inside for air circulation. It sucks the air from the top and exhausts it through the back end of the Serina. On the left side of the Serina is the all-in-one card reader for your flash memory. It supports CF/MD, SD/MMC, MS/MSpro, and xD/SM. On the right side is the ON/OFF switch as well as the three additional USB headers.

Specifications

Although the noise level specified is rather low at less than 26 dBA, it was still fairly audible when turned on. With the low setting, there is a hum that you can hear and “feel”. With the high setting, the fan produces a low pitch whine. The noise is not unbearable, but silent enthusiasts might be a little disappointed.

Conclusion and Thoughts

Some of you might be surprised that there were no testing results provided. That is because it is hard to test such a cooling product. TITAN states that they tested the Serina’s cooling performance with a temperature probe attached at the bottom of the laptop. I could have easily duplicated the testing method and you’ll definitely see a performance boost. The reason why is because the Serina will suck the air at the bottom of the laptop and cause air to flow around the temperature probe, resulting in a cooler environment. Then how is the Serina beneficial to toasty laptops? Simple. As I mentioned earlier about my loud laptop CPU fan running at full speed, with the Serina placed below, the fan is nowhere near full speed anymore. The fan still spins and produces some noise, but it is not annoying anymore. It toned down quite a bit. My laptop keys and palm rest are not warm anymore either. They are cool to the touch. That is definitely a major improvement for my laptop. The additional USB headers and the memory card readers are a nice touch on top of the cooling aid. The only downside I really see from this product would be portability. Traveling with it would be like carrying another laptop with you. Overall, this is more of a personal choice rather than a necessity. I found it to be pretty useful. It is going to sit below my laptop from now on.

We would like to thank TITAN for providing us the sample. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit us up in the forums. You can also check out more of our latest reviews on the front page.