The CM USNA 95 Slim Laptop Power Adapter
If you’ve been a notebook user for many years you have likely lost, damaged or had a wire go bad on the original power adapter that came with your notebook.
Think about it for a second. When you pack up your laptop you usually just toss in the power brick and don’t give much thought to it.
Most people take good care of their notebook, but that power adapter gets dropped kicked around and abused more than it likely should.
If your power brick fails you are stuck buying an OEM replacement or you can look into getting a universal power adapter.
A universal power adapter opens the door to new designs, form factors and features, so they make an ideal choice when it comes to the replacement or back-up for your original notebook adapter.
Today, we are taking a look at a brand new ultra slim notebook power adapter from Cooler Master called the USNA 95.
This is not a cheap generic power brick. This power adapter was designed by Choiix for Cooler Master and it was designed from the get go to be small, but powerful.
In fact, Cooler Master informed us that the USNA95 is the world’s smallest 95 Watt (has a peak power output rated at 150W) power adapter! The Cooler Master USNA 95 measures in at just 4.1″x2.4″x0.7″ or 104mm x 62mm x17mm, so compare that to the power brick you are using now and you might be shocked.
Not only is the Cooler Master USNA 95 notebook power adapter small, it also has a USB port on it that can charge USB devices such as mobile and smart phones, an MP3 player, iPod, PDA, GPS and more.
This is a big deal for frequent travelers as you wouldn’t have to take the wall charger for your cell phone and music players.
You will still need to bring the USB charger or data connect cable with you, but that takes up less space and weighs less than a regular wall charger.
The Cooler Master USNA 95 has an MSRP of $79.99 and comes with the laptop adapter, cable clip, base that holds 9 tips, a power cord, the user manual, a DC cable and a storage bag.
This is a fairly robust bundle and appears to have everything that one would expect to come with a universal laptop power brick.
A Closer Look At The CM USNA 95
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
Cooler Master includes nine tips that you can use to power your notebook. Each of the nine tips features a different style or dimension that covers a wide variety of notebook models.
Cooler Master includes a ‘tip application’ chart in the user’s guide for the USNA 95 so you don’t have to fiddle around too much to find the right one.
The tips come in a plastic base that has a rubber insert in it that holds the tips firmly in place.
This is a nice touch as I’ve seen other power adapters just put all the tips in a bag or in a holder where they easily come off and get lost.
As we mentioned in the introduction the Cooler Master USNA 95 ultra slim notebook power adapter is rated at 95 Watts with a peak load rating of 150 Watts.
The full model number for this charger is RP-095-USNA-A1 and the specifications for this model number can be seen below.
Taking a closer look at one of the ends on the USNA 95 we can see where the wall power adapter plugs in to this two prong header. Cooler Master told us that there are not one, but two Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) controllers in the USNA 95 power adapter.
One of the PWM’s is for Power Factor Circuit (PFC) design due to the requirements of Energy Star, and the other is the main PWM controller which is the driver of AC/DC circuit.
So what does this mean? Well, Cooler Master says this power adapter is 90% efficient, which would place it in the top level of the energy star rating scale (level V).
The efficiency requirement for level V is 87%. Most universal power adapters are rated at Energy Star Level IV, so that means the Cooler Master USNA 95 should be pretty efficient.
The more efficient product means you can save money (power) at the same time, which is always a good thing.
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
On the other end of the USNA 95 is the DC cable plug that runs to your notebook and the USB header for charging a wide variety of mobile devices.
The USB charger in the USNA 95 slim power adapter charges at 1A, which means it is able to charge your USB devices up to 30% faster than typical USB 2.0 jacks on a PC.
Sure your notebook has USB ports on it that you can use to charge your mobile devices, but if your notebook goes to sleep those ports turn off.
With the USNA 95 you’ll be able to charge your USB devices faster and independent of your notebook, which is nice as it is one less thing to worry about.
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
The Cooler Master USNA 95 also has an LED light that glows green after plugging in the AC power cord into the outlet.
When the light is green it means that the USNA 95 is operating properly.
When the adapter is charging a device through the USB port, the LED light will turn red.
Testing the USNA 95 and Conclusions
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
To give you a better idea of the size of the Cooler Master USNA 95 power adapter, here it is sitting next to the power adapter that comes with the ASUS K42F notebook.
As you can see the USNA 95 is half as thick and not as long as the original Delta 95W power adapter that came with our retail notebook. Not only was it thinner, but it also weighed less.
In fact, the Cooler Master USNA 95 with all the power cords and a tip installed on it weighed in at 10.375 oz or 294 grams. The power adapter that came with our ASUS K42F notebook weighed in at 18.375 oz or 521 grams.
This is a weight reduction of 44%!
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
The Cooler Master USNA 95 is a little wider than most mainstream OEM power bricks, but that shouldn’t be a deal breaker as the thickness is what you should be concerned with.
By reducing the thickness of the power brick it makes it easier to stuff in your laptop bag and it won’t bulge out as much.
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
Now that we know the Cooler Master USNA 95 power adapter is overall, lighter and smaller than an OEM notebook power adapter we can take a look at efficiency.
Cooler Master says their power brick is up to 90% efficient, so maybe we can also get some power savings by switching over to it.
For this test we plugged in the power adapter into a Kill-A-Watt power meter at the wall outlet and let the system idle and then run at full load thanks to Prime 95 25.11 64-bit.
The test results showed that both power adapters were drawing roughly the same power at the wall and that no significant difference could be seen.
When it comes to heat the Cooler Master USNA 95 gets warm, but isn’t burning hot like some power adapters that we have seen.
Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Power Adapter
Final Thoughts and Conclusions:
When it comes to notebook power adapters you should plug them in and they should work.
When Cooler Master asked us to review the USNA 95 ultra slim power adapter for them our gut reaction was to pass. Who would want to read a review on a power adapter?
When we looked at the features and specifications for this power adapter we quickly changed our minds as it was small, light weight, had a USB charger on it and was energy efficient.
This universal power adapter is ideal for those on the go that have lost or damaged their current power brick.
It weighed in at nearly half the weight and thickness of the power adapter that came with our ASUS K42F notebook! If you don’t ever travel then these features don’t mean much, but for those that do, it means your bag will be lighter and not as thick.
When it comes to energy efficiency the Cooler Master USNA95 power adapter wasn’t any more efficient than the power brick that came with the ASUS K42F, but keep in mind that this specific notebook came out in 2010 and likely already has a modern and energy efficient power adapter.
If you are replacing a power adapter from greater than three years ago you might see some power savings from this power adapter as well.
The coolest feature on the USNA 95 has to be the included USB 1A charger.
This means that you don’t have to bring wall chargers with you on the road anymore as you can just plug right into the power brick.
Not a bad idea to include something like that in the power adapter and it would be nice if more companies included USB chargers in the power brick.
The Cooler Master USNA 95 power adapter (RP-095-USNA-A1) has an MSRP of $79.99, which makes it more expensive than, say, the Cooler Master SNA 95 power adapter (RP-095-D19A-A1) that retails at $59.99.
That means you are paying a $20 price premium for the smaller size and the integrated USB charger.
If you travel a bunch this is a small price to pay for a weight reduction and a compact charger that can charge two devices.
The Cooler Master USNA 95 comes backed with a 12 month warranty from the date of purchase that covers both parts and labor.
There is nothing negative to say about the Cooler Master USNA 95 Ultra Slim Power Adapter, and due to the charger’s small size and the USB charger it is an easy choice for our Editor’s Choice award!
Source:http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1398/3/
