Cooler Master USNA 95 Slim Notebook Power Adapter Review

Testing the USNA 95 and Conclusions

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%!

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.

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.

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.

December 2012 Update: The Cooler Master USNA 95W Ultra Slim Power Adapter can now be found for $41.12 shipped.

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!

Legit Bottom Line: The Cooler Master USNA 95 Ultra Slim Power Adapter is a great universal power adapter that is lightweight, slim and sports a USB charger so you can charge two devices at once.