Performance
As I mentioned at the start, every laptop has a minimum requirement for its power adapter to be sure that it will be able to charge while you have your laptop running. Some of today’s ultrabooks require around 65 watts; mid-range and multimedia laptops can be found needing over 90 watts and some gaming laptops require even more up to 120 and 150. This is where the new NA 120 comes in. It has the power to charge almost anything on the market. Of course when it comes to a laptop that only requires 65 watts, the additional wattage isn’t going to help you. This means its best to get an idea of what you need first, or at least what you think you will need in the future. In my case, I love laptops with dedicated GPU’s, so I will need the power both now and in the future.
Because the actual wattage of the NA 120 is only relevant when making sure you have enough power for your laptop. There aren’t any benchmarks that we can do to show a performance increase over stock. Because of that, we have to consider its functionality more than anything else. For that we really have a lot less to work with than with past models from Cooler Master. With the low wattage models we saw slim designs that have built in USB plugs and even built in holders for the cords. In this case, the NA 120 is more of a replacement for a large wattage charger than an improvement. That’s not to say that it isn’t a little smaller than most high wattage laptop power supplies, but it is still much larger than what we have come to expect with their adapters. On top of that there isn’t a built in USB port, something I was very excited about.
Still, the selection of different charging tips is a great feature in itself. Unlike your standard charger, you can use this on nearly every laptop on the market just by swapping out a small plug. Because Cooler Master included a carrying bag you shouldn’t have any issues with the different tips vanishing. They also included a Velcro scrap to keep the wiring contained when you pack it all up. I found that strap to be more than long enough to be able to include the power cord as well.
The power indicator light on the NA 120 is a bright blue to show you that it is plugged in. Unlike past Cooler Master Models though, it doesn't change colors when its actually charging. I’m not sure why this useful functionality would vanish.
