Artwizz Notebook AluStand

The AluStand does at least provide better air circulation, as expected, than simply running the laptop off a desk. Below are some thermal readings from the Phoronix Test Suite when running Lightsmark, GraphicsMagick, and NAS Parallel Benchmark followed by letting the system idle for five minutes. The results are available when the ThinkPad T61 with its Core 2 Duo T9300 and NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M were running off the AluStand, directly on the stand, and then on a plastic Logitech Alto Express stand.

The Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 processor temperature was lower when running on the Artwizz AluStand thanks to the better airflow than when running directly off a glass desk, but it was not really any better than the Logitech stand, which also elevates it off the desk.

The NVIDIA GPU temperature in the Lenovo notebook was also lower when running off the Logitech and Artwizz stands.

There was not much of a difference though with the overall system temperature between the tested scenarios with the Lenovo ThinkPad.

The Artwizz AluStand is a very simple notebook stand that is made of aluminum aside from the middle connector piece that is made of a sturdy plastic. It is perhaps the most portable notebook stand we have tested as it comes apart in three pieces and can easily fit in a modestly sized notebook bag for easy transport. However, unless you also carry an external keyboard with you or you have a keyboard already at your destination, the Artwizz AluStand will not be much of a travel companion. When typing directly on the notebook's keyboard and using the track pad, the notebook bounces around a bit on the stand as all of the weight is placed on these Z-shaped aluminum pieces. This is distracting, but the quality of the product is good enough where at least the notebook should not slide off the stand or come apart.

Using the AluStand can also lead to better airflow for your notebook, but that is the case with most elevated notebook stands and is not anything unique to this Artwizz product. If you are looking to elevate your notebook on your desk and use an external keyboard, the Artwizz AluStand is worth considering. For such a simple product, it is a bit expensive at Harmonic Inversion or Amazon where it is $40 USD and unfortunately does not appear to be available from any other US retailers. Ordering directly from Artwizz, the AluStand can be purchased for 30EUR (including VAT, ~$35 USD).