Coolermaster SNA 95 Notebook Adapter

Introduction

While not in our typical review lineup, a universal notebook adapter is something I've wished I had around from time to time, as I'm sure many of you have as well. One of the advantages of using a universal adapter is always going to be price. Face it, things give out and have to be replaced. OEM products are almost always more expensive, sometimes significantly so.

Granted, power adapters are more common and aren't as bad as some parts, like the hard drive I replaced in a friend's laptop. The manufacturer (I'll leave names out of it, to avoid litigation) wanted $345 plus shipping for the HDD. Nothing special, just a 40GB 2.5" IDE drive that's 3 years old or so. I picked up a bigger, faster drive online for $59.99, but I digress. The only reason I mention it is to illustrate the cost difference between OEM and aftermarket.

The power supply for our test laptop, which happens to be a Dell, retails for just shy of $70 from their website. While the Cooler Master is priced very close to that particular adapter, it does have some added functionality not offered from Dell, a USB charger built in. It's rather nice to be able to charge any of your USB devices in addition to or in place of your laptop computer.

The biggest question we face now is this: Will the SNA 95 deliver enough added value to justify passing over the OEM power adapter? It is sleek, small, and considerably lighter than the OEM version, but we really want to know if it will power our system.