If you’ve got your mind set on having an exciting Esports career, yet another piece of gear is here to help bolster your gaming performance. It’s the Cooler Master Connect Stand. This unit is made to keep your networking gear cool, thanks to an elevated design with an integrated fan. It aims to cool modems, routers, and more. The rectangular shape and overall size conforms to what’s typically seen across brands like TP-Link and Linksys, allowing it to accommodate a large number of units. Continue reading to learn more.
Cooler Master Connect Stand keeps networking thermals in check
The all-new Cooler Master Connect Stand wants to give your expensive gaming router the lavish lifestyle its price demands. Not only does it elevate your router for better air flow, but it even wields a detachable SickleFlow 120 Reverse Edition fan. This is a unit that Cooler Master touts as offering enhanced blade curves for “exceptional bottom up air flow.”
Instead of going all in on plastic, this unit attempts to strike a balance with a “metal mesh and plastic hybrid construct.” The result is a sturdy platform with maximal cooling capabilities for your router, modem, and a variety of other devices “so you don’t drop the connection in the middle of your game or stream.” Measurements span 11.6 by 6.7 by 2.9 inches and power is provided to the fan using a USB cable. The cord is tidily kept out of the way, thanks to built-in cable management.
Pricing and availability
Pricing of Cooler Master Connect Stand doesn’t seem half bad at $34.99. It’s hard to be certain of this though as this unit is sort of in a league of its own. A pre-order can be placed now and shipments are slated to begin on April 6.
9to5Toys’ Take
Truth be told, this isn’t an accessory that I think many offices or gaming setups will be in need of. Networking gear does run warm from time to time, but it’s unclear whether use of the Cooler Master Connect Stand will result in a noticeable performance boost for a majority of situations.
That being said, there are circumstances where I think cooling could prove useful when a router is being put through its paces. Streaming games from services like Google Stadia, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and xCloud could be an ideal example. Once latency becomes noticeable, the experience crumbles. A lot of bandwidth is needed that could cause a router to throttle once it hits a high temperature, perhaps making an adequate case for adding a Cooler Master Connect Stand to your setup.
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