Second half goals from Dele Adebola, Leon Best and substitute Robbie Simpson sent Steve Thompson's men crashing from the competition.
Last season Notts enjoyed their best moments in it as they came to within a whisker of the last sixteen after impressive wins at Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and then at home to Southampton.
But this will not be happening again as the Championship outfit put paid to Notts' aspirations and saw them dumped out of the competition at the very first stage.
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Ahead of the game a lot was being spoken about the starting eleven Notts boss Steve Thompson would pick given that last year in the competition he changed virtually the whole team from the one that had appeared in league games.
Sticking with the 4-3-3 formation he has vowed to perfect in this campaign, Thompson made just four changes this time, from the league draw at Grimsby Town.
In came Austin McCann - surprisingly left out in favour of Paul Mayo at Grimsby - Adam Tann, Hector Sam and Jay Smith. Gary Silk, Andy Parkinson and Matt Somner made way with Lee Canoville moving to right-back and Tann alongside Stephen Hunt in central defence.
Coventry, impressive 4-0 victors at Barnsley on the opening day of the Championship season, made seven changes. The most notable was the introduction of former Notts starlet Best.
Best moved to City in the summer from Southampton who had taken him from Notts for £50,000 before the talented striker had made an appearance in black and white.
Well known faces in the Sky Blues outfit included the likes of former Notts target Adebola, Wales international Robert Page and ex-Arsenal man Stephen Hughes in what was still a very strong eleven.
Notts started extremely sharply and should have taken the lead after just a minute when Sam headed against the bar. Great work by Smith and McCann down the left hand side created the oppurtunity with the former Southend man clearly looking to prove he should have started the first league game of the season.
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Adebola was the first home player to trouble Notts when he swung a hopeful shot at goal that was easily gathered by Kevin Pilkington.
Pilkington again nipped the danger in the bud when a dangerous looking free-kick by Michael Doyle was well saved by the stopper now entering his third season at the club.
Smith again looked like he could create danger for City when he moved easily through their experienced midfield, and it was clear that Iain Dowie had made a host of summer changes to his squad with their defence looking as if they had never played together before.
The question would be whether Notts would take advantage of the apparent indecision in the Sky Blues backline but Richard Butcher's effort from the edge of the box was wide of Marshall's post.
City responded through Best who turned past the Notts defence to create an opening in front of goal, only for his finish to let him down as he dragged it wide of the goal.
Although it was Pilkington who was the busier of the two goalkeepers, there was no doubting Notts' own attacking credentials and Smith again broke forward, ambitiously looking for the target from thirty yards with Marshall comfortably claiming it.
Best was again the man looking most likely to break the deadlock as he powered a shot at Pilkington's goal with the Notts man again equal to Best's efforts with a fine stop.
Dudfield, under pressure for his place after an ineffective showing at Grimsby, turned well onto a ball to volley well at goal but his effort lacked precision.
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A concern for the 600 odd travelling Notts fans came on the 35th minute mark as Dudfield fell to the ground in a heap despite appearing to not have been challenged but fortunately he was able to continue.
His strike partner Jason Lee then looked for Dudfield after good work between Smith and MacKenzie, but Lee's cross was deflected for Notts' second corner of the game.
The home fans were clearly agitated with a chorus of boos heard towards the end of the half after Notts forced City back with the ball and made them play more defensively than they would have expected.
The ball was in the back of the net shortly after though as Best finished past Pilkington, but the referee had already stopped play with his assistant putting his flag up for offside immediately as Best latched onto Adebola's through ball.
After this the game slowed down from the fairly frenetic half it had up to then been with both sides looking to see the half out with their clean sheet in tact, but Notts did manage two quick corners in succession before the half was out.
City then sparked into life one final time with that man Best again troubling the Magpies rearguard finding a gap in the defence and finishing well, only for Pilkington to thwart him with a diving stop before again halting City with a good block from Adebola.
Notts' visiting fans were left thanking the former Manchester United youth teamer as he then clawed a dangerous free-kick by home debutant Ellery Cairo away from danger.
That proved to be the final action of an entertaining first period with Notts fans content with how their team had performed - with some pleasing attacking football just missing a goal they had probably deserved.
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However, the action was soon to change dramatically with the first goal of the game coming shortly after the break on 47 minutes.
Adebola eased past Hunt and curled home past the blameless Pilkington who immediately let rip at his defenders with both Hunt and Tann failing to prevent the danger.
It was a cruel blow for Notts who has performed so admirably in the first half but who could have no complaints at the way they allowed City to move forward so quickly after the break.
This saw Thompson act as Silk entered the action for Tann, with Canoville moving back into the centre of defence.
Pilkington again thwarted Best after he was put through by Adebola, as Coventry continued to pile on the pressure with Notts looking as if they were still in the dressing room.
Finally the visiting fans were given brief hope as Silk raced forward and crossed well, only to see a lack of movement up front fail to take advantage of the centre before another Silk cross was met by Lee but he weakly headed into Marshall's arms.
Adebola was straight back into the action as he continued to run the Notts backline ragged turning past his markers but this time firing over the bar.
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Adebola then laid in Doyle, but he was offside as a second City goal was ruled out.
As the hour mark approached Thompson withdrew Sam, whose early header against the bar remained the best Notts oppurtunity of the game, replacing him with the fit again Myles Weston.
The match seemed to be turning into a stop start affair with both sides giving away needless free-kicks, with Butcher for Notts and Adebola for City both seeing yellow cards for poor challenges.
Chris Birchall replaced Cairo on 64 minutes for City.
On 65 minutes Best got the goal he had craved as, put through by Isaac Osbourne, he sprung the offside trap and raced clear to finish, despite Pilkington's best efforts as he managed to get a finger on the Irishman's lob.
Notts now had a mountain to climb with City looking much the better side and illustrating the gulf between the Championship and League Two for the first time in the game.
Weston headed at goal after a Smith cross but it was marginally too high.
City made a further two substitutions with the game now virtually safe as Jay Tabb replaced the ineffective Julian Gray and goal hero Adebola left the field for Simpson.
The substitutions for the night were complete when Spencer Weir-Daley entered the field for Dudfield with fifteen minutes left.
But the former Forest trainee would have no chance to help Notts rescue the tie as Simpson lashed home as City again eased their way through an increasingly poor Notts defence giving Pilkington no chance.
As much as Coventry had improved dramatically after the break, Notts' defence had switched off whereas the forward line had received very little service.
Lee finally got some as Silk and Weston combined effectively but his good header was saved well by Marshall.
Best earnt a needless caution for kicking the ball away after giving away a free-kick.
Lee should have earnt a consolation for the Magpies as Smith worked an opening well and fired at goal with Marshall parrying only to the feet of the captain but he wildly lashed over.
Simpson hit the final effort of the night at goal but it went wide of Pilkington's post.
Notts have to now take the positives from the game, most of which came in the first half as Smith and Pilkington impressed while Notts has performed well going forward with some intelligent work.
Unfortunately class told for Dowie's men, and there is to be no Carling Cup adventure this season.
Time to concentrate on the league.