Laptops Are Not for Laps

Excessive heat is the enemy of computer parts. Desktops have the advantage of plenty of open space for a number of fans. This makes the dissipation of heat so much easier. Unfortunately, it’s a great deal more challenging when dealing with a laptop. There are very few ways to lower the operating temperature of your notebook.

For some reason, laptops are typically built with intake or outtake ventilation on the bottom. If these vents become covered up with pillows, cushions or even your legs, they will not be able to draw heat away from the interior and the laptop will begin to overheat. The unfortunate thing is that this means laptop fans will not be able to circulate air when resting in your lap. While a little excessive heat every once in a while won’t instantly permanently damage your computer, it will damage the internal components as time goes on.

Some laptop cooling problems are not caused by obstructed vents, although it’s an extremely common cause. Running your laptop in an extremely hot environment can cause internal heating issues as well. It’s smart not to use your laptop on a hot surface such as a metal table in the sun or next to a hot stove. Keeping laptops off of hot surfaces and away from heat sources are two easy ways to eliminate overheating problems caused by environmental issues.

A couple companies sell stands and cooling pads for your laptop. If the fans are functioning properly in such a device, you could safely sit your notebook in your lap with a cooling pad. A notebook stand safely raises your machine in a way that allows for better air circulation. A cooling pad is a powered device that actively cools your notebook. A cooling pad will usually connect to your laptop for power. They can also have power adapters that plug directly into a typical wall socket. These pads contain fans that will help cool the computer. The fans will either draw air to or from the laptop. You will want to choose a fan configuration that cooperates with the built-in fans on your machine. These notebook coolers are made with either plastic or aluminum. Since it draws heat away from your laptop, aluminum is the preferred material.

If you are dealing with a serious overheating issue, you are probably going to need a more advanced solution. Like any part of your laptop, the internal fans can fail. If your laptop suddenly develops a heating problem that it didn’t in the past, a broken fan could be the cause. Don’t attempt to fix this yourself: opening up your laptop can void the warranty and you could damage the very delicate hardware. Another complex issue that can arise is that Sometimes the thermal paste on the inside the laptop will stop working. In this case, new thermal paste should be applied. Again, this is not something that a novice user should attempt. This requires taking the laptop apart for serious work.

Heat is tremendously bad for a laptop. Because of their compact design, it’s complicated to achieve good airflow in these mini systems. This means that a laptop’s operating temperatures should be checked on occasion. If you notice very high temperatures, you should have it checked out as soon as possible. This will greatly extend the lifespan of your laptop. You should be able to look up the correct operating temperature of your laptop online. You can use a sensor monitoring program to check that your components are operating at a safe level.

Gregg Housh works at Geek Choice, a nationwide Computer Repair company. At Geek Choice we solve computer problems such as: Slow computer, Virus Removal, and much more.

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