Over the past few years, laptop overheating has received much user’s attention. Around 2006, stories of laptops catching fire began to trickle in from around the world, which is when the issue first became well known. There were terrible batteries involved, necessitating extensive recalls from businesses including Dell, Sony, and Acer.
Although the overall problem of overheating computers is unrelated to those defective batteries, the “explosions” of laptops undoubtedly brought attention to the root cause: Something that rests on your lap shouldn’t endure extreme heat. Several people have suffered burns. Absent that, too much heat can harm hard drives.
If a defective battery isn’t the issue, what is heating these laptops so much?
Try placing your hand on the DVD player after watching a movie if you have yet to observe that your devices become warm to the touch when used for a while. Your laptop’s electronic components also produce heat while they are operating.
This article will explain why laptops get so hot and what you can do to keep yours cool in terms of upkeep and accessories. Even better, it doesn’t cost any money to complete.
Laptops overheat more frequently than desktop computers for two main reasons. First, those electrical components are packed in more tightly because laptops are smaller than desktops. Because they are closely together and a laptop’s shell is so narrow, there is less space for the heat to dissipate.
Power is the other problem. More heat is being produced inside the chassis as laptop processors get more powerful and operating systems demand more computing power to function.
Of course, laptop manufacturers are aware of this, and the device contains many components intended to dissipate heat. Air vents, heat sinks, and fans all help keep a laptop cool while it’s operating. But occasionally, it simply isn’t enough. Overheating may result when a fan isn’t functioning correctly, or there is some other issue. However, there are situations when the user is more to blame than the device.
So let’s learn how to keep our computers cool before discussing an external cooling arrangement.
Using a Laptop Cooler: What You Can Do
You can still accomplish more even if your laptop’s cooling system operates as well as possible. The odd thing is that using a laptop on your lap practically begs for it to overheat. Any soft surface hampers the airflow into and out of the cooling vents. Additionally, it may result in heat building up beneath the device. People’s laps get burned in this way.
However, heat accumulation is still possible even when the laptop is placed on a desk.
There are several methods for preventing this kind of heat trap. The first is the laptop stand, which creates space between the laptop’s bottom and the surface on which you’re using it. In essence, it makes room for heat to escape. A stand often consists of a flat, thin surface with short legs that can be placed on your lap or a desk. Heat can easily be dissipated, and circulation through the vents is open with just an inch or two of space underneath the laptop.
A stand may occasionally be constructed from a unique material, such as aluminum, which serves as a heat sink. To further help with cooling, this device would actively suck heat away from the laptop.
A laptop pad or mat is an additional option. In this method, like the aluminum heat sink, the gadget is placed on a surface that actively manages heat. Protecting your lap can entail using an insulating pad that retains heat from the laptop. It also refers to a thick pad with integrated fans that actively remove and distribute heat.
While you may purchase one of these cooling devices from any electronics store or a variety of online merchants, you might already have something at home that you can utilize. A little camping table with slats can serve as a laptop stand. Likewise, a big baking rack.
Remember that your laptop’s heat characteristics are constantly changing based on factors like age, environment, and power usage. Therefore, you might want to install some heat-monitoring software even if you find the ideal cooling arrangement. You’ll better understand how hot your laptop gets and how certain circumstances might make it hotter.
