Laptops by their nature can generate a lot of heat. This is especially true when in use for long periods of time on your lap or an environment that's not cooled to optimise performance. But when your device starts to overheat, it can impact the performance of your machine. In this blog post, we outline the causes, and offer a few solutions of how to cool an overheating laptop.
What happens when the temperature gets too high?
A certain level of heat is to be expected and is normal for your hardworking device. Being a laptop, there is less space for the components compared to a PC and heat can build up quickly. However, when heat intensifies it can result in a slowing down of functionality which can lead to data loss. Longer term this can severely impact your machine.
Your laptop suffers a lot, you move it from a desk to your bag, onto a train or plane and then back again. This means dirt, dust and bacteria makes its way into the cooling device which is exposed on the base. This dirt builds up and can eventually affect the performance of the cooling fan.
How to prevent an overheating laptop
The temperature of your machine should not exceed 35 degrees celsius. To keep it within the guidelines we advise the following:
• Keep the vents free
• Make sure your laptop is on a flat surface so that air can circulate
• Remove any objects such as dust or hair from the vents
• Operate your machine in a cooler room
• Use a laptop stand which will allow heat to move round your machine
• Put a cooling mat underneath your laptop
To clear the vents, we recommend you use a compressed air spray. This should dislodge any dust or build of dirt and create a clear path for the air to move round.
What causes an overheating laptop?
Running lots of applications at the same time or streaming video games or films can contribute to the problem. They affect the temperature levels of your laptop. Over time your battery will deteriorate as will the thermal paste which cools your device. Monitor the number of applications you have open at once and close any that are resource intensive.
The CPU Turbo boost maintains the efficiency of the processing core of your machine – but only when it is operating within normal temperature levels. If your device is overheating, disable this function. Disabling the function may see a slight slowing in processing but it should also see a reduction in the temperature of your machine.
If following the tips above hasn’t solved the problem, and you still need to know how to cool an overheating laptop, then contact us. One of our technicians will be happy to review your laptop, make an appointment for the repair and provide you with a quote.
