There are many reasons why a laptop might overheat. For instance, high ambient temperature where the laptop is located can be a contributing factor. In such a case, it’s perfectly normal to expect the device to overheat. If you are using the laptop in a poorly ventilated area, overheating is likely to occur.
Have you checked if the air vents on your laptop are blocked? Obstructed airflow can lead to laptop overheating. The issue might also stem from not using the original charging adapter. Another culprit could be software or services running in the background that consume a lot of processing power.
Laptops can also overheat if dust buildup on internal components is hindering proper airflow. If the CPU’s thermal paste has worn out, this can result in poor thermal management. You might also experience problems if the laptop’s internal cooling components like the heat sink or cooling fans malfunction.
Most Effective Laptop Cooling Methods
Laptop Cooling Pad
Laptops, due to their compact designs, are devices prone to overheating. They are not very capable when it comes to cooling because of their design. Therefore, if you can keep your laptop cool, you can make it work healthier and at relatively lower temperatures.
For this reason, one of the best methods you can use is to get a laptop cooling pad. With a simple working mechanism, laptop coolers are a fan placed under a small laptop. You operate the cooling pad by placing it under your laptop. This fan on the pad directs air to the underside of your laptop, keeping your device cooler.
The price of these pads is generally reasonable. They do a pretty good job of keeping your laptop cool even if you play games for hours. However, if you don’t have enough budget for a cooling pad, you can also get help from a normal stand. For example, a small block to place your laptop on will provide the space to allow for easier airflow. In fact, most stands are made of aluminum materials that allow heat to be absorbed.
Finally, while a bit pricey, you can also invest in an external GPU. If you have a budget that won’t break you, an external GPU will provide more power than the graphics cards built into laptops. This ensures that the heat that will affect your laptop takes place outside the device.
Prevent Unnecessary Softwares From Starting Automatically
If there are a lot of softwares running in the background while your laptop is running, sometimes unnecessary softwares can put a heavy processing load on the laptop’s processor because they start at login, reducing its performance. If you have your laptop plugged into a power source at the same time, the situation will get even worse. To avoid this type of situation, you can stop any applications that you deem unnecessary at startup.
To stop these applications, you can either use Windows Task Manager or go to the settings menu and disable unnecessary applications from there. There are also a few more startup processes that you can disable. However, be careful not to disable applications or processes that are important for a correct Windows startup.
Use Your Laptop on a Desk
Due to their compact structures, laptops can be used almost anywhere. For example, I’m sure everyone enjoys watching something while lying in bed and putting it on the side. But instead of pulling the quilt over you and putting it on your lap, you should make sure that it is on a harder surface.
Where you put these devices for laptops is also a very important detail. If you use it on the floor, you are probably causing a lot of dust and dirt particles to escape into your device. This causes your processor to perform higher and therefore get hotter. It can even negatively affect the performance of your keyboard.
While it’s a huge advantage for you to be able to use your laptop anywhere, that doesn’t change the fact that you have to be careful. It will be beneficial to use your device in a cool environment and, if possible, on a table.
Keep Your Laptop Out of the Sun
Whether you are using it or not, prevent your laptop from coming into direct contact with sunlight. Because laptops contain many small plastic parts inside that can be damaged by excessive heat.
If you are using your laptop exposed to sunlight, this will increase the internal temperature of the device. If you continue working like this for hours, you will shorten the life of some parts inside the laptop.
Finally, if you store your laptop in a hot car, serious damage can occur if some plastic components warp.
Keep Your Laptop Clean
This is one of the most basic things to do for all devices. Whether it’s your laptop, desktop computer, or phone, keep in mind that your device must be kept clean for it to perform adequately.
If you are using your laptop on the balcony of your house, probably a lot of dust and dirt particles have entered your device. These dust particles, which enter through the ventilation holes, cause the entire device to become clogged. If you use an air blowing compressor, you can get rid of this dust from your device. You can open your device to reach more internal parts, but keep in mind that this will void your ongoing warranty. If your device is not under warranty, you can open the panels of your device and use the air blowing compressor. However, keep in mind that this requires a bit of finesse, as you could damage your device.
Don’t Run Too Many Programs at the Same Time
Another factor that causes laptops to overheat is running too many programs at the same time. Therefore, you should try to keep the number of running programs to a minimum.
For example, if you are working on a design and have completed this work, you might consider closing the program instead of minimizing it. By doing so, you’ll free up your laptop’s resources and get better performance for something you’re already using.
However, also reduce the number of open tabs in your browser as much as possible. This way, your browser will use less memory and the performance of your laptop will increase. Of course, this will also prevent your laptop from heating up more.
