Laptops are a necessity for professionals in this modern era. Not only are they lightweight and handy, but most laptops are also now as powerful as full desktops. But like every gadget, they need proper maintenance to work as perfectly as you would like them to. One of the ways in which you can keep your laptop in shape is by making sure the device doesn’t overheat.
How do you know if your laptop is actually overheating in the first place? A functioning electronic device naturally generates heat because of its internal functions. When several programs are running on your laptop, it will inevitably produce some heat. However, there are telltale signs of overheating that you as a laptop owner should be wary of. Before you panic about your laptop’s rise in temperature, check these signs first to confirm the condition:
- Your laptop’s performance is slower than usual to the point of having lagging programs, freezing, and even sudden shutdowns.
- You hear the internal fan noise. This means the fan is running on the highest speed to cope up with the laptop’s cooling needs.
- If your laptop is of an older model, using the latest software may take a toll on your dated hardware and make it overheat. If this is the case, you might want to upgrade your laptop to avoid overheating.
- If your laptop is warm to the touch, it is not overheating. However, if your laptop is hot to the touch where the motherboard is located to the point that it’s not comfortably warm, your laptop is most probably overheating.
Here are some great and effective ways you can prevent overheating and keep your laptop’s temperature low:
Proper Laptop Placement
If you’re doing heavy tasks on your laptop or if you’re gaming, it is best to put your device on a flat surface. However, dusty floors are hardly good for your laptop. It is best to put your laptop on a hard and flat surface such as a table for proper ventilation and unrestricted airflow.
Invest in Laptop Stands and Cooling Pads
Using cooling pads and laptop stands to elevate and reinforce the internal fan that’s already inside your laptop is one of the best options today. Cooling stands are helpful since they help reinforce the fan and provide your laptop more cooling for your needs. Also, elevating your laptop helps the airflow of the vents, which results in a more stable internal temperature.
Laptop Cleaning and Maintenance
Over time, your laptop will probably have gathered dust not just on the outside but also on the inside. The dust and dirt inside the vents will stay in the internal structure of your laptop, hindering ventilation, and also trapping heat with it. This poses a major problem, but it can easily be fixed with different methods like using a can of compressed air or an actual vacuum cooler made especially for laptops. However, these methods are more of a precautionary measure. If your laptop hasn’t been clean for a while and you suspect that the problem lies within the internal structure, it is best to have it cleaned by professionals. This cleaning should be done regularly, at least annually, to optimize the performance of your laptop.
Never Overlook Memory
The physical hardware inside your laptop computer stores data and helps it function well for your software. However, it does reach a certain limit depending on the memory capacity of your
Random Access Memory (RAM). Overheating may begin if your RAM is getting lower. To fix this, you can just simply buy new RAM, delete unnecessary files, or transfer some files to an external hard drive.
Tweak Your Laptop Settings According to Your Needs
If you’re an avid movie watcher or gamer with your laptop, it is best to find ways to adjust the settings so that you meet the demands of the workload while avoiding overheating. Aside from making sure that your power-management settings are appropriately activated, here are some things that you can change and monitor to protect your laptop from damages due to overheating:
- lowering your screen’s brightness
- closing idle software and applications that you’re not using since these take up memory and CPU time
- unplugging USB-powered devices from your laptop
- setting up your BIOS to handle heavy graphics loads for gaming and movie-watching
- actively monitoring your computer’s temperature using free applications like SpeedFan
If you liked this page on how to keep your laptop cool, make sure you check out other laptop tips below.