Learn How to Prevent Laptop Overheating – Keep Your Laptop Cool

If you have your laptop working for hours on end or use powerful software such as editing programs and design software then you can definitely expect a Little additional heat to come through your computer.

Operating a laptop at very high temperatures for long periods of time can lead to failed hardware components such as video cards, motherboards, hard drives and more. Now we are going to look at some of the possible causes of overheating to help you recognize a potential problem before it occurs.

Use a Laptop Cooling Pad To Prevent Clogged Air Vents

Dust and dirt can block off the air vents of your computer. This is something you need to be aware of if you work in an area that can get dusty or with very little air circulation. The most common cause of overheating is blocked air vents. These are the small grill areas usually found on the underside and at the sides of your laptop.

Part of a computer works like vacuum cleaner; sucking air form one side and blowing it out from the other. The vents are there to take cool air in and push hot air out. With this constantly going on you will notice after just a few months of use the fans and heatsinks will eventually become coated with dust. If not cleaned, their effectiveness quickly drops and so overheating occurs.

Laptops usually have just one or two smaller fans that have the difficult task of keeping all the internal components cool. If these fans are clogged up with dust and debris you can bet that they will only be working at a minimal capacity. These one or two fans have a tough job ahead of them. This is another reason why having a laptop cooler pad is a major advantage. It will take some of the pressure off the internal fans.

Laptops tend to accumulate fine layers of dirt and dust around their air vents after months of use. A laptop needs a steady flow of fresh air in order to cool its internal components that produce a high amount of heat. These components include the processor, hard disk and random access memory (RAM). Clogged air vents prevent the cooling of these components.

Use a Laptop Cooling Pad To Prevent Malfunctioning Internal Fans

A laptop uses at least one internal fan to cool its processor and other critical internal components. Most laptops use fans that work according to the workload of the processor. So, if the processor finds itself having to work harder, the fans will work faster to try to keep up with clearing the heat away. You will be able to hear the buzz made by a fan that suddenly changes pitch to match the processor’s heavy workload.

Therefore, a malfunctioning fan that is unable to respond to changes in processor workload will cause the processor and other components to overheat quickly. It also can degrade the performance of the operating system severely.

Improper Placement

The great thing about a laptop is that you can pretty much use it anywhere. Gone are the days where you have to sit yourself behind a desk for hours on end. These new lightweight laptops can be taken with you wherever you go and many people now find it more comfortable to work anywhere other than a desk. We can work off our laps, on the floor, on the couch, in bed, outside, etc.

The problem with this is there is a higher chance of blocking the air vents. Unlike above where the vents were blocked with dust here they may be blocked by the surface area you work from. The placement of your laptop plays a significant role in determining whether or not it overheats.

If you use your laptop like a personal computer by accessing it from a fixed position, it should be in a place where it has a good supply of fresh air. Also, its air vents should not be blocked, and it should not be near other electronic components that also generate heat.

There are many laptop cooling systems on the market that can help with this. Some have in-built fans to blow hot air away, there are others that will elevate the back of your laptop allowing air to flow and there are even those that are made with a crystalline gel that helps cool any hot areas.

Software Problems

Some laptops overheat because the software designed to protect the laptop, specifically by controlling the operation of cooling fans, does not work properly.

For example, you may have upgraded from Windows Vista to Windows 7 only to find the system software designed to operate the fans no longer works properly.

Software programs also exist to help avoid laptop overheating. They work by checking the computer to locate any unnecessary applications that may be running which are adding a heavier load on the processor. Once located, in order to avoid the conditions that lead to heat build-up the software will automatically shut down or lower the power usage of these applications. They can be a useful tool to restoring your laptop to healthy functioning if a program is available for your laptop.

Use a Laptop Cooling Pad To Help With Poor Design

Some laptops are actually known for getting too hot so it may be a good idea to look into this area if you are in the process of buying a new laptop. The design of some computers has the CPUs and all other components crammed into a tight little space leaving very little room for air to circulate. You may also find that some laptops have very bad ventilation and cooling systems appropriate for today’s CPU and video chips. If you already have a laptop with some of these issues then the only thing you can do is get yourself an external cooling system.

Use a Laptop Cooling Pad To Work In A High Room Temperature

This may be obvious but you would be surprised as to how much the temperature can rise in a laptop if it is used in a hot environment. Using a laptop inside a hot room or outside in the sun will cause it to overheat quickly. So, choose your work environment wisely.

These are just a few of the more popular laptop overheating causes that you may come across.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Terry_Sandler/1383560