The tech industry has evolved significantly in the past few years and seems to go back and forth between smaller and larger devices. However, when it comes to computing, most people these days will forgo raw power in favor of devices that are lightweight and portable. Even gamers, who have long been associated with huge, powerful gaming PCs are now getting laptops that they can use for gaming on the go.
No matter what you use your laptop for, you’ll know that they can be prone to overheating, especially if you’re doing a lot on them, or using them somewhere where there’s not a lot of airflow like on your lap in bed or on the sofa. While the portability of laptops is one of their biggest selling points, it can also be one of the main reasons why they overheat. Thankfully, there are several things that you can do to prevent overheating.
Clean the Laptop
While it’s harder to clean a laptop compared to a desktop PC, it might be worth having a go if your device is becoming clogged up with debris and dust. Each laptop has exhaust fans, which are not going to work as fast or as effectively as they could if it’s all dusty inside. If you’ve invested in a high power laptop from Lenovo.com with a new Intel graphics card and a powerful CPU, then the last thing that you want is for its performance to be compromised due to dust. To clean your laptop, use small bursts of compressed air to clean inside the vents. This is the best way to remove as much dust as possible without damaging the components inside.
Use a Cooler
Whether you have noticed that your laptop is overheating, or you’ve recently invested in a new laptop and want to keep it as cool as possible to prevent damage over time, a laptop cooler is a great investment.
Overheating is not an uncommon experience when you use a laptop as these devices are quite compact and can quickly start to get warm if you’re using powerful software or doing a lot of different things at the same time.
A laptop cooling pad can be one of the best things to buy to prevent your laptop from getting too hot, and the best part is that they are often quite inexpensive too. All you need to do is place your laptop on top of the cooling pad whenever you are using it and turn the pad on. You can get different types, but a popular option is one with fans that blow cool air onto your laptop while you are using it.
Place Your Laptop on a Hard Surface
The portability of laptops and their lightweight nature means that it’s really easy to end up using yours while you’re sitting on the sofa or in bed. However, since this blocks the airflow to and from the laptop, it can mean that you end up with your device overheating much faster than usual, even if you’re not doing anything that uses up a huge amount of power. Instead of placing your laptop on a soft surface, try to only use it on a hard surface, like a table or desk. If you don’t want to miss out on being able to use your laptop on the sofa or while relaxing in bed, then you might want to invest in a laptop stand or table that you can use to place your laptop wherever you are using it. A cooling mat can also help to keep your laptop from overheating if you’re using it on soft surfaces.
Remember to Restart
Over time, your laptop’s RAM or Random Access Memory will have to start working harder if you are the type of person that just closes the lid without shutting your laptop down. If you’ve simply been closing your laptop without shutting it down for the past few days, you might notice that each time you come to use it, it seems to be working harder than it normally would. Along with being prone to overheating, this can also mean that your laptop is slower, and might crash more often than you’d normally expect. To prevent this, simply make sure that you shut your laptop down completely each time you are finished using it. You can also restart your laptop if you’re having these problems, allow it to cool down, and turn it back on again for a reset.
Change the Settings
Depending on the laptop that you use, you might be able to adjust the settings to ensure that it runs at the best temperature. Some settings that you might want to consider include brightness settings – the brighter your display, the hotter your laptop will be, so keep these down to as low as you can handle it. Check out the power management settings, too, where you’ll be able to find options and configurations to maximize saved energy and prevent your laptop from working too hard and overheating. You may also be interested in downloading software that you can use to track the temperature of your laptop, which in turn can make it easier for you to figure out what you need to do to help it cool down.
Close Apps
Modern laptops have made it easier than ever to have a lot of different things running in the background. However, while this might be convenient, it can also mean that your laptop is working harder than it needs to be, ultimately causing it to overheat especially when coupled with other issues that can lead to this problem like dusty fans, being used on a soft surface, or if your laptop hasn’t been restarted completely for a few days. Getting into the habit of closing apps when you’re finished with using them, instead of letting them run in the background, is a simple way to help prevent laptop overheating.
Overheating can be a common problem with laptops. Understanding why it happens and what you can do to prevent it will help you keep your device in good condition for longer.
