How to Stop Laptop Overheating Issues

To help stop laptop overheating a few points to begin with
 

• The make and hardware architecture of a laptop

• It’s environment where it’s situated

• What tasks is it being used for

• What is connected to it

• Is the laptop just hot or really overheating

Make and design of a laptop

It’s a known fact that certain laptops run hotter than other laptops, there are many factors involved such as processor type, cooling system such as fans or heatsink, ventilation, the initial heat given off by the CPU, even items such as video cards can increase the laptop heat as a whole.

Look around on the web and you’ll see examples of laptops which run hot, this usually is a uniform issue on particular models, to name a few, Apple Mac Book Aeros, IBM T60, Dell D400, I’m sure there are many more, but these are some of the ones we’ve had experience with.
 

Although the design and components of a laptop make a huge difference to it’s operating temperature there are a number of other factors to help stop laptop overheating and many of those we can change.
 

It’s environment where it’s situated
If the laptop is placed in a warm environment which cannot be avoided then being able to stop laptop overheating can pose more of a problem, but even then by following a few simple steps below we can help to stop laptop overheating to a large degree.

What tasks is it being used for
The harder a laptop is working the hotter the processor will become, this does not necessarily mean that the computer is overheating though.

What is connected to it?
Did you know plugging in USB devices such as external hard drive and network dongles puts a small load on the processor, so if your computer is getting hot only connect USB devices when required, or purchase alternative equipment with different connection types.

Laptop hot or actually over heating?
It’s a common misconception that if a laptop gets hot it is overheating, If you think your laptop is actually overheating there are a few symptoms to look out for such as system crashes, sluggishness or slowness, are some parts of it too hot to touch?

A good way to test if a laptop is over heating is to use some CPU temperature monitoring software, many of these packages are free for both Intel and AMD processors then check to see what the normal temperature is for your computer type, it’s also worth checking the recommended processor temperature from the manufactures website or one of the many user groups/forums.

What can be done if a computer is overheating
always use a hard cool surface to allow air to circulate under the laptop. Many laptops have cooling vents underneath and obstructing these will make a laptop overheat very quickly.

One of our clients had a problem with an Acer laptop over heating, after checking this it was found have an asset label covering the air vents directly where the processor fan expelled hot air.

If a laptop is starting to overheat all of a sudden check the CPU fan, you should be able to hear it running, also check the thermal paste which helps transfer heat from the processor to the heatsink as it can lose efficiency and will need to be replaced.

Keep all vents clear of dirt or dust, a build up will cause over heating

Maybe purchase a laptop cooler which is basically a plate with multiple fans that sits under the laptop, helping to circulate air.

Applying the power saving functions of a laptop will make a it run much cooler, plus increase it’s battery life.

If you’re looking for a new laptop and are concerned about excess heat or over heating, check on website of your preferred manufacturer, checking their forums on which laptops fall into this category and which don’t.

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