KEEPING YOUR GAMING LAPTOP ‘COOL’

Gaming Laptops are ‘cool’ – You can play them wherever you want whether at school, during break time, or on your free hours. Laptops embrace portability and power at the grasp of your hand.

Having said that, there are times when it’s not so ‘cool’ anymore. I mean, literally. Heat starts to arise as you play with your lappy and the noise of the fan starts to become noticeable. Rest assured, it is normal. Your laptop is trying to resolve the heat inside a norm to any electronic devices. However, it is a different case if the heat continues to increase. If left neglected, it may cause serious heat damage to your device and affect other electronic components inside.

Let’s just clarify that bad batteries are different from heating problems. Heating problems are a general issue nowadays, a result of most of people following the trends and hence using their devices more than compared to five or ten years ago.

Gaming laptops are prone to heating problems more so than a PC desktop for two major reasons: (1) components of laptops are more jam-packed and closer together, thus creating more heat, and (2) powerful processors requires more processing power, dissipating more heat.

This is an expected problem by the manufacturers which is why fans, sinks, and air vents are present along with the components of a typical laptop. But sometimes, cooling devices are just not enough to counteract the heat being produced, especially, if you are playing with your laptop for a very long time.

Heating problems may occur if a cooling device stops working properly, inadequate airflow, poor maintenance, and continued use when in high temperature status. These risks increase depending on your gaming laptop’s age.

Now here are the tips on how to keep the ‘coolness’ of your gaming laptops.

Do not play on your lap or on any flat surface.

Although ‘laptop’ has the word ‘lap’ in it, it is inadvisable to play on your lap. That’s how people’s lap gets burned. In addition, playing on flat surfaces is also a no-no. Doing so may block the vents and hinder airflow causing overheating. Prevent heat trap by placing your gaming laptop on an elevated surface ex: above a small item or book) and just make sure the fan is not being blocked at all.

Keep them clean.

There are reasons why overheating happens frequently due to user factors. One of them is failure to maintain their unit. Have a schedule of checking and cleaning your fans and air vents. Make sure that there is no dust, debris, or any form of material that may impede their functions. Compressed air can be a handy tool to blow away any dust and dirt that are hard to reach.

Check your environment.

Observe where you are playing. The outside environment could greatly affect the sudden rise of temperature of your unit. If not air conditioned, find a cooler part of your home, office, or school. Don’t sit in a hot car and if you’re gaming outside, do not expose your laptop to direct sunlight. Also, keep it awayfrom heat inducing objects. This will keep your gaming laptop from external heat preventing it from overheating.

Buy some cooling accessories.

Sometimes, spending is less. By spending some dollars on some accessories/ad-ons for your device, you may prevent spending a lot of money on repair fees or buying a new unit. There are some accessories available on the market or online that could keep your gaming laptop from overheating while playing. One of them is a laptop stand, which often comes with a USB powered ventilating fan. Another option is going for a simple cooling mat/pad.

Check your PC or in-game settings.

Track the temperature by installing some applications. By doing this, you will be able to monitor the sudden changes of temperature of your device while playing. Also, you can manage the power processing rates of your computer (varies differently depending on your OS). Then, try to decrease the maximum power rate that your CPU could process to about 70 – 80%. If your gaming laptop is overclocked, you may want to take a break and stop playing for a while. This can affect the temperature incrementally.

While playing, you can decrease the brightness of your screen which also helps limit the heat produced. Another tip is to lower your game settings and effects. Less effects to render means less processing power used, which means less heat is produced.

Reduce the time you spend with it.

This could be an obvious one but worth mentioning. Let it rest for a while once you feel that it is heating up. It could also be helpful towards your health.

So, there you go. With these tips, you can prevent your gaming laptops from overheating and serious damages. Continue being cool, guys!