Your lightweight laptop is a computing marvel. But it runs hot. Its power and storage come at a price: efficiency. After your coffee, the biggest enemy of your laptop is overheating. It can lead to hardware failure and permanent damage.
Let’s examine the most effective ways to cool a laptop that is overheating. They can prolong its life and enhance its functionality.
Read Also: How to reduce laptop fan noise
The Basics of Overheating Computers
Your laptop may not be overheating just because it looks hot.
How do you know your laptop is overheating?
It is a definite sign of overheating when a fan runs at full speed continuously. A laptop fan can make quite a noise; this in itself is a cause for concern. In fact, the internal temperature can rise to such a point that the laptop casing becomes too hot to touch.
It could affect performance. Modern CPUs reduce the clock speeds to prevent overheating. The fail-safe software may even shut everything down to prevent hardware damage.
HWMonitor (seen above) may be used to test the internal temperature of your laptop. It might also tell you which part of your laptop gets too hot. The CPU or GPU usually gets too hot. Laptops that have onboard graphics may not show separate GPU temperatures.
Why is your laptop overheating?
Your laptop overheats because it does not cool properly.
This could be due to several reasons: dust blocking the grill, a fan issue, or degraded thermal paste. A thermal pad (or paste) is a heat-conductive material. It connects the CPU (or GPU) to a metal heatsink. The heatsink channels heat away from the processing units, usually to a cooling fan.
Yes, you can manually fix an overheating laptop. Some jobs, though, are much harder than others. For example, replacing the thermal compound on the CPU is much harder. If you’re looking for a quick fix, try our simple solutions first. Don’t take the steps to de-lid your CPU or GPU and apply a new thermal compound if you aren’t really skilled enough.
Can a fanless laptop with passive cooling overheat?
Laptops without fans use passive cooling. Either they disperse heat through the metal body or they throttle the CPU.
You probably have a laptop with passive cooling. It has no fan noise or exterior vents. Your computer shouldn’t overheat. Performance may fall, but once it starts becoming too hot, it may throttle.
Laptops with passive cooling have no fans, so they can’t be repaired. But, for CPU power, you can get some back by cooling off the extra heat. If you happen to have a fanless laptop, skip on to the next section about cooling pads.
How to Stop Your Laptop from Overheating
Several simple hardware fixes can cure overheating.
1. Fix Internal Cooling
The first thing to do when your laptop starts overheating is to clean the fan(s) cooling the CPU and graphics card. They get dirty and clogged over time. This impairs their cooling and causes overheating. It’s best to check the laptop’s manual or the manufacturer to know how to open the computer and clean out its parts.
Before you attempt to do any cleaning, follow these steps:
- Look for the laptop’s exhaust ports while it’s operating; hot air should come out of them.
- Shut down the computer
- Unplug all cables
- Remove the battery (if possible)
- Ground yourself to avoid electrostatic discharge.
2. Maintain the laptop on a level, hard surface
If your laptop has intake grills on its bottom, they will block. You might be using it on poorly placed surfaces, like a pillow or blanket. Hence, cooling is impaired. The system accumulates heat. Your laptop’s body heats up. The internal temperature gets high. The laptop goes into overheating.
Thus, a simple solution for this problem is to put the laptop on a hard, flat surface. You may buy something as straightforward as a tray, or you could opt for a fancy laptop holder or lap stand. I use a portable bamboo laptop desk myself.
3. Purchase a cooling pad or laptop cooler
Laptop coolers won’t chill laptops much. So, check the laptop’s airflow before buying one. Most laptops absorb cooling air from the bottom, leading to overheating. If your laptop has intake grills, buy a cooler that blows air up, cooling it into the computer. Consider a passive cooler like the Hagibis ergonomic laptop stand for better airflow.
For the handy geeks, you can even make your own laptop cooler/cooling pad. We have also discovered that it can be done for less than 5 bucks!
Can you fix an overheating laptop with software?
If hardware fixes don’t work, try software changes first. They serve to ease laptop performance and power under normal conditions. To fix excessive heat, software would need to reduce performance. This would protect the hardware.
You could either reduce your screen’s brightness or lower the CPU clock speed. On Windows, you can “under clock” or “under volt” using the BIOS or helpful software. If you have an Intel processor, you might be able to under volt it using Intel XTU. Furthermore, you can under volt graphics cards or simply underclock your GPU. And, out of curiosity, under clocking and undervaluing are not the same.
Protect Your Laptop from Overheating
Even on a new laptop not running hot, it will be wise to clean the air vents and cooling fans. Dust builds up. If you want to be careful, always put your laptop on a firm, flat surface.
Surfing on the sofa with the use of a laptop board would help; this would ensure proper airflow. If you might need a new cooling system for your PC, check out our best picks. For more details about laptop repair in Dubai, call our toll-free number 045490505.
