Every summer the same problem arises again: the overheating of laptops, which become almost hot and turn the fans at their maximum to try to lower the temperature. The problem is that too much heat spoils the electronic components of the computer, especially the batteries and hard drives with all the data inside. Electronic components generate heat when they are turned on and, in summer, they generate more because the external temperature is also high.
Without neglecting the problem, it is worth taking some precautions to keep the laptop cool and prevent the temperature from rising to the point of suddenly turning off the computer.
READ ALSO: Solving Laptop cooling problems
All computers heat up, but for laptops the matter is more delicate. There are two main reasons why laptops have more than one overheating problem .
Meanwhile, since laptops are smaller than desktop PCs, electronic components are closer together and tightened in plastic, with much less space to let the heat out. The other reason is the very high power demand in some laptops where programs that require full use of the processor are run. Of course, laptop manufacturers know there are these problems and use fans, heatsinks, and vents to cool the computer when it's put to work. Dust, some small malfunction or misuse, however, can frustrate any effort. One of the best ways to keep your laptop cool from overheating is to simply take care of it.
1) Fans
If the PC is generating a lot of heat and if the fans are running fast activating at ever shorter intervals, you must immediately check if they are working as they should or if there is any malfunction. On the websites of some laptop manufacturers there are diagnostic tools to do this type of check.
By searching on Google, for example, the words tool diagnostic fan you can find the links for the fan diagnostic tools of the laptops Toshiba, HP, Intel, Dell, Vaio and others.
Alternatively, the operation of the fans can be checked with HWMonitor, a small information program.
CoreTemp instead is a program that monitors the temperature of the cores in the processor.
You might notice with this tool how the processor temperature rises during intensive use of games or graphics programs and how, in the most serious cases, when the temperature rises to 90 degrees, the PC turns itself off.
Speedfan, on the other hand, is a program that serves, in addition to controlling the temperature and speed of the fans, also to regulate the speed of the fans, asking for them to always be at their maximum, which is however not recommended.
2) Air intakes
Cleaning the air vents from dust is the first thing to do when temperatures rise. The suction vents must be open and without obstructions otherwise the heat cannot escape from the inside. The easiest way to clean the laptop's openings is to use a can of compressed air found in any office supply store. You can also use a slightly damp (not wet) cloth on the vents.
3) Bios
A bad laptop cooling system may also depend on the computer BIOS which may not be optimized. It would therefore be worth checking whether there were BIOS updates on the manufacturer's website. Since the BIOS is a delicate part of the computer, if you don't have a little experience it is better not to touch it.
4) Bad use
Many times it happens to pick up the laptop and place it on the legs while sitting in bed or on the sofa or, even worse, to place it on a blanket or a soft surface. In these cases, the soft surface covers the air intakes, therefore, inevitably, the computer will quickly overheat or even burn (fortunately it turns itself off when it reaches melting temperatures).
5) Cooling bases
The accumulation of heat can also occur when the laptop is placed on a normal desk, with all the fans and vents working well. To keep the laptop cool in any situation, there are supports that create space between the surface and the computer in order to facilitate the dispersion of heat.
These holders may also have a fan underneath which ensures safe cooling of the laptop.
These cooling bases can be bought on Amazon for 20 Euros and are one of the most recommended purchases, especially in summer.
One thing to remember is that the heat dissipation or dispersion of the laptop is constantly changing and changing according to age, environment and energy consumption. So even if last year everything worked well while this year the PC base seems warmer, you shouldn't be surprised much and you must immediately find suitable solutions before something can be broken.
READ ALSO: 8 ways to cool your pc in hot weather
